Was: Entertainment System Setup (solved) Now it's the hazards story...

[JLH]

Hello,

This is my first post on the site. I've been subscribed for a month or so and just purchased a 2014 in Pearl with 65k miles. What a machine, nicest truck I've ever owned.

I'm now working on learning the large number of features and I've run into a issue with the entertainment system.

After touching the setup button, the setup screen displays momentarily and then reverts to whatever screen you were in prior. I've been able to get the setup screen to remain by holding the button and then touching the "Other" icon. This selects the option for xm feed choices, I'm then able to touch the back arrow and get to the Setup screen which then operates normally.

I've looked at the software upgrade site at Toyota and nothing is listed for this system.

Is there a reset procedure? Anyone else seen this behavior?

Thanks!!

 

[JLH]

I'm bumping my very first post as I tore into to the weird behavior of the Nav/Climate/Radio while wanting to check the hazard flasher.

I'd pretty much gotten used to the quirks related to the head unit and had worked around them, what prompted this is that the hazards don't work and I wanted to test the switch. Found a video out of OZ that showed removal of the bezel around the display and switch in a 200. Seemed easy enough so I went for it. Got the side pieces, vents, top plate and shrouds off just fine, Really didn't even need to disconnect any harnesses or connectors. I quickly realized that the bezel was attached to the head unit by screws and tabs, totally unlike what was in the video. Further inspection showed that the display unit needed to be removed to really access the bezel. Four 10mm bolts, four connectors and it was out.

Then came the sinking feeling...It was apparent that the switch wasn't accessible without disassembly of the head unit.

It's underneath the sticker. I wasn't surprised at all to see this was manufactured by Fujitsu Ten. I've gotten parts from them a long time ago to fix a bad display in a Isuzu 'Pup. I'm thinking, it's just a bunch of screws, right?

A bunch of screws later and two ribbon cables later it was out.

Wait! It gets better! The switch is integral to the entire switch assembly. it's soldered to the PCB on the other side of the ribbon cable blocking the view. Damnit!

At this point I'm, wow, what a crappy design to integrate that switch to the head unit. What were they thinking?

Just for S###s and Giggles I looked up the part number. 86110-60140. First hit from Toyota was a cool $4700. Olathe and the others had it in the $2400-2700 range. I wasn't impressed.

Somebody on ebay says they'll repair your unit for "only" $750. For those prices I'll buy a couple of flashing leds that I can deploy in emergencies.

Then I noticed that the ribbon cable and connector had the blue corrosion, just you see from a leaked alkaline battery, just a little bit but it was there. I pulled the ribbon, used a little vinegar, sprayed the connector with plastic safe contact cleaner and cleaned the pins on the cable with a toothpick. I then cleaned the pins of the ribbon with a little Flitz metal polish and rinsed it all off with alcohol.

I was hoping maybe that was the problem, just a bad signal path from the hazard switch.

Reassembled the unit, and only had 4 screws left over, LOL. Many years ago I repaired printers, daisywheels, dot matrix and lasers. Most of the time there were a few screws left over. It was weird, no matter how you set the screws in groups related to subassemblies, there were orphans. The other techs would experience the same thing...once we got pissed and spent a few hours trying to find where the hell they went, and then gave up. The machines would run fine...but I digress.

Anyway, popped the unit back in the dash without bolting everything back together, crossed my fingers and double tapped the starter button. Got the Toyota splash screen, the Nav warning and the FM came on tuned to the oldies station it was on. Hooray!

Tapped the hazard switch...No Joy...but the wonky climate, setup, map and audio behavior is GONE. It's all working correctly.

Moral of the story? In 2013-2015, Toyota really screwed up in their design of the internal controls. Way too much integration. I wonder if '16 on got rid of that or if they just continued.

Now to dig under the dash for the blinker relay. Apparently it has a couple relays in it so my fingers are still crossed as the turn signals work fine, just no hazard lights.

 

[JLH]

Quick follow up, I replaced the flasher relay but still no hazard lights. The evidence is that something was spilled and the switch is fubar. My speculation is this was the reason the truck was sold, it couldn't pass a safety test and the repair was quoted at $5K+. I've never hit the hazard switch on a test drive to test, that turns out to be a mistake.

I'll have to pull the head unit again and figure a way to clean/replace the switch or wire in a toggle or something.

 

[grinchy]

Well a stack replacement ‘Tesla’ head unit would solve the issue.

 

[John Guedry]

I agree if you don't have screws left over you didn't do it right. Years of taking apart laptops I would always have a few screws left over.

 

[JLH]

Well a stack replacement ‘Tesla’ head unit would solve the issue.

Possibly, but I've seen lots of issues and failures reported with aftermarket units on this forum. I'd totally be open to that if there was a solid solution.

 

[JLH]

Today I disassembled the head unit again, clear down to the bare switch pcb. Inspecting the board I was able to test the switch with a multimeter. At first it didn't appear to be working but after an alcohol bath and some contact cleaner I was able to verify that the switch was closing contact and toggled correctly. Traced the circuit through the board and ribbon cable to a driver board that's heatsunk. Nothing looks out of the ordinary but I couldn't trace any further without desoldering two transistors to remove the heatsink. Plugged it all back together but still no hazards. @grinchy I'm going to talk to Phoenix tomorrow to see if they have a head unit that is compatible.
Looks promising, @LX450JC has had one over a year and is happy with it. Beyond that, it'll have to be a junkyard find or bite the big bullet.

 

[GhFaris]

I have a 2010LC that has a faulty microprocesser in the radio. I did much the same as you and disassembled and reassembled looking for a simple mechanical or corrosion problem. Functionally I was fine with the problem as it seemed to only effect the knobs/buttons on the face of the radio. We could still control everything with the steering wheel controls. Then i discovered that my constantly dying battery was because the wonky processor was sipping voltage 24/7. I pulled the unit and sent it off for a repair, a quote that came back at $800!

So I found myself looking at the Phoenix website at a $819 "Tesla" style stack. However, according to the install instructions, it appears that that you keep the main head units in play and their tesla panel is just replacing the control panels and stock nav screen. So, for my issue of a bad radio board I don't think this is going to fix it.

 

[JLH]

I've lost count on how many times this has been out. A few days ago I realized that the backup camera was just a black screen so I pulled it again and took a magnified look at the ribbon connector on the lower push button board, reformed a couple of connectors and reinstalled. Low and behold, the hazards worked but still no camera. At that point I became greedy, and pulled it again to get the camera going. On reinstall I still had no camera....or hazards. The good thing is that I know that the issue is the display section. I ordered some ribbon cable that is the correct pitch and conductor count, it's just longer. We'll see if the cable is the culprit.

Beyond that I did order a 16" phoenix unit. It has a 30 day return policy so If it doesn't seem to be fully compatible I can send it back. Towing a 21' Winnebago trailer makes the hazards and absolute must have for me. One way or the other it's gotta be fixed.