Overhead Compass/Temp Fix

I fixed mine last Friday. Thanks to this thread. I sure hope it last for more than a couple of months.

 

If you are still needing the metal clip, the part number is 90084-46017. My dealership had them in stock for $1.71 each.

 

thanks for this post. This happened on my 07 Taco a month or two ago.

Took it apart, soldered the 510 resistors and tried it. Make sure to press the compass/temp button a few times; in my case it was off by default.

Worked like a charm, like others said, despite the fact that the soldering is sloppy. Thanks for the cheap and easy fix! Easy enough for a noob like me to do it.

 

then what is this thing with the black mark on the corner?

 

I just got around to trying this. Worked like a charm, except I forgot to push the button at first and figured it was still broken. I couldn't see or feel any separation at the resistor, but put a multimeter on it and wasn't getting any reading. I just touched the soldering iron to it and got a little solder on there.

 

The compass/temp on my over head console went out about a month ago and I called Toyota and they said that it is somewhat common for this to happen; and they wanted $900 to replace it, including labor. I read this thread and thought I'd give it a try. The step by step instructions were VERY simple and when I looked at the resistors, I couldn't see any problem at all. I used a magnifying glass and still couldn't see a problem. So, I decided to give the solder a shot any way because I figured I had nothing to loose. I put a little solder on both ends of both resistors. When I plugged it back in, it worked PERFECTLY!! What a great money saver. The whole process took me less than 20 minutes and didn't cost me one cent!

 

did anyone else break a clip on the plastic housing. Crazy glue?

 

Hey - am new to the Tacomaworld. This fix has been successful for people that have the burn mark on their displays? i've tried re-soldering the resistors (the ones marked 510), no dice. replaced the resistors with wire 47 ohm ones, still no dice. any suggestions.

 

Finally borrowed a mates soldering iron and did this. It took, like 30 minutes! Cant believe how easy it is to fix and Toyota want to charge a shitpile for it! Thanks again TacomaWorld!! So Stoked!

 

Thanks for this thread, just completed mine. I have a 05 when I looked at the chip it was standing straight up! One side of the chip was not connected but when I pushed it down to resolder the second side came loose.

I grabbed my solder wick and cleaned both terminals. Resoldered, reassembled and it worked!

I'm stoked! Its been out for about two years now. I finally scored a soldering station for some mod's on my Fender Blues Jr. I remembered googling and finding threads about this fix.

Total time was about 30 minutes.

PD

 

worked great......broke one plastic clip but shit, didn't make a difference glad to have it working.......BIG THANKS!!!!!!

 

Wife noticed that the compass and temp was not working this morning. I remembered reading this thread months back so I searched for it and sure enough, the 510 resistor was the culprit. Before I soldered it, I looked under a magnifying glass and I saw a hairline crack on the solder.

 

The thing with the black mark in the corner is a Vacuum Fluorescent Display. It is essentially a picture tube like an old monitor or television, but using multiple electron emitter points instead of a scanning electron beam (so it can be flat and shallow).

 

There is no burn mark on the displays. The mark you refer to is a "getter", a spot of material that is a result of the manufacturing process. It is heated by RF to adsorb remaining oxygen in the tube after drawing a vacuum and sealing the glass envelope. All of the displays have that mark, and the repair works in almost all cases.

It is possible your unit has problems other than the common broken resistor solder points.

 

@JKD: Good explanation of VFD's. Also, thanks for filling me in on what the 'getter' is. I assumed it was where the vacuum was drawn, but I was incorrect. The oxidation mark makes more sense...bind up the O2 instead of expending energy to draw it out.

An interesting note: if you shine a UV light source on VFD's, they will glow due to the phosphors.

For the folks who haven't opened their clamshell to get at the circuit board, please read my DIY guide here. So many of my repairs have previously broken clips because they were opened wrong!

 

Fabulous!! So easy. Thanks to whoever posted these instructions.

 

Took the truck out yesterday for a spin and noticed my compass fading in and out... by the afternoon it was dead. I opened the console and flowed the solder marks on the indicated area as directed... PERFECT!!!

I really really appreciate this forum and all of its contributing members.

Thanks again

 

Great fix just as described...Thanks for the info!

 

Thanks for the excellent instructions. Nothing broke, found the clips and the 510 resistor had a broken solder joint. I soldered both sides and it works like a charm. I was going to have to buy the compass/temp module for $150.
Thanks again.

 

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