changing gauge faces?

I found some black gauge faces (I've wanted to change out my white ones for awhile) but am not sure if they'll fit. I have an 03 prerunner and I've found some from a "2000 Toyota Tacoma TRD truck with 3.4 Engine 5 Speed".
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyo...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I know it says it will fit 97-00 on the bottom of the page, but I trust the word from TW more than people on ebay. Can I swap out mine for these? Or are the gauges different sizes?

 

i don't know if they'll fit, but i have a 2000 tacoma TRD 3.4L 5 speed with the standard black gauge faces (basically exactly what you're looking at) and I've been wanting to get the white faces from the 2001-2004 model. Interested in a trade if we determine that they will indeed fit??

 

Yea I'd be interested in the trade. I'm just not sure if we'll be able to ever get an answer lol.

 

haha, yeah i briefly looked into this when i got my truck but couldn't find any answers. basically it comes down to: 1) if it'll actually work (i.e. everything functions); and 2) if the odometer count is stored somewhere other than the cluster so that the miles remain the same.

but nobody seems to know...

i will 100% trade with you if both of those things are the same. Mine looks exactly like the one in your ebay link.

 

well im not positive but i think the mileage is stored in the cluster where the little screen shows well the mileage haha. thats how it is in the 2nd gen so im assuming its the same but idk.

as far as the cluster fitting the only thing i can suggest is if one of you have a friend that has a 1st gen taco with the year cluster your looking for and just swap it for a test fit. the only other thing i can think of that might be a pain in the ass is do a cardboard mack-up and mail it to and see if it fits before you decide on the swap.

just my .02 hope that helps a little bit

 

Thanks, man! I'm 99% sure they'll fit, it's really just a matter of the mileage and where it's stored (i.e. ECU versus cluster). I think it's ~$300 to get the mileage reset/adjusted, which isn't worth it, IMO.

 

From a bunch of posts on customtacos.com, it sounds like anything from 1998 - 2004 is swappable (so long as the engine/transmission specs line up). I've sent some PMs to some possibly knowledgeable people, so we'll see...

Out of curiosity, how many miles are on your truck?

 

I've got like 76k. And from what I've seen its stored in the actual odo unit itself. Wouldn't it be possible to just swap out the gauge faces themselves, rather than the entire cluster? Kind of how you can buy aftermarket gauge faces that slip over the original.

 

That's a thought! Hmm... It could work. Maybe I'll dig into mine a little bit when I get home and see what's what. That would certainly be much easier than trying to get the miles corrected...

Does anyone know how hard it is to realign speedo/tach needles after they've been removed?

 

It should just be as simple as marking where the needle rests before you take it off. I'm pretty sure thats what people do when they change the color of the needles and the idea is the same.

 

yeah, i think you're right. i'm off work in a few minutes minutes. when i get home, i'm gonna pull my cluster out and take a look at it. i'll post up any info/photos on my findings...

man, i really would like white gauges!

 

EDIT: See my next post!



This is what I've got. If the pegs/screws line up and everything else looks good, I think it'll work. The faces aren't glued or anything, just resting in there on the alignment pegs and held down by the little screws.

The only issue I can see is the temperature and fuel needles don't appear to come off (as easily). Maybe they do? The other option is to make a slit in the gauge face on the inside edge, allowing the face to slide out from under the needle without removing it. When reinstalled this would be completely covered by the speedo and tach faces... you wouldn't even see it.

 

So, upon digging a little deeper, I discovered that all the individual gauges can be released from the back of the assembly (no need to remove the needle or gauge face) so each instrument is completely modular. In addition, the odometer and trip A/B computer is easily removable. I'm 99% sure the mileage is stored in the little odo unit. In theory, we could just pop that guy out the back (two screws and one plug and it's out!), keep it, and swap the four gauges.

Thoughts?

 

Did you ever find out if the 98-00 gauge faces are interchangeable with the 01-04 ones? I have a 98 with black gauges, I'd really like to swap to the white.