Added Factory Cruise Control to 01 Tacoma, some Tips

So first of all, thanks to those who came before me on this forum and had an abundance of useful information on this topic. Some background:

I own an independent auto repair shop and a customer brought me an 01 Tacoma Pre Runner ( 4 door, Rear Wheel Drive, Automatic ) that his cruise control wasn't working on. Once I started the diagnostic process off mitchell prodemand, I quickly realized that he didn't have the factory cruise control. That brought me here. I read how Gulf States Toyota added the aftermarket cruise to trucks imported at this time even though the wiring harness and framework existed in the trucks to add the factory parts. So here is my short story on everything I did to make this work.

The first thing I did was pull the cluster to see if a cruise bulb was installed. This was crucial for the diagnostic process, and it was in this time I found that the customer didn't have the factory cruise installed (taking the steering column shrouds off). It "did" have a working cruise bulb in the cluster though, so that was a plus. I talked to the customer about getting the factory parts and he approved the repair.

The first and easiest part was the brake switch. I read the non cruise trucks had what was physically the same brake switch with 2 less pins in it for the cruise control. I ended up getting part 18-1974 from Oreily and this plugged up and worked as intended.

Next was the steering wheel cruise switch. I ordered SW8081 from autozone, but I'm wishing I would have bought used as I could have gotten a steering wheel with the switch cheaper than the new switch from autozone. It involved removed the steering wheel, cutting a hole in the side for the switch to come out ( I looked at pictures on ebay to get the right shape ), finding 3 small screws to secure the switch, and partially disassembling the steering wheel as the switch goes behind the metal frame of the wheel. I also had to remove the horn wire connector, unpin the wire, and pin it into the same slot on the new connector that came with the switch. Super easy as there's just a white panel on the connector you pop out and then lift the plastic retaining the wire/pin in place, then push it into the new connector.

I also ordered a cruise control module from ebay for ~$50, PN 88240-04030. This plugged right into the passenger footwell and bolted right up. I thought I made a mistake at first as the only connector I saw down there didn't fit, but I found the correct connector tape away under the carpet a little further up.

Lastly was the part the scared me and the whole reason I made this post for future DIYers and Tacoma enthusiasts looking to add factory cruise control to their first gen Tacoma. I thought the servo in the engine compartment was factory, but it wasn't. It was wired right into the aftermarket switch and incompatible with the factory cruise system. I found the part number it took: 88200-04030. Anyone who has looked into this knows this is almost an impossible part to get that costs nearly $2500.00. I didn't find any available in the salvage yards around or anything. But there's good news. I poured over wiring diagrams for different year cars and found you can use the cruise actuator (with slight modification) from the same generation Corolla with ZERO issues. PN 88002-02010. Again, another part I picked up on ebay for under $50.

The spot where the factory cruise goes has several holes in the fender. It takes one bolt and nut to secure this unit in the corner of the engine compartment just under the wiper motor. Take the throttle cable off the throttle body, run it behind the intake, and attach it to the top of the actuator/servo. Then run the cable from the servo around the front of the motor back towards the throttle body and attach. Secure both cables with zipties to surrounding supports, plug it into the factory cruise connector, and you're done!

This was a somewhat difficult journey due to the research, but it paid off. The customer now has factory cruise for a reasonable price with very minor modification to anything. Cleaned a lot of stuff up removing that aftermarket system. I read recommendations to avoid trying to use a servo from a different vehicle, but it just worked so well. Thanks again for all your help.

 

Awsome write up. Thanks for taking the time. It's hard to find someone that loves doing a job 100%, thats impressive and rare! Most cars nowdays are pretty plug and play overall. Ages ago I installed a complete factory a/c in a 67 Mustang. Harnesses, brackets and all. Ehhhh.