Electrical nightmare? (1 Viewer)

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If you know what the steering column came from you could get a wiring diagram for that vehicle and figure out what the blue plug pinouts are. The black connectors do not look like Toyota OEM and they have been cobbled together with copious amounts of electrical tape and who knows what else.

To start with get the correct wiring diagram and trace from the fuse panel to the connector. That should give you a starting point for each circuit and where it should ultimately end up. This is going to be a very long process.
 
Make sure your battery in disconnected ⚡

Are those connectors attached to steering column wires or main harness wires?
 
Do you just want to fix the poor wiring? If so, make an "as built" drawing of what you have so you don't loose configuration control. Then just fix the connections using good wiring practices. If you really want to figure out what all the wires do, you could start with the schematic for your truck then label each wire what it does so you can keep track of what you are doing.

For the blue plug, that is from the combination switch for lights, turn signals and wipers. You would have to figure out what that column is out of so you can get a wiring diagram or use a meter to figure out what wire is connected to what switch. The first black plug, I would guess headlights/running lights. The second black plug looks like the one that would go to the ignition switch.

In general blue wires are for wipers, lighter, radio; green wires are lights. White is unswitched +12v from battery, black is +12v to ignition switch, black/yellow is switched +12v from ignition switch, black/white is starter from ignition switch, Blue/red (or maybe just blue) is accessory from ignition switch. These are fairly consistent so it should give you an idea of what circuit you are working on.

And keep in mind that you don't have functions like interval wipers on your truck so there will be many extra wires on that blue plug. It looks to me like they installed that column then tied the truck side wires (poorly) into the truck side mating connectors from the donor. @ToyotaMatt or @Coolerman may have the connector bodies and connectors to do it right.
 
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This maybe, 84-87 4runner

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Does that combination switch control the headlights/taillights and wipers or do you have the original switches for those? If you are using the combo switch for headlights and taillights, make sure you have a headlight and taillight relay, the column switch is not rated to pass that much current, and may be your melted connector issue, just guessing with the limited info provided.
 
The big blue one comes off the steering column and the one with bunch of dark red comes from steering column.

s*** I might just might buy a new column then - I have no idea how to figure where this came from .. maybe a later 40?

At least if I get a column from a ‘76 then I can do it correctly instead of trying to make it up as I go.
 
This maybe, 84-87 4runner

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Does that combination switch control the headlights/taillights and wipers or do you have the original switches for those? If you are using the combo switch for headlights and taillights, make sure you have a headlight and taillight relay, the column switch is not rated to pass that much current, and may be your melted connector issue, just guessing with the limited info provided.
Ya I think it’s an 84 runner .... because it says 84 on it with chalk
 
Found this on eBay real quick - I think I’m gunna grab it ... maybe I should check SOR and others real quick

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Found this on eBay real quick - I think I’m gunna grab it ... maybe I should check SOR and others real quick

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Will your steering wheel fit?
And you'll need a new ignition switch and turn signal switch (reason for replacing it?).
It'll probably cost twice that when your done.
And, you still have to figure out what part of the harness is original and what might be missing and replace it....
 
Will your steering wheel fit?
And you'll need a new ignition switch and turn signal switch (reason for replacing it?).
It'll probably cost twice that when your done.
And, you still have to figure out what part of the harness is original and what might be missing and replace it....

thx for concern - this has been in my head for a while so I’m pulling the trigger. Reason: because this FJ is gunna be clean as F*%+! ... done right ... not have some piece of s*** 80’s runner steering column in it. Lol 😂

take a 👀

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What is best practice for this wiring stuff - ?
soldering or crimping ? Or something else ... just wanna make sure when I do this it’s done right.
 
Get a crimp tool, buy the connectors from coolerman or toyotamatt, install the proper connectors on your harness (assuming the existing wires in your harness are long enough). Or see if one of them will make up the connectors with pigtails that you can splice on to your harness. A good splice will be trouble free. Use an open barrel splice with one wire coming from each side, crimp, solder, then heat shrink.
 
What is best practice for this wiring stuff - ?
soldering or crimping ? Or something else ... just wanna make sure when I do this it’s done right.
Soldering is not ideal or needed. Proper crimps are the way to go.
 
at work we have crimp connectors with heat shrink tube, crimp then shrink
we also have solder heat shrink connectors, where you heat the shrink tube and the solder inside melts as the tube shrinks.
 

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