Saturday, July 23, 2011

Fix for Overhead Temp and Compass Dead on 2006 Tacoma


My compass died a while back and even though it’s more of a novelty items it bothered me. The dealership wanted $2000+ to fix it and the only compatible aftermarket one I found was still $350. Well I pulled it apart today and started poking around.... and it’s fixed. I had a hard time figuring out how to get the thing off, but was eventually successful. Here are the steps I performed to fix the problem with mine (poor soldering of the components).
  Tools needed for this fix:
               1.)  Soldering iron and solder
               2.)  Philips screwdriver
               3.)  Star head screwdriver
               4.) Flat tool (a knife or flat tip screwdriver will work).

1.) Open the glasses holder and remove the single Phillips screw in the middle.

2.) The compass module end has two posts that pop into a metal roof bracket. You need to apply firm and gentle pressure down until the two sides pop off.

3.) Slide the whole unit forward an inch and pull it down, being careful not to pull on the wires attached to it.

4.) Carefully unplug the two sets of wires plugged into the unit (one for the two lights and the other for the compass/temp module).

5.) Remove the three star screws holding the unit to the base.

6.) Carefully pop off the smoked plexi (I used two knives and had no issues).

7.) Look for anything wrong with the board. Mine happened to be a resistor that was literally hanging halfway off its solder pads.

8.) Re-solder the parts that need it.

9.) Plug it back into the truck and turn the truck to run without starting it. If it’s fixed then it will light up. Also note that you might have to press the button once or twice to turn the unit on (I had to press it twice).

10.)  Reverse the order of the taking apart to put it all back together.

Here are some photos to go with this.
 I hope it helps someone..



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