Article by: RobRed

Applicable Models: 1998 – 2002 / 100 Series Land Cruiser (2003-2007 with variations in the cluster lamps)

Last updated: February 3, 2014 at 18:02 pm

In this installment of our write up on using factory switches to control aftermarket air lockers we are going to address using a instrument cluster (combination meter) lamp to indicate that our air compressor has been powered up.

Before we continue… If you mess this up it can DAMAGE your instrument cluster beyond repair. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS if you are not confident in your abilities. Seriously this can ruin your day.

Before you begin any modification to your vehicle you should fully understand what you are doing and make sure you have the skills to complete the job. TLCFAQ nor it’s authors, commentors or contributors accept any responsibility, or liability for any mishap or problems from any materials posted on the website. Any and all of this can cause serious damage to you or your vehicle. Always consult a qualified professional. I’m Serious. Do this at your own risk.

Lets look at the instrument cluster indicator lamp map:

 

If you have a USA 2000 model what you will notice in the diagram is that the differential locker indicators from other markets have been replaced by SLIP and VSC TRAC. You may also notice 4 blank positions and 3 not used in the USA, Fuel/Water Separation, Spare Tire Gate Open and Dirty Air Filter. The blanks are covered with a black block off so even if you put a bulb in the slot it wont be visible. Tire Gate Open and Dirty Air Filter are prime for a lamp and in our case we are going to use Dirty Air Filter for our Compressor Armed indicator.

I purchased a bulb assy 83120-60020 which has a bulb and socket.

Phase 1 – Preparing the Socket

Toyota designed the socket assy to simply push into and twist lock to a printed circuit on the instrument cluster. The PCB is always powered. When an event occurs to trigger an indicator, the wire harness feeding the cluster triggers a ground at the appropriate wire in the harness and closes the circuit and the bulb lights. We could simulate this function by using a relay and locating the wire in the harness to feed a ground at the proper time. I didn’t do that. I didn’t want to add the additional relay or tap the factory cluster harness – I wanted complete reversibility. I went a simpler way. I wired to the lamp socket directly.

1 – I disassembled the socket by gently sliding the contacts up and out
2 – I then drilled two small holes in the backside

3 – Next I soldered two, 20 awg leads, one to each terminals bottom, making sure the solder point was below the bottom of where the bulb rests. Make sure these leads are about 18″ long to give yourself plenty of length to route the wires in the dash.

4 – I gently fed the wires one by one through the holes I drilled  but left the terminals out a bit.
5 – You will notice that the terminals have a 90 degree bend on the back side that is meant to touch down on the edge of the socket when the terminal is fully seated. In an OEM configuration these are the electrical contacts to the PCB. For our purposes we have to remove them as we don’t want any contact with the PCB. I used fingernail clippers to snip them.
6 – After you have snipped the old contacts off carefully and gently slide the terminals back into the socket.
7 – Gently install the bulb.
8 – Using a 12 volt Makita battery or regulated 12 volt power supply test the assembly to make sure it lights up.

Notice in the above photo the terminal contacts have been removed – clean plastic.

Phase 2 – Remove the Steering and Cluster (Combination Meter) Trim

1 – Remove the Cluster Finish Panel by pulling straight out. it’s held by clips. Be careful as the dash illumination dimmer is on the left side and needs to be unplugged.

2 – Remove the upper steering column cover (clamshell)

• One gold phillips screw (underneath the steering wheel).
• Turn the wheel left and right to reveal two more black phillips screws.
• Then pull apart at the halves of the Column Covers trim, separating them.
• BE CAREFUL – There is a steel plate that runs under the drivers kick panel that will scratch the lower portion or the cover.

• I inserted a thin rag between the plastic panel and steel support, to prevent scratching the lower cover.

1- Remove the instrument cluster; there are 4 black screws, one in each lower corner and two in the top near the leading edge of the dash pad where the glass meets the edge (toward the steering wheel).

1.  Remove them. There are two 10mm head captured bolts at the bottom of the cluster, one on each side. These push and pull the cluster out of the dash mounted multipin connectors. They will feel loose to begin with and they never come out of the cluster but simply move the cluster in and out of the connectors. I like to loosen a little on each side moving left then right then left again, repeating until the cluster is free of the connectors.
2. Once free you can wiggle the cluster out of the space on the left side of the steering wheel.

Phase 2 – Inspect and Install Your Lamp

1 – Now that the cluster is out lets take a look at out target for our indicator lamp. Conveniently the spot we need is already exposed. It’s the open spot on the left.

2 – Insert your lamp assembly into this location by pushing flush and rotating a 1/4 turn. It’s obvious.
3 – Remove or displace your drivers side knee panel exposing your control switches for the lockers, mirrors, quarter windows etc.
4 – Replace your cluster in the dash in essentially reverse order. You need to make sure you are routing the wires from your new lamp so they do not interfere with steering or other systems. I routed mine behind the wiring loom in the white colored trellis (directly behind the cluster) and down the drivers vent to the switch panel area. You should now have the two wires from the lamp at the switches.
5 – Connect one of the wires from your lamp to any convenient ground point. I terminated a ring on the end of mine and screwed it to the steel plate under the kick panel.

• Before proceeding with the remaining wire you should test the lamp by connecting this wire to a 12 volt source.

6 – The remaining lamp wire will connect to your remaining output from your 1×3 distribution block (or Red wire return from the engine room). We will cover the compressor electrical in part 3.
7 – Tidy your wires up and replace the drivers knee panel.
8 – Replace the upper steering column cover (clamshell) and screw together.
9 – Reconnect the dimmer harness to the Cluster Finish Panel and replace the panel.

Part 1 – Factory Switch to Control Air Lockers

Coming in part 3 – Mounting the compressor, connecting the electrical from Part 1 & 2

Coming in Part 4 – Front Locker Reverse interrupt option

Coming in Part 5 – ATRAC interrupt option