Overhead Compass/Temp Fix

@FgReed....'Am I pooched here'

Well, maybe. There aren't any components on the board underside, so it is likely you burned up a trace (the copper conductor segments). If you are lucky, the copper burned up before something important did (thus acting like a fuse).

However, the only reason this would happen is because you shorted out the board during your repair. Take a good look at the work and find the problem. Also, make sure you didn't drop solder someplace it shouldn't be.

After you have ID'd the problem, flip the board over and find the burned trace. Repair it with a small insulated copper wire.

Good luck!

-greg

We repair Tacoma compass displays

 

This thread is amazing!! A few months after purchasing my Tacoma the Temp. gauge stopped working. I looked around and found this thread and thought as soon as I can find someone who knows how to solder Ill get this repaired. About 3 months later I said screw it I'm gonna try it by myself. Went out bought a soldering iron and watched a couple videos on how to solder and about 20 minutes after removing the overhead console I was plugging it back in and seeing a temperature again!!
This was quite easy. I was pretty nervous about messing things up but it really wasn't that hard to do!!

Thanks again!!
-NewSchool19

 

Thanks for the response. I believe i shorted out the board just above one of the 181 resistors. I got solder over the 2 small holes above the resistor. I flipped over, but couldn't really tell if any trace was burnt.

 

Mine went out few days ago, tried this today and it works! Thanks for sharing!
Btw, anyone have issues with reading 2*C higher than the actual temp? Ive had this issue since I got the truck.

 

Mine has always read 2-3 degrees "F" warmer than it really is. I just subtract 2 degrees and go with that.

 

Is it normal for those two resistors to get really hot? I first fixed my temp display about two years ago. I remember hooking up the display and pressing on one of the resistors to see if the display would light up - it did; so I knew which resistor to solder. I also remember almost burning my finger. My fix lasted a year and it went out again recently. I fixed it again and the resistors, again, get really hot after the fix. This fix is my first time dealing with circuit boards; so I don't know if resistors are supposed to get really hot.

 

In most electronic applications the circuit is balanced to where there is not much heat produced to add longevity to the circuit and it's components. This layout is lacking in that area. There are two ways to reduce voltage, add resistors to drop the voltage which can cause heat or do a regulator circuit which produces little heat. The resistor voltage drop is the cheaper route so that got used in this design. To complicate things in this layout a solder bath is used to solder the resistors to the PCB which generally works great but it doesn't build up the solder actually needed to make this circuit "last" as designed. Due to the heat and the thin layer of solder the resistors over time actually un-solder themselves.

So resistors do get hot but if the proper balance of resistance and heat handling capability, wattage. are used, the heat is not excessive.

 

Thanks for the repair instructions! I registered for the site just to thank everyone! It was the left side of the lower resistor, not obvious at first. My compass/temp gauge has not worked for a year, and it always bothered me. Now it works! Thanks again for your help.

 

A few years ago I repaired my Compass due to this forum. Sure enough the resistors had come lose. A few days ago the Compass again went out.

I took it apart again and found that one of the resistors I soldered had come lose again. I soldered it again and the Compass works fine. You would not have been able to see the break without a magnifying glass.

 

My Temp/Compass gauge went out last month. Did this exact mod as instructed and it worked perfectly. Thanks TW for the tips/tricks!

 

Worked.

- Saw what looks like a burn on the corner of LED and thought something else was wrong. (obviously not) Apparently, that's common and means nothing.

- Couldn't see the cracked solder joint on the resistors until I looked closely with a magnifying glass. Both resistors were cracked on one side.

2 dabs of solder and bingo!

Thanks for the help guys!

 

I just tried the suggested fix, and it worked. Very helpful. Thx.

 

You shoulda just torqued your U-bolts to 400lbs.

 

I recently assisted a friend in AZ that had this problem and learned much about it in this forum and other threads here. Thank you all. In our case, one of the 510 resistors was lost when he first removed the board and we could not find it. Likely vacuumed out.

So, not having an easy source for a new one, I opted to simply put a standard resistor in. Both the 510's are 51 ohm, 1/4 watt, resistors in parallel that result in an effective 25.5 ohm circuit. Radio Shack was nearby (Fry's, where I read had the correct units was 20 miles away) so once I had the resistor specs I went there seeking an alternative. They only had a 47 ohm, 1/2 watt, resistor. In electronics, that's close enough for this circuit and I determined there was enough room to install a larger resistor if offset a bit.

The second 510 was broken on one side so I soldered both ends and installed the new resistor. Tested, worked fine, and reinstalled entire unit.

This was in an 07 Tacoma. Also, I'm not sure where the $900 estimates came from unless years old. While the dealer price for the board is $300, we found aftermarket for $143. Installation is easy. Our price? 26 cents.

Hmm, just went back and reviewed recent posts and am amazed at some of those dealer quotes. Wow. Anyway, I see many were way ahead of me on this swap. I just happened to figure it out with my repair background. Thank you ALL again!

 

Still have a problem with mine....display reads fine, just doesnt update and no dealer can tell me how the system updates.....one dealer told me that it only updates when truck is moving, so does that mean it gets a signal from a wheel sensor?
The dealer has replaced the display, sensor and wire harness ...still nothing...
The factory has now wiped their hands clean of me because all components in the system have been replaced and it "should" work now.......

Today I was told that the variances in temperature on where the sensor is located can make a 40-50 temperature difference acceptable....example...its 107 degrees outside, but it is understandable if my temp display reads 68 degrees and doesn't update because of the variable on sensor location......

Anyone have any idea how this thing is supposed to read? Does the truck have to be moving? Is the system supposed to update every 200 seconds like the factory says???

 

ive had to do this 2 times already in my tacoma. my cousin works for toyota and even with his discount they wanted to charge about $700

 

Mine went out last week and I tried this fix today. Although I could not see the problem with the 510 solders, I hit them again anyway and it worked! There must have been a tiny crack there I could not see. Thanks so much for the repair info!!

 

Hell of a labor rate for a 150ish part.

 

Hey - does anyone know where to get the metal clips that attach to overhead console to the truck? I fixed the temp gauge and compass (thank you) but I broke one of the metal clips removing it? I didn't read all 69 pages, so it may have been mentioned?

 

Check on here and see if you can find it.

http://parts.camelbacktoyota.com/pa...leid=1431543&diagram=8512450&diagramCallOut=7