4wd switch questions.

Hello,

My 4wd switch doesn't light up or change anything when you engage 4wd. The replaceable bulb on the side of it works when you put the lights on but that's about it ( apart from engaging 4wd ).

My speedometer etc. was replaced before I got my van and I was wondering if there is supposed to be a thing that lights up on the dash when 4wd is engaged because maybe my new clocks etc. came from a non 4wd van and it hasn't got that option.

So I've got a couple of questions..

Which wire would be the one going to the dash to light something up, if there is one ?

If not, can I cut a wire and stick an led bulb in it that will illuminate when 4wd is engaged and if so which one ? The one to the transfer vacuum thing ?

I know it's not really necessary but it's nice to know whether it's on or not and I don't want to engage it by accident or forget to switch it off and not know it's "locked and loaded" !

Thank you.

Hello NickZ

As far as I know there are two flavours of dash switches.

The ones with a single lamp are illuminated when the vehicle’s lights are on. This is so you can find the switch in the dark, nothing more. The 4WD switch falls into this type, I think.

The ones with two lamps illuminate with the vehicles lights but also indicate the circuit is energised or some other feature of the circuitry is working, I think.

While most JDM Hiaces don’t have fog lamps I think it’s a UK MOT requirement that the rear fog lamp switch illuminates to show the fog lamp is lit. Most people in the UK don’t use a Toyota OEM fog lamp switch. Mine is illuminated when the fog lamp is on but I have to find the switch in the dark as it’s not double-lamped.

If you take a look at page 1 of my show us yours section (and scroll down a bit) you’ll find a few discussions on dash switch illumination (bizarre but true). Also there is a screen grab showing the only confirmatory lamp that shows the 4WD is engaged is in the instruments. The picture there shows the pin out of the 4WD switch so it should be possible to work out the wiring and colour codes to rig up a different confirmatory lamp. If you have a power probe you might even be able to trace the wire all the way to the instrument cluster connector. The electrical manual on Hiacesoutheast might help a lot here. You might find your instruments can have a lamp added as many are ‘for but not with’ various features. Failing this the electrical manual and the pin out from the switch should be enough to site a confirmatory lamp elsewhere.

If this was me I’d probably mount a small lamp (plus appropriate resistor (?)) in a switch blank if the fit into the instruments is anything more than plug and play. The instrument cluster is a fragile and sensitive thing.

Good luck and do report back!!

Hello again,

I had looked at your post about it earlier and that's what made me think there was an indicator on the instruments and seeing as I have new clocks from some other Hiace I thought I might be missing a connection. The instrument swap was before my time and my mileage is messed up, it went from kms to miles and came with a picture of the old and new clocks reading. But like you say the instrument panel is fragile and is going to have a whole heap of wires so I might just go for the light on a switch blank.

I figured that if I used the wire for the instruments ( if it exists ) I'd need an earth as otherwise there would be no circuit but if I just stuck a light in the wire that goes to the 4wd system it wouldn't. Maybe I can get a long test wire, go under the van and connect it to the system hit the button and see which wire on the switch connects. I'll investigate further and see what I can come up with but it would be nice to have some sort of indication.

Back again,

I got it to work, just in reverse. Now I have a green light on my dash when it's not in 4wd and this goes off when you are. Not a problem because at least now I have an indication and it's all good. To do this I cut one of the wires that comes out of the switch and made a triple connection which was the two halves of the wire and the live of the light. The earth of the light went off to an earth on one of the stereo screws.

The back of the 4wd switch has five wires going into it and the one I cut is the one that's by itself on the row that has three wires in it.



Hopefully my pictures worked and you can see what I mean. The black wire from the light is the live and the white is the one going off to earth.

edit.. Yay ! I got photos to upload !

ps. To test if you have the right wire before you cut it ( in case they are in a different position ) just earth the light and poke the wire into the connections at the back of the switch to see if it lights up and goes off when you hit 4wd.