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Hit a pothole and my dash stopped working

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by SkeetFighter, Jun 9, 2022.

  1. Jun 9, 2022 at 7:59 PM
    #1
    SkeetFighter

    SkeetFighter [OP] Condad

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    Howdy y'all I was dropping a buddy off at his apartment and while driving home I hit a pothole and then my tachometer stopped working. Seconds later my speedometer stopped working, then my odometer, then my gas gauge. I pulled over and turned the truck off a few minutes while I inspected the truck and continued my blind drive home. The gas gauge began working again but none of the other dash components still work.

    It's most likely a fuse or wire connection broke but I'm not sure where to begin. Has this happened to anybody before?
     
  2. Jun 9, 2022 at 8:11 PM
    #2
    Bivouac

    Bivouac Well-Known Member

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    Check your gauge fuse !

    If not that break out the Meter loose connection or broken wire causing a open circuit some place.

    Might be a Circuit Ground.
     
  3. Jun 9, 2022 at 8:32 PM
    #3
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Retired cat herder Moderator

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    Damn….was it like this?

    235BC5D5-1D96-4213-BEB8-B59F8CA9C065.jpg
     
    Wulf, Kolter45 and SkeetFighter[OP] like this.
  4. Jun 9, 2022 at 9:44 PM
    #4
    Diablo169

    Diablo169 ROKRAPR

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    Make a fist and smash the dash. It’s works every time on my 88’ Runner.
     
  5. Jun 10, 2022 at 7:15 AM
    #5
    MalinoisDad

    MalinoisDad Misanthropic dog person

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    Sounds like a loose ground wire to me. Check all of them, as well as battery cable connections.
     
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  6. Jun 10, 2022 at 9:26 AM
    #6
    jbrandt

    jbrandt Made you look

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    Fuses don't magically repair themselves, so the fact that your gas gauge came back, tells me it's not a fuse.

    As others said, likely a ground, or a loose connection on the back of the dash. I see pulling the dash apart in your near future.
     
  7. Jun 10, 2022 at 9:47 AM
    #7
    SkeetFighter

    SkeetFighter [OP] Condad

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    Thanks man! I'm about to go out there and give it a try. Good advice!
     
  8. Jun 10, 2022 at 9:48 AM
    #8
    SkeetFighter

    SkeetFighter [OP] Condad

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    Lmaooo basically XD it was a massive pothole under an underpass. I could have sworn my taco has hit bigger bumpers harder LOL
     
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  9. Jun 10, 2022 at 9:48 AM
    #9
    SkeetFighter

    SkeetFighter [OP] Condad

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    Lol my first step while driving while it went out was to give it a good wack but didnt help
     
  10. Jun 10, 2022 at 2:37 PM
    #10
    Bivouac

    Bivouac Well-Known Member

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    The broken hand and the 2 weeks unable to work was a very expensive lesson.

    About $3000.00
     
  11. Jun 11, 2022 at 8:13 PM
    #11
    SkeetFighter

    SkeetFighter [OP] Condad

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    I checked all the fuses I could and nothing is blown. The gas gauge definitely doesn’t work anymore , I turned it on and it says I got a full tank when I know it’s empty. In the morning I’m pulling the dash before the sun gets too hot
     
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  12. Jun 11, 2022 at 8:36 PM
    #12
    Bivouac

    Bivouac Well-Known Member

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    Good Luck You could trouble shoot things without pulling the dash apart till you narrow things down more.

    It is only the Tach and Speedometer and Fuel gauge. or the whole cluster ? Do the lights on the Cluster still work??

    Check the Ground behind the left kick panel.
     
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  13. Jun 11, 2022 at 8:38 PM
    #13
    SkeetFighter

    SkeetFighter [OP] Condad

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    So the tach, speedometer, odometer do not work. The fuel gauge says my tank is overflowing lol. My dash is all lit up from lights and my temperature gauge works too. I checked the fuses but I didn't test any wires yet. I got an electrician friend coming tomorrow afternoon with a multimeter to try and help me figure out the problem.

    Good cal about the ground, ill do some more reading and looking at images and ill test that! :)
     
  14. Jun 11, 2022 at 8:54 PM
    #14
    Bivouac

    Bivouac Well-Known Member

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    i have fixed many electrical problems other then changing bulbs most times it is a waste of time pulling the cluster out .

    Check the speed sensor on the case to see if that has not come apart or been damaged .

    Did you hit the front or rear ?

    The impact may have jarred the float enough it hung up or moved showing full tank.

    The tach signal comes from the igniter Power Source is The Dome light fuse.

    Hope that helps
     
  15. Jun 11, 2022 at 9:01 PM
    #15
    Scotfree

    Scotfree I drive slow

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    Haven’t had this exact thing happen, but did hit a bad bump that popped both my headlights.. check your fuses and your negative battery cable not at the battery but the cable wire itself.
     
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  16. Jun 11, 2022 at 9:52 PM
    #16
    MalinoisDad

    MalinoisDad Misanthropic dog person

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    A hard bump setting this off really sounds like a loose ground somewhere to me. Practically the same thing happened to a guy on here months ago and his truck died all together until he found the loose wire.
     
  17. Jul 18, 2022 at 8:18 AM
    #17
    curth0man

    curth0man Well-Known Member

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    Run over an even bigger pot hole and see if it fixes it!
     
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  18. Jul 18, 2022 at 10:05 AM
    #18
    MalinoisDad

    MalinoisDad Misanthropic dog person

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    Reminds me of this:

    nzf9hi72fca61.jpg.jpg
     
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  19. Jul 18, 2022 at 1:56 PM
    #19
    Tbrad7128

    Tbrad7128 Well-Known Member

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    That's a tough one. Sorry to hear your trouble. I did just have to replace my cluster because of a short somewhere. Lost the gauges when I was replacing light bulbs in the cluster. I had to buy a replacement cluster and it has been working fine. There is something back there that is very sensitive. I chased all the wires with a voltmeter and it didn't get me anywhere.

    i will say that i did blow the gauge fuse the first time. I replaced it and did the same thing again. except this time something else shorted in the cluster.

    I have a local automotive electrician that helped me (in San Antonio, TX). If you need cluster work, he is the guy.
     

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