brickpaver

The 2011 SR doesn't have the rotary dimmer even though the provision is there. I wonder if the wiring loom to connect to a switch might be there though because it would seem odd to not have the same basic loom across the three models even if every lead isn't connected.

I would think that this question is probably not new but I can't find it anywhere. I have a 2011 Hilux V6 SR dual cab which for some strange reason, Toyota chose to NOT have a brightness adjust on any of the dash lights. Because the three dials are recessed, they are difficult to read at times, especially at various times of the day and reading the odometer is even harder to impossible to read if I run my headlights during the day, automatically dimming the dash and odometer lights even lower. Two or three questions now arise. 1. Is the dash illuminated by single or independent globes from behind and if so, are they accesible to maybe change to brighter globes or is there some other type of central illumination in hehind there that could be improved upon. 2. Is there any way of fitting and connecting up a CHEAP dimmer adjustment switch in to the provision provided, but not utilized (pretty much cheapskate Toyota to not include one) so as to make the dash lights brighter, or conversly to somehow make them brighter without adding a dimmer adjust switch. I just want to be able to read my speedo and odometer at a quick glance, at any time of the night OR day, without taking my eyes off the road so as I can squint to see the speedo. Something that I can NOT do at present. 3. Would I be assuming correctly that the SR5 might have a different type of dash lights setup, a dimmer switch fitted to that blank provision in the SR or possibly even a dash setup similar to the Kluger KXS which illuminates just about everything brilliantly in all the dash guages etc. If rhe SR5 is so equipped, how difficult would it be to do a ' speedo dash swap' between the two. I still cant believe that the SR which is NOT a cheap vehicle to buy from new, does not have such a basic switch that IS in just about every other vehicle on the market. Cheers.

I've got all my spotlights up and working and wanted to put in a pilot led light on the dash, connected to the on/off switch connected to the high beam. The only problem however is by leaving the switch in the 'on' position when I turn off the headlights, the spotlights will come on. (Have never had this happen in past cars) . Okay, I'm not too worried about that, as long as I remember to turn the switch to 'off' when I'm not using the headlights. I decided to put in a dash pilot light to remind me if I've forgotten to throw the switch. I thought that the logical method was to wire the pilot light into the wire that runs from the relay to the switch and back again to the spotlights but that doesn't work. When I take the pilot light out and reconnect that wire direct back to the switch again, everything works as it should. It just doesn't seem to want the pilot light put into that wiring.......what am I doing 'wrong'.? The pilot light will come on by itself but not the spotlights, until I remove the pilot and go back direct to the switch. Damn frustrating. Cheers

Double checked back with my mechanic and we did establish that we were in fact talking negative earth. I had apparently misheard his reference to a positive earth when he was referring to a different vehicle. All is now well. We've wired up the two spotlights via wiring through a dash switch, through one side of a double relay (fused) and tapped from a high beam lead to the headlights and while that does the required job okay, I am somehow now able to turn on those spotlights from this same single switch WITHOUT having to have my lights on high beam,...which was definitely not my intention. I want my spotlights to ONLY come on, via a dash switch, when my headlights are on high beam and not to come on at any other time. I won't try and change anything now, at least not before my Nullarbor trip,...I just need to familiarise myself with the position that the switch needs to be in when the spotties are to come on or not. Now another question without notice. I have mounted a third spotlight between the other two. Am I able to run the wire from this third light up to the other 'lights' side of the existing double relay (both sides of the relay will each take two 100 watt spotties.) and use separate jump wires across to the first side connections to the relay dash switch connection, thereby eliminating the need for a second dash switch. Naturally the relay breaker (which is centrally powered by the same fused connector from the battery) on both sides, won't kick in until the dash switch is activated but would then activate BOTH relay breakers in unison so as to run the three spotights together. The other option would be to connect the centre light to a second switch on the dash, via the other side of the relay, so as to be independant from the other two. Thanks in advance.

I'm certainly taking in all of this information as I am doing exactly the same thing myself, connecting two spotlights to my 2011 Hilux. My battery has the negative side going straight to earth, which to me logically says,.. 'negative/earth system, yet my normal mechanic is telling me (over the phone) that my 2011 Hilux is positive/earth system. I'm working on it and looking at trying to find diagrams that actually show positive earth setups......so I can compare the two.

Thanks mate for that info, it does follow along the lines of my own thinking and what I have done when fitting spotties to my cars in the past, the latest model back then being a 1984 Ford and Valiants before that, all of which had a seemingly clear cut and easy negative earth system, pretty much foolproof when fitting spotlights, via a separate switch through the high beam wire and a relay. I just wasn't sure if if was still the same principle in newer vehicles,..namely a 2011 Hilux....partucularly that when the high beam was switched on, I was getting a 'live test' on both main wires going to the headlight globe socket, presumably both being the high and low beam wires. The only thing that puzzles me is that I've been told by a mechanic that the 2011 Hilux electrical system IS in fact a Positive Earth system and NOT Negative Earth, as all of my past older pre 1984 cars have been. If this in fact IS the case then wouldn't it create some sort of conflict by my mounting my 40 year old (but still perfectly working) fused, double relay to the inside engine bay side, thereby creating an earth contact,.....and then the spotlights themselves being mounted on the front to a bracket that is also earthed back to the chassis......everything then (to me anyway) set up for a negative Earth connection......easy. I don't really know anything about positive to earth electricals and don't want to burn something or start blowing fuses. Do I need to buy a newer type relay and if so, would it also be mounted direct to the vehicle body (Earth). As far as I've ever been aware, the law requires that spotlights be connected through a separate switch, linked only through the vehicle high beam and not a separate switch wired direct to the spotlights themselves. Cheers.

I have a 2003 VXi Mk 3. (One bellow the Grande) , lovely car to own and to drive. I also had a gradually worsening roof lining sagging. Took it to a 'work from home' upholsterer here in the Barossa Valley (S.A.) Completlely relined with new lining material at a cost of just under $300. Looks like brand new again.

I had a 2000 single cab Hilux ute with the 2.7 in it. Purchased it in 2005 at 127,000 K's, used as a non heavy load work ute, I could average around 24-26 mpg, while a one off drive (empty) between Melbourne and Adelaide return, sitting on or just below 100 kph steady on the open road, I was able to get a whsker under 30mpg. I sold that ute 8 month ago, almost 12 years after I had bought it,..on 260,000 K's, ..the only thing replaced outside of the normal tyres, battery, servicing and a couple of flats etc, was the knock sensor at a cost of $84 at around 145,000 K's and the radiator at about 170,000. Nothing else ever 'played up' in the entire 11-1/2 years that I had that vehicle and if not for my wanting a later model Hilux dual cab, ..I would have kept it longer as it was still runnng like a top and still gave me that same fuel mileage. Cheers ..(Sorry but the the old fashion in me still thinks in mpg and not L/100). Lance.

Thanks mate. I have since sold my 2000 Hilux and now have a 2011 Hilux SR Dual cab with the 4.0L V6 in it. Much nicer vehicle to drive, with only 80K on the clock, compared to the 2000 single cab that had 260,000 up on it. In hindsight though I think that maybe I should have shelled out the extra money and gone for the SR5 instead. .....Maybe later down the track for that one. Cheers,..Lance.

This is a follow up from my previous question regarding the fitting of spotlights to my 2011 Hilux SR. I have everything mounted, ..lights, relay, dash switch and all the wiring is ready to connect,.....but I can't seem to determine which of the two wires that go down to the headlight is the actual high beam that I need to join in to because when I run a test light to find the correct wire, while my high beam is switched on,...both these wires come up as live. Can anyone tell me exactly which colour wire that I need to tap into, from those two (red and black) wires to find the high beam and not blow a fuse at the same time. Cheers

Just a quick question about spotlights (on my Hilux, in the country). I am mounting a pair of 6" spotlights onto a purpose bought bracket mounted behind my front number plate and just want to know the legalities of mounting a third 6" spotlight in between them, right in the centre. I'm told that multiple spotlights must legally all be be in pairs but can't help thinking that if a third light was fitted and that light was in the centre of the front of the vehicle, it would be exactly the same as if just a single spotlight was fitted. (Or maybe that's not allowed either)? Cheers

Recently while trying to unsuccessfully fit a bullbar to my SR Hilux, I noticed separate wires about 4 or 5 cm long (with small grey plug on the end) coming out of the wiring lines at the end of the chassis, to each of the headlights, just tied back out of the way. They are obviously there for a reason, probably/possibly for front foglights that would be on the SR5 fitted Hilux. (It makes sense for manufacturers to cover all models in the one wiring loom, no matter what the model level itself,...just don't use all of them all). Some questions arise. 1.--. Is there a corresponding blanked off wire under the dash that connects to these wires at the front of the chassis and if there is, is it already going through a relay,... or would the SR5 have a different lights switch setting so as to accomodate this extra loom. 2.---. Could there be any other purpose or adaptable use for this extra wiring,..i.e. Driving lights,..Fog lights,...Running lights,..?.....as long as there was another 'loose end' ..(so to speak),..under the dash. Cheers..........Lance

Thanks for the reply. Yep, I knew about the heavier wire between battery and relay but glad that you reminded me about putting the fuse in that wire too, as I HAD forgotten that important part. Last time I wired up spotlights and relays was about 40 years ago when inline glass fuses were in use. I will have to no doubt look for a later type of fuse/fuse holder now for the Hilux.

I want to fit spotlights to my Hilux, which I have been quite able to fit to vehicles that I have owned In past decades. I just need to know if the same old wiring principles (negative earth) would apply to my 2011 Hilux, in preference to paying out a quoted $400 for an auto electrician to do just the wiring (not the actual spotlights and possibly not the relay either). Basically it was,...locate the high beam wire to the headlights,..cut into it with a heavier wire, run that second wire back through a on/off switch on or under the dash, run off the other side of the dash switch, through a 12V relay (wired direct to the car battery) and finally down the spotlights. The spotlights would now comply with the law (as it was back then) that they could only be used in conjunction with high beam and able to be turned off again where necessary. Have I got this all correct and can I then go ahead and fit the lights myself. Cheers.

The instrument lights, particularly the odometer and distance counter light in my 2000 Hilux are getting very hard to read at night. Does anyone know how accessible the globes are to get at so as I can replace them or,.........how difficult would it be to exchange the whole instrument panel to a instrument panel out of a 2003 model Hilux, which is a 100% better and clearer layout than the 2000 model. It does also have a tacho in the 2003 which of course the 2000 model does not have. Would this present an issue or would the tacho be able to be 'hooked up' as well in the 2000. Thanks in advance.

Okay, quick update. I was about to unhook all of my connections on the loom but thought I would try the new radio just once more,..for the hell of it,....and .wham...it turned on immediately. 😟 ....so apparently my colour code connections were correct after all and the radio works fine. It would also seem that the fuse that handles the interior light, handles the radio live feed as well.

Thanks for the reply Ross but I might hold off on any unnecessary EBay cost as I'm sure this is something that I could do by just going into the original loom if I need to and even just trace those wires back to their source. I was just hoping to find a wiring diagram so as to save a bit of time. There would surely only be six main wires anyway. Power, Left speaker x2,..Right speaker x2, Earth,....even though there are seven connecting wires of twelve coming from the old loom and twelve possible option wires in the new loom.

I need to find a colour code diagram for the factory fit radio cassette in my 2000 single cab. It's already been replaced with a Pioneer unit fitted by Autobarn 7 years ago, where they cut and solder joined seven of the wires for the new Pioneer loom and plug. The colour coding was of course different but Autobarn obviously wired it up correctly and it worked fine. I am now fitting a new Bluetooth JVC unit and going by Autobarns advice, I should just join colour for colour as just about all car radio units follow a common colour code. I did all that, using the colours from the Pioneer loom that is still solder joined to the original loom but the radio isn't working. I am assuming the radio power feed is coming off the same connection that handles the interior light because I did blow that fuse when I was fishing around the original loom solder joins. I replaced that fuse but still no radio working so perhaps that rules out the 'same fuse' theory.? No other fuses are blown. I think now that the 'safest' option is to go back to the original Toyota loom and join the new loom from there.......which is why I need to find a wiring plan. Cheers.