Aftermarket Coolant Temperature Gauge Install (1st Gen 4runner)

[@christophergoodwin6846]

Timmy the toolman always coming through with the helpful videos 💯 🙌🏼

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@christophergoodwin6846 Thanks, Chris. I gotta keep on keepin' on in retirement. I can't just sit around smoking dope and jumping rope. I've got to be a productive member of society.

[@davecaselli1957]

Good job. I always watch your videos even without a 4Runner. I looked at a used 4Runner last year. We got rid of our Nissan Frontier because my wife was tired of driving the truck all the time. The 4Runner was of course too much of a truck also, and she wouldn't go for it. We now have a Rav4. A "picky" comment I'll make is that I think your Lisle coolant funnel, the "Lizzel" is probably actually said like ISLE or MILE. I'll be back for the next one. Keep it up.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

I usually say Lisle like Lyle, but then I head someone pronounce it Lizzle, and I started questioning the way I've bee pronouncing it for years. I think you need a second vehicle and you should get a 4runner. Life is short. Enjoy it!

[@danielvoulkos8274]

​@@TimmyTheToolmanlove that thing....but the one from HD leaks like a little bitch at the cap no matter how you stack the gaskets or the interchangeable caps. But still a good thing. Rubegoldberg it!

[@davecaselli1957]

@@TimmyTheToolman H-m-m-m. It's confusing then, like Knipex.

[@benaldredge2671]

Great video Tim. Thanks for posting!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

My pleasure Ben. Thanks for the comment.

[@DragRacingTV]

i like the detailed install in this video... the temp gauge on my '86 4runner 22re has always shown the temp fluctuating like it's supposed to, but it didn't save me from destroying an engine when a big chunk of metal went thru the radiator while i was driving on the freeway late at night, lost all of the coolant... i might have caught it in time with a bigger brighter gauge, but the most fail safe system is a buzzer(and/or flashing light?) system that triggers at an adjustable temp setting, not sure how to do that... i put a glowshift fuel pressure gauge on the side of the steering column, with the sensor hooked into the cold start injector fuel line, using the LCE adapter.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@DragRacingTV I don't know of a gauge that activates a buzzer or light, but I suppose it is a mod someone could figure out. That sucks that you burned up your engine. Having a gauge isn't a guarantee that you'll catch an issue before something bad happens, but it's the best we can do other than your buzzer/light idea. If you figure something out, please share it with me.

[@stco2426]

Excellent and loads to like here. The typical OE 'cluster' gauges have a big, vague, flat or dead spot in the middle. Also, the electronic gauges (LED-types) only have a few (I think 7) segments so they are not very precise. Someone on a forum I’m on changed the resistors on the back of the cluster circuit board to make the gauge more responsive and lessened the flat spot. It’s possible that your OE gauge and sender are fine, but maybe the resistors are no longer accurate or, equally likely the cluster ground is not good. I liked your approach to cutting the top hose. Noting the caveats you showed I think this is a good place to mount an aftermarket temp sensor. My Toyota has a complex double heater system and there are extra manifolds etc for the rear heater, with various additional sensor units, and these are outside unaffected by the thermostat, but the flow in the heating areas is not huge and the top radiator hose is where the majority of the heat is sent, so I think you’re right in your approach. Interesting that the engine-mounted ground was not reliable. I wonder if this might point to a less than ideal earthing for the starter motor, or the engine in general. I would expect the engine to not have this problem. If not the starter motor ground, is there another earth strap? Finally, I’m a big fan of marking my non-original wiring and have a Brother tape machine and the next consumables will be their heat shrink labels, but great to see extensive use of split loom! Anyway, good luck with your Rubicon trip and thanks!!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Thanks for the compliment of our video. Thanks for the information on the OEM gauges. Maybe the problem with mine is the resistors. I think the problem with the engine ground was the ground strap from the head to the firewall. I have since upgraded it to a fat wire. Marking your wires is a smart move. For me, I can just rewatch my video to figure it out. The Rubicon trip was pretty intense. We made it through, but there was damage to bumpers, rock rails and skids plates. I had a major failure of one of my transfer cases and it will need to be rebuilt. The 4.7 gears failed and I was lucky my front 2.28 case would still work and I was able to drive out of there and get home. A video of the experience will be coming out soon.

[@Unknown12454]

Het Timmy, I have a transmission gauge in my 3rd gen, not digital but analog like this one. I noticed that my CB radio interference with the gauge when I push to talk, someone ever had this before?

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Maybe make sure your gauge sensor is grounded well. My needle would move when I drew more power by turning on the AC or turning on the head lights. When I found a better grounding spot, the problem went away.

[@mikehenderson7456]

My glow shift gauge did not last long before having issues. Their customer service came thru solving my problems. Decided to go with ultra Gauge on my 3rd gen. recently. Don't know if it will work with 1st gen?

[@TimmyTheToolman]

A scan gauge or ultra gauge won't work with a 1st Gen 4runner because it's Pre-OBD 2. The early 4runners used OBD 1. Big Big Difference. If the Glowshift gauge takes a dump on me, I'll get a replacement. If that one also fails, I'll probably switch to a Max Tow gauge. I've been running one of them on my 98 4runner to monitor my trans temp for years and no issues.

[@mikehenderson7456]

Thanks Tim. My Glow shift gauge was from years ago. My have been improved. They do seem to provide good cust. service.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@mikehenderson7456 Yeah, hopefully I'll have no issues with it. It's definitely an improvement over the OEM gauge. Those OEM needle gauges are pretty much useless other than to alert you that you overheated the shit out of your engine. They take took long to register a problem.

[@danielvoulkos8274]

​@TimmyTheToolman Same with 3rd gen? If so I suppose I should add what you are showing us. And your trans Guage too. Would you have a video on it as to how to and P/N? Thanks man.

[@sandovaljulio]

Is there a way for the transmission on a 96

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Yes there is. Check out the video of me installing an aftermarket gauge on my 09 4runner. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIXCY6awmbCLiK8si=tiEGSHeU61_Lu3pV

[@sportydoubledee]

My og gauge has done this forever!

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Like I said in the video, I've heard it's a problem of small copper wires on the back of the gauge becoming dislodged from their connection point. Sometimes, my OEM gauge works like it should and slowly rises to operating temp. Other times, as soon as I start the engine, the gauge immediately jumps to operating temp. I took the gauge cluster out, and was close to removing the gauge from the cluster, but I didn't know the proper way to pull the needle off the gauge to separate the gauge from the cluster. Thinking there was a good chance I'd destroy it, I gave up on the idea of trying to fix the OEM gauge. I looked for a write-up or video on how to repair the gauge but couldn't find anything. But, like I also said in the video, an aftermarket gauge that lets you know the exact temp your engine is at is far superior to the OEM gauge that really isn't good at helping you mitigate a potentially dangerous situation with your engine. By the time the OEM gauge starts to rise past its normal level, the engine is already at a dangerously high temp. You want to catch a problem much sooner so you can pull off to the side of the road or trail to let your engine cool down and/or figure out what the issue is, like springing a coolant leak in one of your hoses.

[@sportydoubledee]

@@TimmyTheToolman I have taken the needles off a 82 the best way I found was taking a fork end getting it underneath there to leverage off it

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@sportydoubledee Good to know. I just didn't want to destroy it because it appears if needs decent force to remove.

[@AlexArroyoArt]

If you have a scan gauge do you need this mod? I don’t have either that’s why ask.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

A scan gauge only works for vehicles that OBD 2. OBD 2 started in 1996, so basically when 3rd Generation 4runners came on the market. Prior to 1996, it was OBD 1 and you can't use a scan gauge with OBD 1. Big Big Difference between OBD 1 and OBD 2.

[@williamtsol636]

Hey Tim !! 👍

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Hey back at ya William.

[@jimbean8202]

Make sure to clarify that when using your test like that fuse is a 7.5amp. not 75 😅

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@jimbean8202 Too late, the video is live, but you just clarified it. Does Timmy the Toolman misspeak sometimes? Yes, he does. Thanks for the correction.

[@zapman2100]

why are comment's being deleted?

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Are you trying to share a link? KZbin views it as spam and will flag the post. I haven't deleted any posts for this video.

[@zapman2100]

@@TimmyTheToolman nope was just trying to share some suggestions

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@zapman2100 Well, I saw these two comments from you. I don't know how the previous ones got deleted. Try sharing what you originally wanted to share.

[@BigBluePile]

Dude....time for a battery/intake swap with the supra AFM mod. Also, if that gauge fails I recommend a VDO one.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Do you have a link to video or write-up documenting that mod? Thanks for the suggestion for the VDO gauge.

[@BigBluePile]

@@TimmyTheToolman probably over on yotatech....

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@BigBluePile Gotcha. I'll do a search for it,

[@BigBluePile]

​@@TimmyTheToolman I forget that YT deletes links, I'll post it on FB... I've done a ton of stuff on yotatech

[@BigBluePile]

​@@TimmyTheToolmanalso, it's a VAFM not a MAF...

[@123capk]

Notification gang !!

[@mikellwebb5824]

before the thermostat would've been ideal

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Yep, but the only convenient place I can see for that is putting the aftermarket sensor in place of the OEM temp sensor and I didn't want to do that. The only issue, which I mentioned in the video is the thermostat sticking and not being able to recognize it immediately. Other than that, having the sensor after the thermostat isn't a big deal. The concern isn't low temps, it's high temps. Once the thermostat opens, I'll be reading an accurate temperature of the engine coolant.

[@mikellwebb5824]

@TimmyTheToolman yeah totally worth putting it in. Thermostat only really gets stuck with people that throw stop leak or something in their reservoir, which I'm sure isn't the case with your vehicle

[@TimmyTheToolman]

@@mikellwebb5824 I've been driving for 43 years and none of the vehicles I've owned had a thermostat that has gotten stuck. I always renew the coolant at regular intervals and I'd never use stop leak in my cooling system.