|
|
 Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: Jeepeater]
#1023264
10/29/11 10:50 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 706
OP
Rock Warrior
|
Holy old thread bump, Batman!!
I finally replaced the harness behind the ignition switch. Several Toyota guys that I trust thought that was the culprit. No joy-I still have the same problems intermittently and it's p*ssing me off to no end.
Just for fun, I'm having headlight problems now, too. That started before I replaced the harness. At first I couldn't turn the lights on. The parking lights would work but the headlights needed a few tries to go on. Then they went off while driving home at midnight. I managed to get them back on but decided I had a problem that needed to be addressed. Since it was affecting both headlights I figured it was the relay. Since they are cheap I threw one in. No joy.
I'm not about to consider replacing the switch when I have the gauge problems. On an intermittent basis I have no guages, idiot lights, windshield wipers or fan that controls AC, heat and defrost.
I'm one of the most ignorant people around when it comes to electrical stuff. Chasing this down with a multi meter will not happen in my hands. The local electrical shop that everyone says is THE place to go won't touch my truck because of it's age. They fear they might spend more time in labor than the truck is worth. I appreciate the honesty even if I don't like the answer.
Anyone? I'm really desperate. I don't want to drive with the the guage problem. I'm afraid to drive at night with the headlight problem. Seriously, anyone in Sacramento that wants to help... I'd really appreciate it. Funds are limited but I'll find a way to cover your time/effort.
|
|
|
Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: Jeepeater]
#1023265
10/29/11 11:09 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,674
Body Damage is Cool
|
Holy old thread bump, Batman!!
I finally replaced the harness behind the ignition switch. Several Toyota guys that I trust thought that was the culprit. No joy-I still have the same problems intermittently and it's p*ssing me off to no end.
Just for fun, I'm having headlight problems now, too. That started before I replaced the harness. At first I couldn't turn the lights on. The parking lights would work but the headlights needed a few tries to go on. Then they went off while driving home at midnight. I managed to get them back on but decided I had a problem that needed to be addressed. Since it was affecting both headlights I figured it was the relay. Since they are cheap I threw one in. No joy.
I'm not about to consider replacing the switch when I have the gauge problems. On an intermittent basis I have no guages, idiot lights, windshield wipers or fan that controls AC, heat and defrost.
I'm one of the most ignorant people around when it comes to electrical stuff. Chasing this down with a multi meter will not happen in my hands. The local electrical shop that everyone says is THE place to go won't touch my truck because of it's age. They fear they might spend more time in labor than the truck is worth. I appreciate the honesty even if I don't like the answer.
Anyone? I'm really desperate. I don't want to drive with the the guage problem. I'm afraid to drive at night with the headlight problem. Seriously, anyone in Sacramento that wants to help... I'd really appreciate it. Funds are limited but I'll find a way to cover your time/effort. Do you know the full history of the truck? Any accidents? I'm wondering if something got munched in or around the fuse box years ago and is only rearing its ugly head now. How about aftermarket alarm system? I worked on a Ford Aerostar one time that had broken power locks, an ABS light on, and a host of other electrical problems that were all solved by removing the old alarm system. About the only other thing I can think to do is next time it happens, go through methodically and test every single electrical thing you can. Fan? Dome light? (both via door and switch) Horn? Lights? Tail lights? Hazard lights? Turn signals? Headlights? (Hi and Lo, flash to pass) Seatbelt buzzer? Just test every single thing you can, then maybe some commonalities will crop up in terms of which circuits get fed by which line.
|
|
|
Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: stock87]
#1023266
10/30/11 04:12 AM
|
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 706
OP
Rock Warrior
|
I've known the the truck intimately for a loooong time. It's been my daily driver forever and has 300,000 miles on it now. A lot of work was done between 265 and 270k-pretty much everything. The motor was pulled and the bottom end rebuilt with OEM parts. The head was replaced with an EB complete head and cam. New radiator, alternator, AFM, OEM cat and o2 sensors (that some waste of life hacked off 2 months ago), thermostat, brake and steering master cylinders, rebuilt transmission, kanuter valve and new blinker fluid. I might be forgetting a thing or two. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> Had I known I was going to need to do so much I would have replaced the truck or swapped a 3.4 and an auto tranny in. It started with a head gasket and snowballed from there.
The things I listed about the gauge and related stuff is all tied together somehow-I just don't know where. I know there is a wire that feeds power to the dash from a block under the left kick panel. I have no idea how to trouble shoot it. I got in there once before and drove myself half way nuts so I threw in the towel. When it comes to electricity, forget it.
|
|
|
Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: Cholltero]
#1023267
10/30/11 11:23 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 706
OP
Rock Warrior
|
I remember having a simular problem and I want to say it had something to do with the Circuit Opening Relay and/or the reostat.
Sorry , that is probably of no help at this time but I thought I'd throw it in there. ANY suggestions are potential solutions so I'm welcoming anything you have to throw at me. I'm looking in the manual at page BE10(Body Electrical parts location) and I don't see a circuit opening relay. Can you direct me to its location? It's an expensive little bugger so I'd want to be 100% sure this one is a problem before ordering a new one. I'll keep browsing the manual. Thanks. Edit- The circuit opening relay was found in the manual wiring diagram. It appears to be looped together with EFI related stuff. If I'm reading things correctly this isn't it. Just for fun, I pulled the fuse for the gauges to see what would happen. It killed all of the dials and most of the idiot lights-but not all. It also didn't kill the turn signals. When my truck acts up, I have zero idiot lights and no turn signals. Did I stumble across anything? Heck if I know. I haven't found anything in the manual that points to a specific part being the culprit. Curses! Is Roger Brown still lurking around these parts? It seems to me that he knows Toyotas better than Toyota does. Paging Roger to the red phone! Any advice is welcomed.
Last edited by Jeepeater; 10/31/11 12:08 AM.
|
|
|
Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: Jeepeater]
#1023268
10/31/11 01:38 AM
|
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 15,887
Toyota & Classifieds Moderator
|
A few years back on my '86 had torn my hair out about gauges all failing ( you have 2 problems from the sounds of things).
I had mentioned my own gauge problem earlier with this thread.
Might also check to make sure your ground points are nice and clean. Emery paper is your friend.
Also check your fusible links; you've got way too much stuff messed up; that problem is upstream of all your systems.
On the headlights, you might want to take the switch apart and clean up the contacts and see if that's an improvement. They get corroded over time.
|
|
|
Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: kewlynx]
#1023269
10/31/11 03:12 AM
|
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,854
Roll Me Over
|
Run some new grounds from the ground wires on the harness plugged into the gauges to the body... as i've found with electrical problems, it's "usually the ground"
89 4Runner
3" BL, M/T locks, 33"bfg mt, bilstein, Kayline, tubebumper, toyotafiberglass panels
TBI: Elocker,3.4 w/ORS,b+b,S2Sstg2cams,arias pistons,P+P intake,TRDs/c,URDpullies+7th,downey headers,MAPECU2,WEGO WB, SupraMAF,walboro255,stg4clutch, EPaOo2 sim
|
|
|
Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: kewlynx]
#1023270
10/31/11 03:26 AM
|
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 706
OP
Rock Warrior
|
While I was poking around behind the kick panels I looked at ground wires and everything seemed OK. That doesn't mean they ARE ok but... ugh. I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm looking at. Thankfully the truck has never lived near the ocean or in a rust prone area. It's been in the Sacramento valley all of its life.
I'm not about to tear in to the dash again to hack in to the wiring harness and ground things again. Those wires are too delicate and I'm not confident enough that I'll get things right without making more trouble.
I agree 100% that the problem is upstream of the instrument cluster. Should I replace FLs or look at them and make a mean face? Things 'appear' to be OK. Clearly they are not.
Would photographs of anything help diagnose this one?
|
|
|
Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: Jeepeater]
#1023271
10/31/11 03:39 AM
|
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,854
Roll Me Over
|
It takes 10 minutes to take out the gauge cluster... pull it out and run a new ground from each ground on the cluster to the nut that holds the right side of the dash on (it's a solid ground). You can do it, give it a shot. If that doesn't fix it, it's not a ground, but if it fixes it, you owe me a beer if i ever come to Cali <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" />
|
|
|
Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: Greg_Canada]
#1023272
10/31/11 05:35 AM
|
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 706
OP
Rock Warrior
|
I'd give you an entire case of beer... I don't want to go in to the dash again because most of the holes are stripped or broken by now. It's close to rattling like a 20 year old Ford-not solid like a Japanese built Toyota truck. I've got nothing else to lose, I might as well tear in to it. I'll give it a go next weekend.
|
|
|
Re: loss of power to guages
[Re: Jeepeater]
#1023273
10/31/11 05:58 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,153
Web Wheeler
|
While I was poking around behind the kick panels I looked at ground wires and everything seemed OK. That doesn't mean they ARE ok but... ugh. I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm looking at. Thankfully the truck has never lived near the ocean or in a rust prone area. It's been in the Sacramento valley all of its life.
I'm not about to tear in to the dash again to hack in to the wiring harness and ground things again. Those wires are too delicate and I'm not confident enough that I'll get things right without making more trouble.
I agree 100% that the problem is upstream of the instrument cluster. Should I replace FLs or look at them and make a mean face? Things 'appear' to be OK. Clearly they are not.
Would photographs of anything help diagnose this one? On the ground wires, "looking OK" means nothing. Unscrew the screw holding the wires to the sheet metal, wire brush all the connector surfaces, use some sand paper to get the paint off around the ground screw hole and then put it all back together. I had a loose ground similar to that that would kill my cruise control if I hit a bump/expansion joint in the pavement when it was engaged. All looked fine, but tearing it apart, cleaning and reassembling fixed the issue. And try pulling and checking *all* fuses. Inspect closely as sometimes a fuse may only be partly blown. And sometimes, the fuse contacts may be dirty or oxidized and simply removing/reinstalling them will clean off the dirt and make them work. I once had that very problem where I lost all the dash power while driving, engine still was running. This was after the truck had been in the shop for over a week. Pulled over, shut off the engine, pulled and checked *every* fuse looking for the problem one. None found, but decided to start the engine back up and drive back to the shop that had been working on the truck the last week and viola, everything was working.
|
|
|
|
