SR5 instrument cluster swap for 1988

[Tool Pants]

I have a 1988 2 wheel drive, long bed, extra cab, 22R with carb, 5 speed manual. My instrument cluster has the large speedometer that goes to 110 mph. On the even older cars it went to 85 mph. We called these the "Jimmy Carter" speedometers. I forget what year the law changed and the 85 mph cluster was eliminated.

Owners manual says my long bed has a 17.2 tank and the short bed has 13.7.

Have owned it since 1989 and for some crazy reason I am thinking about putting in the instrument cluster that has the tach, oil pressure and volt meter gauges. I think you call this the SR5 cluster.

I have read these articles.

SR5 Gauge Cluster Swap F.A.Q.

SR5 Gauge Swap

SR5 Gauge Swap (Tachometer Install)

I do not have a Toyota parts list and do not remember enough about my truck when I bought it.

Back in 1988 the engines were the carb, fuel injection, and turbo. I do not want to mess around with the digital turbo cluster. Then there was 4 wheel drive, short bed (with the smaller gas tank), automatic transmission, and so on.

So, I am going to look for a 110 mph donor SR5 cluster. One that would just plug in except for replacing the pressure sender and hooking up a wire for the tach.

Does it matter if it is from an automatic, and/or short bed, and/or fuel injection, and/or 4 wheel drive, and/or 4Runner?

Thanks.

[dstrick32]

Shouldn't matter which one you use since you have manual shift but you want to find one out of a 4 cylinder if possible. Truck or 4 Runner doesn't matter and neither does the bed or fuel tank size. Beware of the 92 models up since most have electronic speedometers rather than cable driven mechanical ones. Be sure to change out the oil pressure light switch to a gauge sending unit!!

[Tool Pants]

I know enough to get a SR5 cluster from a 4 cylinder car, since my 1988 is 4 cylinder. I am not looking past 1988 for a pickup cluster or past 1989 for a 4 Runner.

On my present non-Toyota car the automatic and manual instrument clusters are different. On my car the automatic version has gear position indicator lights in the instrument cluster next to the speedo, and the manual transmission does not have an indicator.

Looking at my 1988 Toyota truck owners manual the automatic transmission gear position indicator is either on the steering column or floor, not in the instrument cluster. Shows you what little I remember after 17 years of ownership. So, I would not think it would matter if the SR5 cluster came from a manual or automatic transmission.

But, there is a ebay seller that has both the manual and automatic clusters. The seller says the automatic version has ETC on the back. Don't know what ETC means, unless it is for fuel injection.

Another ebay seller said there are lights in the corner of the cluster instead of the volt gauge if the cluster is for an automatic.

Don't know what info to rely on.

.

[Tool Pants]

So, I bought the cluster in the picture below off of ebay yesterday and it is on its way.

The seller says it is from a 1988 4Runner 5 speed. The seller says it is from a 4 cylinder because the VIN is JT4RN67S1H50 and the 4 after JT means it is a 4 cylinder.

But I just saw a 1988 V6 4Runner on ebay and the VIN is JT4VN63C7J0024653, so I do not understand how the 4 after JT indicates it is a 4 cylinder. eBay Motors: Toyota : 4Runner (item 190064003709 end time Dec-20-06 22:25:02 PST)

I have a 4 cylinder 22R and do not want to mess around with a V6 cluster. Is there a way to tell from the VIN if it is 4 or 6 cylinders?

Also, does anyone know for sure if it makes a difference if the ebay cluster came off a fuel injected 4Runner and my pickup has a carb?

First update for the next person: I spoke to a guy at my local dealer parts department a little while ago who seems to know his stuff, unlike the first guy I spoke to.

He said that "RN" in the VIN means it is 4 cylinder. And that "VN" letters in the VIN is for the 6 cylinder. The VIN should have 17 digits. The ebay seller gave me a VIN with only 12 digits but at least it starts with JT4RN. The 4 in the VIN that the ebay seller said was for 4 cylinders is apparently the vehicle type, i.e., truck.

Still don't know if it matters if the donor cluster came from a carb or fuel injected 4Runner, and the parts guy did not know either. I have e-mailed the ebay seller for the full VIN and to find out if the donor cluster comes from a fuel injected car, and no response.

Second update: From my internet search it looks like the only 4 cylinder engine for a 1988 4Runner was fuel injection.

[Tool Pants]

Here is the ebay cluster I received today.

Looks pretty.



Here are some of the markings.







I see a 6 with a line under it. Does this mean a V6?



The wrecking yard yellow paint. For what it is worth is was listed on ebay as a 1988, not a 1987, and for a 4 cylinder. Never got the complete VIN. So I cannot trust what someone wrote on the back in yellow paint. 5 speed in yellow is on the second line.



I took the cover off, but there is nothing there to tell me if the donor cluster is from a V6.



Before I try the cluster swap is there a way to make sure this is not a V6 cluster?

[Tool Pants]

Cluster must have come from a 4 cylinder 4Runner because everything works. Been driving around for 2 days to make sure, before I put the trim back on.

[Elton]

the v6 came out in 88

[Tool Pants]

The parts guy at my local Toyota dealer also said he thought the V6 4Runner did not come out until model year 1988.

But this was sold to me on ebay as a 1988 4Runner. The only picture on ebay was from the front.

I did not see the yellow wrecking yard yellow paint until I opened the box. Plus it has a T-Belt icon that was for the V6.

All moot now. It works fine.