Digital Instrument Panel illumination

Hi guys, over the last 3 weeks I've been installing a new Android DVD/GPS/Radio on my 95 SC limited. It's taking so long because I have a lot of back pain and also need a new hip Actually all of my body hinges are seizing up and trying to get in and around the dash of a HiAce is well... lets just say they aren't really designed for large men with back issues! Anyway, the first problem I had was the rear speakers don't work....Long story short I happened to stumble of a video and it was explained that the SC limited is different than all other Super customs because it has an amp in the right rear quarter so from stereo to adaptor plug is fine but from adaptor to the plug for rear speakers is actually going to the amp which doesn't allow the speakers to work. I've given up searching for ways around it so I'm just going to run new speaker wires from the rear speakers. A cow of a job since I haven't been able to work out how to get the interior panels off without breaking anything but that will be a job after I get all the front area in and most of the dash back as it should be.

Next problem I'm having might not be a problem at all but it doesn't seem right. I should know this but the pain meds I've been taking for years are making me forget things.. at least I hope it's the medication. I can't remember if the dash lights illuminate when you turn on the parkers or if they only light up once the key is turned to ignition. when I turn the parkers on I get the cig lighter & ash tray light and also the auto T bar shift light. Those 3 lights also dim with the switch on the dash but the instrument lights either have dull of bright nothing in between but I'm thinking that's because the instrument lights are led and maybe don't dim as normal.
If anyone has a digital dash and can tell me what happens when they turn just the parkers on...I'd really appreciate it.

Last problem is door ajar warning light on the dash is not working since the stereo unit has gone in
I don't know where to start with that one as fuses seem to be fine. If it was a case of the light not going out that wouldn't be an issue.
It took so long to get the head unit and dash in but I'm thinking I might have to take the dash panel out again and call a auto elec.

Any thoughts would be great
Thanks and Cheers

Hello

As someone who has taken the dash out of a Hiace I know the issues. Mine is currently on stands and it both too high and too awkward for lots of jobs to be painless.

There are lots of speaker options. These are them just for my van but nothing seems to properly tally:

https://toyota.epc-data.com/regius_ace/lh119v/114894/electric/8602/

If you’ve not configured the EPC to your van it might be worth doing so and the Hiacesoutheast manuals are really handy, too. That site has the best electrics manual I’ve come across.

For trim removal I’ve found a set of trim removal tools to be indispensable. Here’s an example of a few sets:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/c/trim-removal-tools/

but there are loads in shops and online.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that the trim is probably more precious than the fasteners and while some clips etc are really expensive and hard to replace most are available in bags from Amazon etc. The EPC also shows the proper clips etc if you want to stay OEM and clicking through to a parts purchase site like Amayama (others available too) often has pictures of these as they are often used across many manufacturers. Also the EPC also lists how many clips etc hold trim in, which can be helpful if it’s been apart before.

A cheap endoscope that plugs into a phone is also useful for getting into voids etc. Sorry I can’t help with the dash illumination. I’m just currently replacing all the dud bulbs in switches etc and I don’t have a dimmer.

Door warning lights seem to be a common problem. If the door opening triggers the interior lights properly and anything else for that door works as it should then I’d suggest a problem with the bulb in the instrument cluster or the wiring track behind the cluster or pin damage on the connector. Did you take out the instrument cluster? If not you might have pinched something. Sorry not to be more helpful.

Final points, do you have oval speakers in the ceiling, be good to know as I’m thinking about fitting some of these and ping me a message if you need further help with trim? Most of the trim on mine is out and while mine is a very different van (see: https://hiace-super-custom.forumotion.com/t4317-my-lh119 ) it’s still a Hiace.

Cheers!

I actually traced the wires on my wife’s van when I upgraded her speakers. There is not one, but 2 amps in it. The colors do not follow any accepted naming convention. Here’s the layout:

14 pin JBL adaptor harness, 1-14 (W,G,R,B,G,W,GwB,B,Br w W, Br,R,Bl,Y)

Pin 1 (P-L) --> Amp/Remote Turn-On
Pin 2 (G) --> ILL+/Dimmer (+)
Pin 3 (L-O) --> +B/Constant Power/Battery
Pin 4 (B) --> MUTE
Pin 5 (W) --> FL+
Pin 6 (R) --> FR+
Pin 7 (B-R*) --> ANT/Power Antenna
Pin 8 (W-G) --> ILL-/Dimmer (-)
Pin 9 (GR-R) --> ACC/Switched Power
Pin 10 (BR) --> GNDL/Ground (Primary, grounded to chasiss)
Pin 11 (G) --> GNDS/Ground (Speaker)
Pin 12 (Y) --> BEEP
Pin 13 (BR)--> RL+
Pin 14 (L)--> RR+

The speaker sizes are:
Front speakers. 4” (10cm) 4ohm, 86db, metric bolt pattern. 2.5 cm separate tweeters in doors
Roof speakers. 4” (10cm), 2.5cm separate tweeters with standard bolt pattern in pods
Rear speakers 4.7” (12cm), 4ohm 88db. Standard bolt pattern. 5 1/4 fit if you trim the ported plastic pod they’re in

The two amps are:
Front amp 33wx4 behind glovebox
Rear amp 33wx2. r/h van wall below speaker pod.

Verify your wiring is correct and it should wire right up. I had to trace everything because she wanted a US Toyota radio with the right FM bands. If even one of the wires is grounded out or shorted all kinds of issues arise.

Good luck. If you have any questions text me.

-Bryan

Thanks guys for going to the trouble of typing out all the information. Some of it is helpful but all of it is very much appreciated.  I'll make a start on it again when I'm a bit more capable and when the weather is on my side. Seems like every time I step outdoors it triggers a rain session

Thanks for your message, Jaadle63.
This thread has morphed a little into audio. Grateful to blgravely for the harness wiring.

My van has (or had) an aftermarket 1-DIN, JVC CD player. It was probably ok but the controls are very fiddly. Looking at the label on it:


it’s wired as 4 speaker channels (FL, FR, RL and RR) but I just have two speakers in the van. To go from the unit’s wiring to the vehicle’s there’s a 12 to 14-pin adaptor, see:


Is this the same as the JBL adaptor harness, blgravely? No worries if you can’t be definitive…

I need to do a bit of thinking here as while I’ve just got speakers in the dash the JVC unit is wired for 4 channels and the adaptor wiring above is for 4-channels.

My dash speakers are Kenwood KFC-C102 (with integrated tweeter, I think):




I expect they are original. They were backed by polystyrene, which was held in place with zinc oxide tape. Quality!! I might keep these as they are ok-ish but improve their backing. Some MDF would be fine for this I think.

In my experience dash speakers are not that good, both for sound and due to position. I think most manufacturers now only mount small speakers in the dash and fit larger ones in the doors. With my door cards off I can see that there seems to be wiring and space in the front doors for speakers. I’ve no grills in the doors am prepared to cut into the cards and fit grills if I can add speakers in the doors. Door speakers will probably also have to be quite small and shallow. I’ve still got the vapour barriers in the doors so it’s not easy to get a full picture.

Is this for a door speaker? Wiring seems to come from below and I'll need to see where this goes and if there are any markings:


I’d like to fit some speakers in the rear and while newer vans and VWs often have these in the rear door I think the rear door on the Hiace is probably too thin and I don’t think there are fittings.

As I’ve the Cruising Cabin (camper) setup it’s essentially a standard-height roof with a pop-top so the Scheme 5 (with the above EPC link) probably won’t work.

I think the most suitable might be some oval speakers in the rear area of the ceiling, but I’m not sure about placement and brackets. If either of your vans has these then I’d be grateful if you can share some pictures and anything else. I really don’t want to remove more of the headlining than absolutely necessary.

Here's the roof lining...:


Unsure if there's anything to bolt to up there?

My other option is to use the camper cabinetry somehow.

My plan is also to try to fit a small sub. Options for this are just aft of the sliding door (see Scheme 6 in my EPC link or again to use the cabinetry. Just behind the door is:


I'd need to make, modify or buy some brackets, too.

I don’t want a boomer, just to add better base than most speakers output and I'll be adding some sound absorbing to the van, too. It's a bit tinny!

Btw am most likely to replace the amp etc with a 2-DIN ATOTO as these also link with DAB, camera(s) and CarPlay / Android Audio. Final thing will be ability to power audio from leisure power.

Grateful for any expertise in replies and sorry for the thread hijack. Sometimes it's just useful to set out my thoughts and this is as useful a place to do it as anywhere!

Thanks!

Ok I think I know what you’re asking.

Firstly wife had the upgrade radio with CD Changer in dash. 2 separate amps. Joyful talk too.

We needed to put an American Toyota radio in it which all have a different pin connector. The weird connector on the Japanese side of the van is shared with a 1991 Toyota MR2 with the upgraded JBL system hence the JBL adaptor name.

If you are going aftermarket and using the speaker level inputs to drive the amps there’s no need to get crazy, just splice it in using the aftermarket pigtail that came with your radio. But if you are trying to bypass the amps…the wiring is different…

If you had no amps to start with even better.

The colors in the dash are all wrong and the speakers were using an archaic common ground setup. First time I’ve seen that. I had to trace everything to see what was going on as documentation was problematic on the internet.

Her stereo now has 10 speakers in it now of very high quality and it sounds ok. Like a descent early 90s radio and we’re fine with that. The dash speakers have no bass. The ceiling speakers don’t either, and the rear ones have a little. If you want it to look original that’s the sacrifice you make.

That wiring in your door is in the approximate location of her Joyful talk door speaker. Maybe that’s it, maybe it’s something else?

Our ceiling speakers are in Pods on either side of the middle moonroof. They are held in with push clips. I’ll attach some photos.

But if you want something that sounds nice you probably need something in the doors and a hidden sub somewhere. The dash speakers are just in a bad location.

First is dash, second is rear wall and third is ceiling.

Hello and thanks for the post and pictures. Really helpful.

You've got the correct understanding in that I'm wanting to improve the sound as described (from just two fronts) and I've just got a head unit, no seperate amps.

So, pretty much a blank canvas and no 'pods'.

Am concentrating on other areas (bodywork and mechanicals) but want to lay the foundations for sound and other related areas as I progress.

Cheers!

p.s. By 'rear wall', do you mean the rear side area (behind the rear wheel arch)?

Sorry just saw your reply.

Yes I meant the rear side area behind the rear wheel arch. My bad.

Good luck!