Finally: OEM heated mirror option for Off-Road package

First post so I thought it should be a good one. If you think it's worthy, will someone please add this as another option for the already outstanding Heated Mirror mod written by BensonX? Here is a link to that one for reference: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/193528-oem-heated-mirrors-diy-mod.html#post4206444

The only problem with the OEM switch option described by BensonX is that for those of us with the off-road package, there are no empty switch locations to the left of the steering wheel. With guidance from BensonX, I set out to solve the problem and came up with the following solution that uses a factory 4-runner switch (wiper de-icer) and mounts it down near the shifter (under the HVAC controls).

Parts

The switch is properly called “wiper-deicer” switch, but most online retailers have the description as listed above. Despite the description, the part # is correctly the wiper deicer switch from a 4-runner. The above were purchased from toyotapartszone.com, but you can find them elsewhere.

Plug for back of switch: 90980-12366, $4 @ local dealer
Toyota terminals for plug: 82998-24290, $15/ea @ dealer, $11.50/ea online (need 5)

There is no way I was going to spend $57 for pre-wired plug terminals (5x$11.50) so I looked for options. Here are the right Sumitomo terminals to use for this plug, but as you can see, the MOQ is 1000pcs. I could not find them anywhere.


Since I couldn’t find the right terminals, I studied the Sumitomo documentation and decided to try the terminal for their “sealed” version of the TS 025 connector. It turns out they will work. I bought 10 in case I messed some up, but you only need 5 for the installation. They are $0.34/ea despite the unit price listed below. You can order as many or as few as you want for $0.34/ea, but shipping is $8.00 so I ordered a few extra to be safe.


Lastly, the magic timer-relay: http://www.wolstentech.com/products/timedelayrelay/tdr-mc.php


You can read about the timer relay above by following this link:
http://www.wolstentech.com/products/timedelayrelay/timedelayrelay.php
The timer relay is offered in many flavors. The correct flavor to order for this application is the TDR-MLC. This circuit, wired as shown below, will allow you to turn on the mirrors with a single press of the button. If you press the button again before the timer expires, it will cancel your request for the mirrors to be heated. This is really cool, and exactly the way most OEM installations are done. You don’t need another relay in addition to the TDR-MLC. It will drive the mirrors directly. The TDR-MLC can drive 10A continuous current, and each of the mirrors only consumes about 2A each (I bench tested them).

Here is a schematic for the wiper-deicer switch and a real picture of the switch:


The switch is keyed (you can see the two ribs on the left side in the photo above) to fit in a particular opening. You may have to shave off the keys on the switch depending on which slot you put the switch in. Mine went in the far right and I had to remove the top key on the left side and the only key on the right side in order to insert it into the opening.

One thing to note about the switch plug and terminals: The fit was extremely tight with 20 gauge wire. I would not use 20 gauge again if I could do it over. None of the circuits on the switch draw any substantial current so 22 or 24 gauge wire is fine.

Despite some rumors, the switch does NOT have a built in timer. It’s simply a momentary contact switch with an indicator light and OEM-style backlight that ties to the factory dimmer circuit.


The schematic for wiring this into the truck is below:



A more physical representation of the above schematic is:

**Note this method requires both mirror terminals be routed into the cab. You cannot locally ground the mirrors in the door, it must be wired as shown above.

The dimmer terminals can be tapped behind any of the factory lighted switches. I tapped the terminals of the nearby “A-Trac” switch. Regardless of which switch you use to tap the dimmer circuit, the dimmer + is the dark green wire, and the dimmer – is the green with white stripe. According to the wiring diagrams, this color convention is consistent throughout the vehicle.

Before you install the TDR-MLC, you need to adjust the delay. The delay can be adjusted on the TDR-MLC according to the directions here http://www.wolstentech.com/products/timedelayrelay/basic-instructions.php, but I’ll save you the reading. Out of the box, the only thing you need to do for the TDR-MLC to work in our application is turn the screw labeled “0” on the back of the relay clockwise 12 turns. This will give you almost exactly 15 min of delay before turning off. See the figure below.


Everything works great, but there is one detail I can nit-pick with this selection of parts. That is the color of the backlight for the wiper-deicer switch. It’s a red-orange color, but the rest of my switches are green for my model year at least (2012). Here are a couple photos of the switch, one at night showing the difference in color between the A-Trac switch and this new switch. The picture at night shows it more yellow than it really is. It’s almost red, but the color just didn’t come through. Nevertheless, you can see they are not the same. I have ordered a green LED to replace the one in the switch, but have not received the parts yet. I’ll update once I get pics with the new LED.





I think that's it. How did I do for my first post to TW? You guys set a pretty high bar

 

Badass

 

Great first post, repped

 

Sweet

 

We need more new members like this

 

^^ what they said

 

nice job

 

Well done.

 

Awesome!!

 

Excellent detailed work!

 

Thanks for the accolades. I should have mentioned 2 things:

1) This mod is intended to go along with the existing write-up for installing heated mirrors. I skipped all the instructions up to the wiring since it is so well covered in the original write-up.

2) The most difficult part of the entire mod (including actual mirror installation & wiring) was tapping the wires behind the A-Trac switch. The factory wires leading to the A-Trac switch are very short, and trying to cut, solder, and heat-shrink short wires right against the dash was very difficult. I would tap the wires from a more accessible switch if I were to do this mod again. I seriously spent about 2 hrs on this task alone

 

How did you go about finding the exact terminals you needed for the plug?

 

Not an easy process, but before I could find terminals, I needed to find the right plug. I tried endless searches on my own and came up empty . I found a competent parts guy at a local dealer (I know, oxymoron right) to find the plug part number for me. I gave him the switch part number, and the type of vehicle it was used in.

Once I had the plug part number I started the search and found this excellent cross-reference:
http://www.newunitedracetech.com/shop/oe_pn_detail.aspx?oe_pn_id=209


Once I had this information about the plug, I went to the Sumitomo web page and started digging through their documentation to find the matching terminal part numbers.

Back to searching with the manufacturer's part number for the right terminal took me to the page I showed where the MOQ was 1000pcs.


As I mentioned before, I went back to the Sumitomo docs and found the part numbers for terminals corresponding to the "sealed" version of the same family of connector. These were available without a MOQ so I figured no harm in trying and ordered them. It was a crap shoot because I was stuck and didn't have a better idea.

The solution was a mix of good research and luck

 

I don't want to derail your thread with a dumb question because I am no good with electronics but why was it necessary to tap the ATRAC switch ? Is this just where you found power ?

Just wondering if a similar solution could be done on a Sport

 

No problem OZ. This switch, like most of our factory switches, is illuminated when your lights are on. The brightness of the illumination is controlled, as you know, by the dimmer switch on the dash.


If you want this feature, you need to access the 2 wires that come from that dimmer control. You can access them behind any illuminated switch. I chose the A-Trac switch because of its proximity, but would try another switch in the future because of the short wires issue I mentioned.

These pics aren't great because they are taken during the day, but you can see (barely) the difference between lights on and off.
Lights on:


Lights off:


If you want to implement this mod in your sport, you have a couple options:
1) Don't even use the illumination. Its only purpose is to see the light at night. Since the color is wrong anyway, maybe this is the best option. In this case, you would simply not even populate the plug with terminals for pins 2 and 3, and you would save yourself some effort.
2) Tie pin 2 directly to ground, and pin 3 directly to pin 1 (+12V). This would always light the switch at full illumination regardless of whether or not your lights are on. I would not recommend this option for asthetic reasons.
3) Tie into the illumination wires behind any of your factory lighted switches. Pin 2 (dimmer -) is green with a white stripe. Pin 3 (dimmer +) is dark green.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks

 

Thanks, This might help me for future mods.

 

Dude, thanks so much for doing this. I update my thread to include your write-up! It turned out great man!

Way to make an entrance too!

 

I have read and reread the different posts, but I am still struggling with one part. I know what order to put the wires in according to the diagram. But, I cannot figure out how the diagram is orientated with the back of the plug. I don't want to put the 12V into the ground. If I am looking at the back of the white plug (90980-12366) with the flat side down and latch on top, which wire starts off on the right hand side? Thanks for the help.

 

Srvguy,

Sorry for the confusion. I looked through all my photos taken before and during the install and couldn't find one that answers your question. I thought that either the plug itself or switch had numbers on the terminals to indicate which is which. If not, I guess you'll have to use an ohm-meter and my diagram of the switch to figure out pin 1. When the switch is pressed, there is a zero ohm connection between pin 1 and pin 4. You'll figure it out quickly with this simple test.