98-02 Indiglo gauge install

98-02 Indiglo gauge install

Wrote this at work, forgive me for spelling/errors

Tools:
Offset screwdriver
Magnetic tipped philip's head screwdriver
Needle nose pliers
Double sided tape (thin)
Electrical tape
Wire cutters
zip ties
Jewelers screwdrivers
Three 194 bulbs blue led (optional)

Time:
1-2 hours

The best way to complete this project is to first do a "dry run" by going through steps 1-3 to make sure you fully understand the parts involved, and have located solid positive and negative connections for your gauges.

1.
Lower your steering column to provide as much clearance as possible. Look directly above your steering column over the gauge cluster under the overhang of the instrument alcove. There is a black piece of trim that goes around the entire cluster, there are two screws on the top. Using the offset screwdriver remove the two screws (you can't get enough clearance to properly use a standard philips head without risking stripping the screw heads.) The trim does not clip in, it is held in by it's own tension. Start by pulling off at the bottom near the steering column and working around, using the flathead end of the offset screwdriver as a pry where necessary. The trim barely fits over the top of the column. It is easiest to loosen the trim, then pull it all the way forward towards the steering wheel, then slide it to the right and off.

2.
There are 3 screws holding the gauge cluster in place. Two on the bottom left and right sides and one on top in the middle. Use the magnetic tip philips screwdriver to remove these screws, the two on the bottom are sunken and a regular screwdriver will not be able to extract them. You can use a regular screw driver, but you will need something thin and long (like needle nose pliers) to remove the screws after they come out. However, as you can see, there is no worry of the screws falling down into the abyss of the car. Once all three screws are out, the gauge cluster pulls straight out. Resist the instinct to lift and pull out, it simple slides straight out.

3.
Once out you will see that there are 4 bundles of wires (harnesses) plugged into the back of the gauge cluster that prevents from pulling the cluster much further out. DO NOT disconnect these plugs without first disconnecting the battery, it will permanently disable your airbags for the life of the car. You need them for the moment so leave them and the battery as is. One the harness with the white plug (behind the tach or 2nd from the left from the front) there is a green wire 2nd from the end. Use a test light grounded to the negative of your battery and check to see if this wire gives a positive connection when your lights are on. Test the dimmer switch when the test light is lit, it is important not to connect to a source that dims with your dash lights, the indiglos need a steady source of power. Where the green wire connects into the harness plug there is a small gap, you should be able to fit a wire in there to connect for your positive lead for your indiglo gauges. More on this later, it is important though to locate a good positive connection previous to installing your gauges, make sure (again) it goes on and off with your lights and doesn't dim with your stock gauge lights. Find a good negative ground connection, use one of the bolts on the firewall behind your gauges for ease.

4.
Disconnect car battery. Unplug the 4 harnesses going into the back of your gauge cluster, they pull straight out, no buttons or clips. You may want to write down which color plug goes where for easy reattachment later.

5.
The gauge cluster has a clear and black sheild on the front, you can remove this by pressing the tabs on the back and pulling it off, it's a little tight, it is best to push each tab and work your way around.

6.
It is highly recommended that you either sketch a picture or use a digital camera to take a picture of your gauges and needle positions before you start. The gas needle is not spring loaded and will not go back to it's original position if moved during installation. The other needles may or may not fall into this category depending on your car.

7.
For each gauge face: do not remove the needles. Remove the two tiny screws (using the jeweller's screwdriver) from each face. There is no set way to install the gauges, start by putting the needle through the center and turning the gauge onto the face. The center hole seems a little small for the needle, but it will "pop" over the needle ok. Try not to bend the needle or faces too much, take plenty of time. Use a little tiny bit of double sided tape to hold the gauges flat on the top, then screw the two screws back in. Some gauges come with small plastic washers that go between the screw head and the gauges, some do not come with these. On the speedometer there is a hole on the bottom for the milage reset button to go through. I slit this open so I could just wrap it around the button instead of bending the heck out of it.

8.
Each gauge has 2 wires running to the converter box, the black bezel fits very tightly against the gauges and the wires get pinched too tightly. Use the wire cutters to cut off the lip where each set of wires pass over the white edges on your gauge cluster. Some have suggested using a razor to cut slots, that can be kind of tedious. The wire cutters will make much shorter work of this.

9.
Make sure the needle positions match the pictures (from before the install.) Also, do any cleaning work on the gauges that might need to be done now. Snap the clear plastic and black bezel back on, routing the wires through the slots you clipped out with the wire cutters. Make sure all the tabs are snapped back into their slots. Tape the wires down if they flop around too much when trying to reattach the bezel and shield.

10.
Reattach the harness plugs into the back of the gauges. Reconnect car battery. If desired, replace the three 194 bulbs that backlight the stock gauges. If not, the backlight will be green. If the green covers are removed, the light will be orange. If dimmed all the way, the instrument panel will not show up. Blue leds work great and match the indiglos' color, halogen blue bulbs give more of an indiglo green/blue color and would match the green setting on the indiglo gauges. Wire the indiglo gauges using the positive and negative connections already located in step 3. If you use the wire suggested, zip tie the positive lead very tightly to the harness. On my install my converter hangs down and would pull out the positive wire from where it's inserted.

11.
Test the indiglo gauges to make sure they light. They may light but be very difficult to see during the daytime. If everything works ok then feed the wires back into the cavern behind the gauge cluster and snake the switch for the indiglos down as far as it can go (it should rest on the floor boards with some slack, extend wires if necessary.) Slide the cluster back into the dash, carefully rerouting the many new wires. Screw the three screws back into the dash cluster. Again, use a magnetic tip screwdriver if possible for the bottom two. You can also tape the screw to the tip and then pull it off once the screw is started. Pop the black trim back in by reversing step 1 and use the offset screwdriver to screw the two screws back in.

12.
Gauge switch/controller. Mount where-ever is useful. I mounted mine on the bottom left, below the hood release. Route the wires OVER the steering rod so that any wire slack will not tangle in your feet. Screw the controls as close as possible to the bottom of the molding, this will start to curve back towards the hood of the car and will be out of sight, away from your feet but within relatively easy reach to change the brightness/color of your indiglos.

1-2 hrs? man I did mine in like 20 min lol and connecting them the right way too

the only reason it took me 1-2 hours is because i was painting the bezel so it would be done before final installation

oh that's koo I see man

uhmm.....i have a question about this remark. I do not have any kind of indiglows on my car, but i did take out my instrument panel to replace the bulbs in them. are you sure this comment is correct? becasue my airbag light has been flashing for the longest time now. i dont exactally rember when it started happening, but i do know it was after the bulb change.

there is no way of geting my airbags fixed? and how do you know that doin it like this will indeed fuck up the airbags?

AND WHY WASNT THERE A WARNING ON THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!

thanks

dont forgot that sometime when you put the gauges on the needles might peg all the way out, this will go back to normal when you turn the key

someone help me here?

i jus changed to S gauges and my airbag light hasnt come on...who told u this about the airbags...it doesnt make any sense

SkyAce2004;

the reason your airbag light blinks is because it now has some sort of problem and will not function properly. When the harness is connected to the gauges the airbag bulb in the gauges completes a circuit. When the battery is connected and the car computer tries to complete this circuit and finds no bulb, it throws an error code as a result of this malfunction. It's something that you'd need to take your car into a real toyota brand repair shop to get fixed. I've heard of several folks with this prob. The light blinks to let you know something is wrong, as far as the extent of the problem, it's hard to say. It's your airbag and your life though, so I'd at least get it checked out. It's nice to get quick free answers from people on forums, but think seriously about your safety and the safety of your passengers when dealing with this issue. Read the manual for your car as well, your airbag light should come on for about 3 or 5 secs when you first start your car, then turn off once the computer has completed it's tests.