Blowing Fuses (me and the yota)
10-03-2014, 10:13 AM
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Blowing Fuses (me and the yota)
Hey guys new to the forum here and want to thank you in advance for any advice you may have.
Wife recently got gifted her sisters 97 SR5 4runner V-6 Auto 4x4. It's blowing fuses left and right. Various fuses and in no discernible pattern. Fuses both under the hood and in the cab. Wondering if this is a common problem for 4Runners and if so where should I begin as far as tracing wires and/or looking for weak/dirty grounds. Truck has never been off road but it was also not very well taken care of IMO. Just today she called me from the driveway telling me that the transmission would not shift into drive. Checked linkage and all was good. Got under the hood and checked fuse box to find a 10 amp fuse labeled "stop" on the box cover had blown. Replaced the fuse and it ran fine. I'm afraid this aint the end though!
It is missing it's cigarette lighter. Would this be the cause?
THANK YOU!!!
Wife recently got gifted her sisters 97 SR5 4runner V-6 Auto 4x4. It's blowing fuses left and right. Various fuses and in no discernible pattern. Fuses both under the hood and in the cab. Wondering if this is a common problem for 4Runners and if so where should I begin as far as tracing wires and/or looking for weak/dirty grounds. Truck has never been off road but it was also not very well taken care of IMO. Just today she called me from the driveway telling me that the transmission would not shift into drive. Checked linkage and all was good. Got under the hood and checked fuse box to find a 10 amp fuse labeled "stop" on the box cover had blown. Replaced the fuse and it ran fine. I'm afraid this aint the end though!
It is missing it's cigarette lighter. Would this be the cause?
THANK YOU!!!
10-03-2014, 12:48 PM
#2
No it is not a common problem.
I would suggest getting the Toyota Electrical Wiring Diagrams and a Multimeter.
When you say missing the lighter Do you mean the socket and all or just the heating element??
If you have to pay for this to be done till all the neglected maintenance and this electrical issue is sorted it will get expensive.
Something some where is loose tracking it down by which fuses blow will help narrow it down.
If your any where close to me I would be glad to help.
I would suggest getting the Toyota Electrical Wiring Diagrams and a Multimeter.
When you say missing the lighter Do you mean the socket and all or just the heating element??
If you have to pay for this to be done till all the neglected maintenance and this electrical issue is sorted it will get expensive.
Something some where is loose tracking it down by which fuses blow will help narrow it down.
If your any where close to me I would be glad to help.
10-04-2014, 07:51 AM
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No it is not a common problem.
I would suggest getting the Toyota Electrical Wiring Diagrams and a Multimeter.
When you say missing the lighter Do you mean the socket and all or just the heating element??
If you have to pay for this to be done till all the neglected maintenance and this electrical issue is sorted it will get expensive.
Something some where is loose tracking it down by which fuses blow will help narrow it down.
If your any where close to me I would be glad to help.
I would suggest getting the Toyota Electrical Wiring Diagrams and a Multimeter.
When you say missing the lighter Do you mean the socket and all or just the heating element??
If you have to pay for this to be done till all the neglected maintenance and this electrical issue is sorted it will get expensive.
Something some where is loose tracking it down by which fuses blow will help narrow it down.
If your any where close to me I would be glad to help.
Thank you so much for getting back to me Wyoming9. I think the cause of all this is the Cigarette lighter missing the housing/socket. I am going to start by replacing that. It keeps blowing the under hood mini fuse second one down from the top in the left hand side. It's a 10amp fuse and when it blows the transmission will not shift into drive. Everytime the car is started (or shut down?not sure if that makes a difference) the fuse is blown.
I tried using google to find a wiring diagram but didn't find anything that seemed complete or useful. Do you have a link to one that you like? Would like to check all the grounds and make sure there isn't any corrosion etc that may be to blame. Also the battery terminals are filthy. Also not sure if that is the cause. A lot of work to do! I'm in Greenville SC but I appreciate very much the offer to help.
10-04-2014, 08:49 AM
#4
I like the paper copy in my hand.
With my luck when I needed to find something the computer would be having a fit.
Your problem with the trans not going into drive is in the brake light circuit
Check the brake light switch and all 3 brake lights as well as the wiring if you fail to find it in the easy places.
The brake light switch sends system voltage to the ECT computer allowing you to shift into drive or any gear only with the brake light switch closed.
The lighter has nothing to do with that but if you need a power port go for it
It gets the system voltage from the 15 amp acc fuse
With my luck when I needed to find something the computer would be having a fit.
Your problem with the trans not going into drive is in the brake light circuit
Check the brake light switch and all 3 brake lights as well as the wiring if you fail to find it in the easy places.
The brake light switch sends system voltage to the ECT computer allowing you to shift into drive or any gear only with the brake light switch closed.
The lighter has nothing to do with that but if you need a power port go for it
It gets the system voltage from the 15 amp acc fuse
10-04-2014, 09:46 AM
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Thanks again Wyoming. Where would I find the brake light switch? The cig lighter's ground was just dangling back there and the hot wire had been duct taped to the housing which was never properly mounted and also dangling. My father in law did the duct tape handiwork... hahaha
The truck WAS blowing the fuse that controls the power windows etc. That stopped happening when it started blowing the brake fuse. I noticed there seems to be a computer behind that cig lighter. Would that loose ground wire, possibly touching that computer, have caused this? I reconnected the ground to one of the bolts holding in the computer. Is that ok? I will reassemble this repair after I finish swapping out the dated pioneer CD player in it with one that has a USB/Auxillary input. $59 at WalMart, it's a no brainer. Gotta have tunes
My daily driver is a 97 TJ wrangler so I have been down this road before! Thanks again Wyoming.
Once I fix this I am sending this old girl into the shop for some new mud tires and then a full service and detail with machine polish etc. Time for old girl to get some maintenance and love. I am very very impressed with how well this truck runs considering the neglect it has endured. My Jeep would not have fared so well. It demands maintenance. The yota runs great, drives perfectly straight down the road, suspension is nice and cushy and even accelerates well. I guarantee the differentials have never been serviced same goes for the transfer and tranny. Even without ever seeing a coat of wax the paint has endured 17 years of deep south summers without once being parked in a garage.
I am impressed by this 4runner and I will show it the care it deserves
The truck WAS blowing the fuse that controls the power windows etc. That stopped happening when it started blowing the brake fuse. I noticed there seems to be a computer behind that cig lighter. Would that loose ground wire, possibly touching that computer, have caused this? I reconnected the ground to one of the bolts holding in the computer. Is that ok? I will reassemble this repair after I finish swapping out the dated pioneer CD player in it with one that has a USB/Auxillary input. $59 at WalMart, it's a no brainer. Gotta have tunes
My daily driver is a 97 TJ wrangler so I have been down this road before! Thanks again Wyoming.
Once I fix this I am sending this old girl into the shop for some new mud tires and then a full service and detail with machine polish etc. Time for old girl to get some maintenance and love. I am very very impressed with how well this truck runs considering the neglect it has endured. My Jeep would not have fared so well. It demands maintenance. The yota runs great, drives perfectly straight down the road, suspension is nice and cushy and even accelerates well. I guarantee the differentials have never been serviced same goes for the transfer and tranny. Even without ever seeing a coat of wax the paint has endured 17 years of deep south summers without once being parked in a garage.
I am impressed by this 4runner and I will show it the care it deserves
10-05-2014, 01:13 AM
#6
Brake light switch is on the brake pedal you need to look up under the dash.
The loose ground wire at the lighter socket could only cause a problem if it touched a positive wire while the circuit was powered up .
Could be a loose connection arcing causing to much current draw.
Could be a bare wire that just touches depending on how things flex.
The loose ground wire at the lighter socket could only cause a problem if it touched a positive wire while the circuit was powered up .
Could be a loose connection arcing causing to much current draw.
Could be a bare wire that just touches depending on how things flex.
10-06-2014, 05:14 AM
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FIXED IT !!!! YEAH!
Replaced that brake light stop switch, removed and cleaned battery and tray, replaced the crappy OEM battery terminals with some nicer ones I had in the tool box, replaced that broken cig lighter, installed new piece of crap but gets the job done "Dual" brand stereo head unit ($39 at Auto Zone and 45 watts x4 channels). Reinstalled everything and it was good to go. Had that whole dash apart including under the steering column duct work. Turns out this truck had at one time a Bulldog brand alarm system. What a mess. Got out the zip ties and squared everything away.
Also cleaned the throttle body and replaced the air filter. Then I pressure washed the whole truck. The roof had some black stuck on dirt that would not come off even with the pressure washer. It might have even been some kind of algae like mold. Truck has a roof rack and that thing causes a puddling effect when it rains. Even with direct nozzle pressure from the pressure washer it would not budge. Took a break, had lunch and decided that even if it was a risk to the paint, leaving that mold on it would trap moisture and moisture equals rust. Tried using some Purple Power. Resoaked it with the hose and then sprayed Purple Power all over it. Reconnected the pressure washer and it came right off and didn't damage the paint any. Cleaned the rims and wheel wells and under carriage.
The resurrection continues...
Next up is to replace a faulty O2 sensor, new spark plugs and drain/replace all the fluids.
Thank you Wyoming for your help.
Replaced that brake light stop switch, removed and cleaned battery and tray, replaced the crappy OEM battery terminals with some nicer ones I had in the tool box, replaced that broken cig lighter, installed new piece of crap but gets the job done "Dual" brand stereo head unit ($39 at Auto Zone and 45 watts x4 channels). Reinstalled everything and it was good to go. Had that whole dash apart including under the steering column duct work. Turns out this truck had at one time a Bulldog brand alarm system. What a mess. Got out the zip ties and squared everything away.
Also cleaned the throttle body and replaced the air filter. Then I pressure washed the whole truck. The roof had some black stuck on dirt that would not come off even with the pressure washer. It might have even been some kind of algae like mold. Truck has a roof rack and that thing causes a puddling effect when it rains. Even with direct nozzle pressure from the pressure washer it would not budge. Took a break, had lunch and decided that even if it was a risk to the paint, leaving that mold on it would trap moisture and moisture equals rust. Tried using some Purple Power. Resoaked it with the hose and then sprayed Purple Power all over it. Reconnected the pressure washer and it came right off and didn't damage the paint any. Cleaned the rims and wheel wells and under carriage.
The resurrection continues...
Next up is to replace a faulty O2 sensor, new spark plugs and drain/replace all the fluids.
Thank you Wyoming for your help.
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