4th Gen 4Runner Instrument Cluster Needle Adjustments

[@JonFox1945]

Where do you buy the different colored needles?

[@truthsmiles]

Thanks for this… during the video you said something like “it may read zero properly but it could be off by 10mph when you’re going 60” Do I gather correctly that not only is there a “starting” position for the needles but also a rate/ratio that can be adjusted? It seems from what you said that turning the needle while it’s installed can have an effect? Is this something to worry about?

[@rscustomautoworks4944]

The needles adjust at an exponential rate. So being off very slightly at rest may be a lot more when you’re going 60+ mph. The same way it’s affected by something like changing tire size. There is no way to adjust that ratio by just adjusting the needle, which is why depending on the wheel/tire setup you have the starting location may be different for different people - just to get it more accurate at all speeds.

[@smithlevenson1]

Where did you source the needles?

[@rscustomautoworks4944]

They are the stock needles that come on the cluster. Part of the LED swap that I offer includes dissasembling the needles, re-painting them and re-assembling them.

[@rootswellness22]

@smithlevenson1 What kind of paint did you use?

[@janetairlines1351]

You actually do not have to pry the tach or spedo needles off to adjust them. You can turn them counterclockwise a full revolution, and then stop at your desired stopping point. You will feel a slighy click click/drag feeling. If you go past your desired stopping point, you have to spin it again an entire revolution and set the stopping point. This is how the 2005-2015 tacomas are, with the same guage cluster. Use a qtip to push the needle and spin it. It gives you finess and wont scratch the cluster facing. Start and turn off the vehicle a few times to make sure they reset right. Ive done this.

[@rscustomautoworks4944]

That will prematurely wear and eventually ruin the stepper motors. They’re not designed to be over-clocked like that. The clicking that’s happening is you physically pushing it past the spokes internally, not any kind of normal adjustment. It is much safer to remove and replace the needles.

[@janetairlines1351]

@@rscustomautoworks4944 good to know. Do they pop off easily? Perhaps a plastic fork will be better to prevent scratching? My tachometer led went out (i had a local electronics shop switch them to blue years ago, and i suspect they did a crappy job soldering because my spedo led also went out a year ago, and they have since closed down) and i have a new cluster coming from Tanin autoelectronics with blue leds. Im hoping they have the needles perfectly adjusted and i dont need to touch them, because i am picky about that. Once the new one comes in, im going to pull my old one apart and see if i can fix the led myself. Then ill have a spare cluster.

[@rscustomautoworks4944]

@@janetairlines1351 they’re not hard to take off, you CAN do it without something to pry with even - just run the risk of bending the metal the needle rests on - if you get a plastic fork far enough on there it should be fine.

[@janetairlines1351]

@@rscustomautoworks4944 are you by chance near western MA? Im gonna kick myself if i bought this cluster when someones close by that could have fixed it. This is the second time an led has gone out, so i said screw it im ordering the new cluster and just doing a quick plug n play swap. Last time, i took my cluster out, parked my truck for a week, and shipped it to a tacomaworld guy that does these swaps to repair it. Hes super nice and didnt even charge me, but im not parking my truck again and going through that. I have a feeling the shop that did my cluster did a crappy job, and the leds are gonna keep going out one by one, so i just said screw it and ordered the replacement

[@rscustomautoworks4944]

@@janetairlines1351 Texas. But most all the work I do is shipped from out of state, fixed and shipped back.