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some Dash Lights only go on at Night, can't be seen in the day time.
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micky
May 12, 2021, 2:34:18 PM5/12/21
to
I renamed the thread and moved it from its original location to the
bottom of the list so I wouldn't have to hunt for it so much.
>On Tue, 11 May 2021 22:35:56 -0400, Clare Snyder <cl...@snyder.on.ca>
>wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 11 May 2021 16:42:39 -0400, micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 09 May 2021 00:32:57 -0400, Clare Snyder
>>><cl...@snyder.on.ca> wrote:
>>>.....
>>>> No they didn't. They had full 24 volt systems including the
>>>>alternator on all diesel Cruisers. At least all the ones sold in
>>>>Canada before 2000. To operate 12 volt accessories required a buck
>>>>converter. I used to produce and provide a system to adapt them to tow
>>>>12 volt trailers. I was also a Toyota service manager back then.
>>>.
>>>
>>>Maybe you can help me then. I have a 2005 Toyota Solara and it has 3
>>>"meters" above the radio that, unless sunlight is shining right on them
>>>through the back window, I can't read in the daytime.
>>>
>>>After dark, a backlight goes on for them and they're easy to read.
>>>
>>>These are the clock, the trip info gizmo (MPG, DTE, MPH, and ET), and
>>>the outside temperature.
>>>
>>>Is is this the way it was designed, or is something broken?
>>>
>>>
>>>I've been trying to rewire things so the lights are on all the time
>>>whenever the car is running.
>>>
>>>
>>>I know this is a 2005 car and the only date you mention is 2000, but
>>>does any of this ring a bell?
>>>
>>>
>>>I have the factory wiring manual for 2005 Solaras (plus the online
>>>version for 2006). It seems to refer to all three meters as the Clock
>>>
>>>It uses a photocell on the dashboard to turn the speedo cluster and
>>>other lights (glovebox; radio, AC, and seat heater buttons, shift
>>>indicator) on when it gets dark, from the Taillight relay through the
>>>Panel fuse (which is separate from the Taillight fuse). The wiring
>>>diagram seemed to confirm that the car was designed this way, because it
>>>shows a lightbulb labeled Clock in the saem circuit in parallel with
>>>
>>>So I found 12v that were on whenever the engine was running, at the Seat
>>>Heater switch, and removed the Panel fuse and shorted the 12volts at the
>>>switch to the Panel light wire at that switch. And now all the lights
>>>go on all the time, EXCEPT the three I care about.
>>>
>>>When this didn't work, I used a heavy dark rag to cover the photocell
>>>and I can trick the headlights into going on during the day, but
>>>amazingly the Clock light isn't tricked.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Any ideas what I should do next?
>>>
>>>
>>>Posted and mailed
>> I was out of the dealership by then, but a simple piece of duct tape
>>over the sensor will turn the head lights on constantly when the
>>engine is running. That SHOULD turn on the instrument lights.
Okay, I tried that and it did turn on the headlights and taillights.
BUT the ones in question** didn't go on.
Yet up until the last time I drove in the dark, two nights ago, they do
go on at night. I will try tonight and see if they still go on at
night, but how that could be different from covering the photocell I
don't know.
FWIW there are actually two photocells but I covered both of them. When
I first got the car I asked on ToyotaNation or the other one what the
second one was for, and if I got an answer, I forget what it was. Each
as a domed plastic cover but one is 1/4" high or more and the other much
shorter. I wonder why.
**(Most of the other lights are too dim to see during the daytime, but
they work fine already.)
> e-mail me the schematic / wiring diagram and I'll look at it
It will take a bit of time to extract the relevant pages from my 390
page wiring diagram. I'll work on it.
> Does it get dimmer when the headlights are on? It should.
One thing only does dim and that's the little dot/light on the dash that
shows what gear I'm in, and I think that's fair because the other lights
are powered directly from 12v. I haven't tested when the headlights go
on, but instead, I removed the Panel fuse and ran a jumper from the
12v-when-engine-on to one of the locations the Panel fuse powers**, and
when I touch the jumper to that, the dot on the dash goes dimmer and
when I remove it it goes back to full daytime brightness. That is
reliable.
Sometimes!!! when I do touch the jumper that way, the "clock" lights go
on, but unreliably and rarely. It will work, then 3 minutes later, it
doesn't. And this testing was done at night (they weren't on to begin
with I used to think because the panel fuse was out, but later I think
they went on without the panel fuse or the hot-wire. I have to do more
testing tonight. Prior testing was very confusing, so I hoped you'd
just know the answer already, although I suppose it's very unlikely
people would complain about something like this and that your service
department would try to rewire a car that was working according to the
Toyota spec.
In the daytime I've never gotten them to go on.
Do you think there's any chance, once I have the current operation
totally clear and written down, if I wrote to Toyota, they'd tell me why
it works that way, or even how to change it? I figure they'd ignore me
or tell me to go to a dealer.
Most of the lights*** are powered directly from the battery when the
Taillight relay is closed, via the Panel fuse, and they don't dim, but
normally they only go on at night. I guess going on is the opposite of
dimming.
**From the 12v that powers the seat heater switch to the light for the
seat heater switch, so the wires are only a half inch away from each
other. I thought it would be such an elegant fix, except it doens't
work for the "clock" lights. It does light up all the other lights
below***.
***The speedo cluster, glovebox, the buttons for the radio, heater/ac,
seat heater switches, and the gearshift indicator on the center console.
And there is a light in the speedometer needle that changes in some way.
I think it lights up at night. It's really all very nice except for my
one complaint. I would have thought lots of people would complain and
by 2006 they would have changed it. I have the digital version of 2006.
It's harder to read than on paper, but I checked to the extent I could
and haven't found any differences related to this. Maybe that they
didn't change it would mean mine is broken, not misdesigned. But I
still should be able to fix it.
I'll do more testing when it gets dark, which seems to be different from
having the photocells covered.
>It should
>DIM when the headlights are on and be brigher during the day I think.
Yes, those gear indicator dots works that way.
>Is this an orange/red light? or green?
In the speedo cluster, there's a little light for each gear. Park is
green. I think the others are different.
2005 Toyota Solara (similar to a Camry)
bottom of the list so I wouldn't have to hunt for it so much.
>On Tue, 11 May 2021 22:35:56 -0400, Clare Snyder <cl...@snyder.on.ca>
>wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 11 May 2021 16:42:39 -0400, micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 09 May 2021 00:32:57 -0400, Clare Snyder
>>><cl...@snyder.on.ca> wrote:
>>>.....
>>>> No they didn't. They had full 24 volt systems including the
>>>>alternator on all diesel Cruisers. At least all the ones sold in
>>>>Canada before 2000. To operate 12 volt accessories required a buck
>>>>converter. I used to produce and provide a system to adapt them to tow
>>>>12 volt trailers. I was also a Toyota service manager back then.
>>>.
>>>
>>>Maybe you can help me then. I have a 2005 Toyota Solara and it has 3
>>>"meters" above the radio that, unless sunlight is shining right on them
>>>through the back window, I can't read in the daytime.
>>>
>>>After dark, a backlight goes on for them and they're easy to read.
>>>
>>>These are the clock, the trip info gizmo (MPG, DTE, MPH, and ET), and
>>>the outside temperature.
>>>
>>>Is is this the way it was designed, or is something broken?
>>>
>>>
>>>I've been trying to rewire things so the lights are on all the time
>>>whenever the car is running.
>>>
>>>
>>>I know this is a 2005 car and the only date you mention is 2000, but
>>>does any of this ring a bell?
>>>
>>>
>>>I have the factory wiring manual for 2005 Solaras (plus the online
>>>version for 2006). It seems to refer to all three meters as the Clock
>>>
>>>It uses a photocell on the dashboard to turn the speedo cluster and
>>>other lights (glovebox; radio, AC, and seat heater buttons, shift
>>>indicator) on when it gets dark, from the Taillight relay through the
>>>Panel fuse (which is separate from the Taillight fuse). The wiring
>>>diagram seemed to confirm that the car was designed this way, because it
>>>shows a lightbulb labeled Clock in the saem circuit in parallel with
>>>
>>>So I found 12v that were on whenever the engine was running, at the Seat
>>>Heater switch, and removed the Panel fuse and shorted the 12volts at the
>>>switch to the Panel light wire at that switch. And now all the lights
>>>go on all the time, EXCEPT the three I care about.
>>>
>>>When this didn't work, I used a heavy dark rag to cover the photocell
>>>and I can trick the headlights into going on during the day, but
>>>amazingly the Clock light isn't tricked.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Any ideas what I should do next?
>>>
>>>
>>>Posted and mailed
>> I was out of the dealership by then, but a simple piece of duct tape
>>over the sensor will turn the head lights on constantly when the
>>engine is running. That SHOULD turn on the instrument lights.
Okay, I tried that and it did turn on the headlights and taillights.
BUT the ones in question** didn't go on.
Yet up until the last time I drove in the dark, two nights ago, they do
go on at night. I will try tonight and see if they still go on at
night, but how that could be different from covering the photocell I
don't know.
FWIW there are actually two photocells but I covered both of them. When
I first got the car I asked on ToyotaNation or the other one what the
second one was for, and if I got an answer, I forget what it was. Each
as a domed plastic cover but one is 1/4" high or more and the other much
shorter. I wonder why.
**(Most of the other lights are too dim to see during the daytime, but
they work fine already.)
> e-mail me the schematic / wiring diagram and I'll look at it
It will take a bit of time to extract the relevant pages from my 390
page wiring diagram. I'll work on it.
> Does it get dimmer when the headlights are on? It should.
One thing only does dim and that's the little dot/light on the dash that
shows what gear I'm in, and I think that's fair because the other lights
are powered directly from 12v. I haven't tested when the headlights go
on, but instead, I removed the Panel fuse and ran a jumper from the
12v-when-engine-on to one of the locations the Panel fuse powers**, and
when I touch the jumper to that, the dot on the dash goes dimmer and
when I remove it it goes back to full daytime brightness. That is
reliable.
Sometimes!!! when I do touch the jumper that way, the "clock" lights go
on, but unreliably and rarely. It will work, then 3 minutes later, it
doesn't. And this testing was done at night (they weren't on to begin
with I used to think because the panel fuse was out, but later I think
they went on without the panel fuse or the hot-wire. I have to do more
testing tonight. Prior testing was very confusing, so I hoped you'd
just know the answer already, although I suppose it's very unlikely
people would complain about something like this and that your service
department would try to rewire a car that was working according to the
Toyota spec.
In the daytime I've never gotten them to go on.
Do you think there's any chance, once I have the current operation
totally clear and written down, if I wrote to Toyota, they'd tell me why
it works that way, or even how to change it? I figure they'd ignore me
or tell me to go to a dealer.
Most of the lights*** are powered directly from the battery when the
Taillight relay is closed, via the Panel fuse, and they don't dim, but
normally they only go on at night. I guess going on is the opposite of
dimming.
**From the 12v that powers the seat heater switch to the light for the
seat heater switch, so the wires are only a half inch away from each
other. I thought it would be such an elegant fix, except it doens't
work for the "clock" lights. It does light up all the other lights
below***.
***The speedo cluster, glovebox, the buttons for the radio, heater/ac,
seat heater switches, and the gearshift indicator on the center console.
And there is a light in the speedometer needle that changes in some way.
I think it lights up at night. It's really all very nice except for my
one complaint. I would have thought lots of people would complain and
by 2006 they would have changed it. I have the digital version of 2006.
It's harder to read than on paper, but I checked to the extent I could
and haven't found any differences related to this. Maybe that they
didn't change it would mean mine is broken, not misdesigned. But I
still should be able to fix it.
I'll do more testing when it gets dark, which seems to be different from
having the photocells covered.
>It should
>DIM when the headlights are on and be brigher during the day I think.
Yes, those gear indicator dots works that way.
>Is this an orange/red light? or green?
In the speedo cluster, there's a little light for each gear. Park is
green. I think the others are different.
2005 Toyota Solara (similar to a Camry)
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