96 4Runner

Messing around with the 4Runner while watching the ice build up on the outside. Snow day for the whole family, we're all stuck at home because ice. Walking outside hasn't gotten bad yet, can still get across the driveway without death or dismemberment. Or comic crashing to the ground.
MODOT did comment they pre-treated with a combination of brine and beet juice. Now they've moved on to rock salt now that the storm is here.

Found a bad spot on the dimmer switch...prolly something I did to it while I was playing wiring games, from what I've read most likely managed to overload the ground circuit on it. For reference:
white/black = ground
green = 12v power
green white= power to dimmer

This is the innards of the dimmer switch, specifically the circuit board attached to the plug.
So the little copper strip at the bottom of the board has been disrupted. This is supposed to go to ground. The discolored soldered bit above it comes in from the white/green wire. Both are damaged. If I jumper those two the dash lights work but obviously not the rheostat since it gets bypassed.



Now deciding how I want to do this...try soldering to repair the weak safety link in the dimmer? It does still have the 15a fuse. Junkyard dimmer earliest is maybe Monday, it's supposed to ice today, Saturday and Sunday, but just rain on Monday.
Hmmm, maybe play with dimmer after getting continuity back until I've got it all right, then replacing with junkyard one. My bad for playing with live wires and loose grounds, I believe. Too scattered in the mainbrain, not methodical and careful enough. What did Nervo19 say? Twitchy!

Any chiming in / correcting of information / weather commiseration / hot chocolate welcomed!

 

Well, the new struts on the 96's hatch pops it right open even with a layer of ice on it.

 

Just catching up on your thread. So far we have been missing out on the ice. We are right on the edge of it in rain and temperture wise. Monday we are to be in the 60's. Hope you wont have to deal with it to much longer. That brine wreaks havoc on trucks which would be one more reason for a good stay at home day. Hope this passes quickly and spring will come quick this year.

Not sure what to do for the circuit board. I enjoy the bone yards but not this time of year as most are all muddy and the truck I need to get parts off of are right in the middle of the biggest mud puddle.

 

Terry, ha, it's piggy time in the yards for sure. One of the ones we go to has actual cement, that's awfully nice. The rest, muck. When modot travel shows green roads I'm going in with boots and gaiters and my gross stuff coat. At least the dimmer is inside the truck and not under!

Glad to hear you're not getting ice, hope it stays that way for you! It's actually not too bad this time, maybe a quarter inch so far, and the roads aren't too horrible. Not that I've driven on them, I walked to the grocery store yesterday and even the sidewalks were mostly okay.

 

So. Bored. Couple o' very small mods happened today, if they turn out I'll post them up.

 

Hab I would be happy to trade you.

 

Hey Jason, how are you feeling? Hope it's lots better!

So are you trading my goofy mini-mods, boredom, ice or stupid wiring tricks?
You didn't get stuck driving this stuff, did you???

 

Finally feeling better.
I just figured if you were driving around the country maybe you wouldn't be bored, and I would prefer to be doing about anything else.
We are missing the ice but having to go a long way out of the way to do so.

New podcast episode should be released Monday if you're interested �

 

Oh Jason, you know I'm interested! Glad to hear you're back up to podcast-ability.

I'm whining boredom when there's a ton of housework to be done but I can't risk a fatal allergic reaction! I did take the xmas tree down and it's, like, not even February.

I'd love driving all over the country on my terms. Mad props to you guys, all the time you spend away from family, all the crap driving and driver disrespect around you, the wind, the weather, the expectations. Mad props.

Another round of freezing rain this morning, then once the roads clear up it's off to the yards!!

 

Junkyard run!!!

Got a new old dimmer and it's working perfect. Also got some lighter socket surround lights. All of those are not working perfect. Ah, well, lets play with this.

The light is all one piece, the bulb doesn't come apart from the base.



Well....isn't supposed to come apart from the base....there are two tiny tabs that release the posts from the base. The bulb's wires are soldered to them.



And one lighter surround lamp, deconstructed.



Now to find a matching bulb or ???
Looks like there's still a Radio Shack around, time to take the old bulb in and find something usable.
2721092 ?

 

What are you working on now that I've missed?

 

Well Jason, I managed to introduce an outside ground to my dash light wiring because I'm a butthead. That burnt up my dimmer because that's where the ground is supposed to be. While I had that stuff apart I decided to redo the coloring on my key surround because it was too dull (red). Then I looked at the lighter surround and decided to color that (red too) but then I noticed the bulb was burned out. While I am in there I am moving my gauge light wiring over to the aux start battery fuse block, as well as the wire for the start battery voltmeter.

Anywho.

Got to do a junkyard run in the rain (yay), found a usable dimmer and that's all good. Also found a bunch of non-working lighter surround lights. Glad the guy just gave them to me.

Still want a working lighter surround light (and to see how the new color looks) so I've pulled one of the bulb/base deals apart to see if I can find a bulb that I can solder in. This is NOT a pop out bulb, if you try to the bulb will break unless you release the blades first, you likely know, but not all do, so I'm putting that out there.

While I was in there I was double-checking the wiring for the clinometer (correct, whew!) I decided to change the bulb color there, too.

I dunno, seems I've gone in more directions than my original intention.

 

That's the cigarette lighter bulb right? I accidentally broke mine off a couple years ago haha

 

we have been getting hit with freezing rain and snow lately too...slows you down

This was my windshield this morning, 0530 & 9*

 

That's beautiful. A weatherman was all excited here a week ago because we never get that kind of frost. It's called hoar frost.

 

Yep, and that happens a lot. I'll post up when I find an appropriate bulb....they gotta be out there somewhere.

That's pretty! It was raining at 0530 this morning here, but only freezing a little at 32 degrees, then it warmed up a little.

Hi Nervo19!

 

I'm gonna have to go back and catch up on things, I thought I had but I evidently missed something.

Dropzone that is a beautiful picture, can't believe it's ice.

 

After I get stuff all back together I'll do some pics and summarize, Jason.

 

Finishing up a couple of things today. One is to change the color of the lighter surround. It's red. All I did was take the socket assembly apart and change the bulb window color, plus colored the underside of the surround that you can see. Pics of the effect once I get the mess all back together.
Random pics...



Bulb illumination window. The release tabs are on either side of the window.

 

Also repaired the socket surround light. It's an assembly, the bulb does NOT pull out as it normally does in other sockets. I pulled the assembly apart to find a 2 pin bulb soldered to 2 blade terminals.

deconstructed, de-soldered:


Found a bulb (2pk) from Radio Shack for $1.99, 12v 1.4w



The new bulb is tiny! The old one is the size of a #74 but missing most of the base......that could be something to explore if this doesn't work out. I can tell you a regular #74 is too long.