RebuiltRunner

:pat:

Has anyone ever installed the cruise control on a Tacoma (or if it's the same, on any Toyota product)? The most intimate I've ever gotten with an engine was changing the fuel factor, rotor, lines and plugs on an old Trooper. Is this doable for a novice wrench with a Chilton's manual, or should I leave it to the guys in the grey shirts pay the $200 in labor?

Oh, yeah, I'm new here.
Wassup from the great (big) state of Texas.

Beowulf

Hey rebuilt, nice hard question to think about! I wish I knew the answer, but I never tackled anything like that Hopefully Jay are resident Tech Expert will chime in here.

Anyways, I just wanted to say welcome to the Forums

RebuiltRunner

thanks for the welcomes guys.
I spent six years in Houston. Got my first degree from UH (big ups to 3rd ward!).

dajabr

Dunno about the tech side, but my philosophy is pure functionality. If you're on the highway a lot at high speed, with no traffic, this might be worth it if you don't have something else to spend the $$ on...

Robinhood150

How much is the cruise control itself, without the labor?

I think you should be the guinea...I mean first person to try it and do a write up for it. I was thinking about doing this for my corolla.

Steve

PhxTRDRunner

Cruise is fairly easy..I've done several, if you need any help, let me know.

Jay

Yes, I have installed a many of cruise controls in my day. Its something I havent done for probably 5 years. Toyota is doing most of them modifications at the port now.

All the cruise controls I have installed have been the ones toyota themselves supply. The instructions were adiquate even for the lesser skilled technicians. I do make the recommendation that one not use the supplied "t tap" for making the electrical connections. Personally nothing annoys me more that a hack job installation, leading to future problems down the road.
(Perfect time to promote my Soldering Tips )

Keep in mind that no cruise control is going to be as nice as had you ordered the car with it originally. The cost to install all the components like OEM would be insane. So Toyota has a product that they endorse, support and supply. The quality of this product in my opinion is as good as most, however not even close to original. Its not really Toyota.

For my own rig, I always consider the price of returning the vehicle back to original when ever I modify things. Such in the case of installing this cruise control, I would inquire on the price of a lower steering column cover, for I would be drilling a hole in the lower cover. Being that this is not a expensive item, I wouldnt worry to much about it. However, other modifications not likely the case.

Is it worth $200? Not if you think you can do it. How much would it cost you if you took it to them if your installation didnt work? Depending how much you messed it up, probably not $200.

Jay

RebuiltRunner

Thanks for the input guys, I think I'll go ask to look at a kit at one of the dealersips to see if it worth my cash ($224 at Jay Marks Toyoyta Online parts store - www.jaymarkstoyota.com I think)



I hope Jay doesn't end up regretting letting me know he's a tech, for I shall be getting a Chilton's soon, and I shall have questions...

Memphis4X4

Rebuilt: In addition to Jay's valid comments on returning the vehicle to original condition, consider the longevity/reliability of the cruise control unit that you purchase......the reason that you would return to original would be that the cruise units failed and replacement parts are un-available for the unit that you installed. I installed a cruise control on my '91 Runner, when it was brand new in May of '91. The unit that I chose was a Rostra brand. It is still functioning perfectly after 11.5 years of use. Last year it did have a 1 month period that it did not work. I ended up calling their Tech Support line and talked to one of their Techs. This Tech said that his experience on their product is that they last as long as the vehicles that they are installed on. When I told him my model number, he commented that it was an old model and that added to his desire to get my unit working again....it was a "pride of product" type of thing where he wanted to prove that the Rostra product was indeed good and would last "forever". I ended up buying $50 worth of replacement parts (steering column stalk and a speedo cable signal generator/hall-effect sensor) which I never had to use.....I found that the original speedo cable sensor had a short in its wires and I fixed that. I've kept the spare parts just in case but am operating on the origianl parts because just like the Rostra folks , I now want to see how long the original parts last.

The essentials for installing my type of Rostra were finding the brake switch to hook the cruisie cut-off lead to, running the cut-off lead to the control module under the hood, installing the speedo cable sensor in-line in the speedo cable, running the sensor wires to the control module, running power to the control module, running vacuum to the control module, connecting the control module to the accelerator pedal. I think that was everything.....it was almost 12 years ago so forgive me for forgetting anything. If you have a good understanding of your truck and good mechanical skills you can do it.

However, I told you all of this to echo Jay's advice, it is better to spend the money to have a professional install the unit.

David