AC control upgrade from dial knobs to automatic with digital display?

Hi guys,

I dont know if I call out these pieces correctly. But my tundra has the "cheap" ac controls. Its just a bunch of knobs where you can turn from blue to red. However there is the more luxurious version where you can set an actual temperature and it has less knobs but therefore a small display with the temperature.

Are these two panels interchangeable with each other or do i need additional sensors and harnesses? Basically all the system needs is a sensor to measure the inside temperature to compare it with the set temperature to be able to adjust the ac accordingly. Adjustment should be the same and I am hoping that the sensor is built into that panel...

Has anyone done it yet or has any insight knowledge?

Thanks

 

Not interchangeable at all. Every component of the ac system must be replaced. The heater core. The ducting. The actuators. As well as the full wiring harness and a new ecu. As well as the additional temp sensors you have to add.

 

Even a new ECU??

 

Yes. The board and the necessary programming is in the ecu. The unit on the dash is just a controller. The ecu contains the brain

 

I was thinking the ECU could be updated.

 

Just for reference, here's how hard it was to accomplish on a 2nd Gen...
Automatic Climate Control Upgrade

 

Damn, seems its not worth it. I was hoping it would be easier. I saw some head units, i believe it was a phoenix which has the temperature control built in. I don't know if you need the automatic ac or if regular ac will work as well. I know my new head unit gives options for climate control, but they are not activated in my car as there is no need to replace any climate elements to put in a new head unit. Would still be nice to get it to work either way

 

Yea. And being an 18’ with an all new ecu and wiring harness, it even further adds complexity to the system.

 

That's kind of what I was wondering. Since there are aftermarket Android tablet head units out there now, why couldn't one of those be programmed to automatically control the HVAC temperature and fan speed? It would require a temp sensor in the cabin connected to the unit and that's all. It wouldn't work as good as factory auto climate control, but it probably would work. And it would be better than the manual system. I'm surprised none of the tech wizards around here have attempted this.

 

I have the newer automatic system in my '21. My '18 had the old simple three-knob system. If I could easily switch back to the three-knob system, I think I would.

 

Really? Why is that?

 

I don't like the trend toward buttons and displays that need to be looked at for climate controls. I think it's a solution in search of a problem.

In my '18 (and most vehicles I've owned before that), I could easily do what I wanted to do with the climate controls and hardly even needed to look down. They were simple, tactile, pretty standard, and could easily be manipulated with gloves on.

The controls on my '21 aren't that bad, at least the temp knobs are big. But I don't personally like the 'auto' function, and to adjust the fan speed I usually have to look down to see what I'm doing. To adjust the vent modes, I definitely have to look down to see what button to press, and then I have to watch the display for the right mode as I toggle through. With the old system, I could easily reach down and feel for the fan knob; I could grab the mode knob and change it to what I want because the arrangement of mode types on that knob had been the same on every vehicle I'd owned for 20+ years.

 

Ironically that's exactly the reason I DO want auto climate control. My last 3 or 4 vehicles had it, and I literally pressed the "Auto" button when I needed the windows up, and the "Off" button when I wanted the windows down. That's the ONLY time I ever looked at the controls. That's the whole point of the automatic control.

With this manual 3 knob system in my current truck, I find myself constantly looking at the controls to see what/how I can change it to get more comfortable. If I turn it on it'll get hot 5 minutes later, so then I turn the temp down and it gets too cool, so then I turn it back up a bit. Then the windows get foggy, so I have to change from feet to defrost mode. Then back to feet when the windows are clear so the compressor won't unnecessarily suck down more fuel. It gets really annoying and becomes a chore to babysit the HVAC controls constantly.

Gosh I do miss being able to just press a single button and then forget about it for the remainder of the trip. Oh well...my next truck WILL have auto climate again...and a lot of other things.

 

I have been looking as well and found one -> https://www.adcmobile.com/product/2014-2020-toyota-tundra-gen-4-t-style-radio/