car troubles

Something is wrong with my car (1988 Toyota Camry) and I thought this sounded like a group that would know what the problem is. I'd like to have some idea of what the problem could be before I take it into the garage.

When my car stops at an intersection and is idling, or I am just driving very slow, the headlights dim, the windshield wipers slow down and the radio stops working, when I speed up again, the headlights get brighter and the radio comes back on and the wipers speed up. It has also become a little sluggish starting up.

Also, (and I don't know if this is connected or not, but it happened before the problem stated above) the dashboard light (that says I have a malfunctioning back light) is lit up, but when I took it to the garage, they said all my back lights were working.

Any ideas?

Reply to
suzo
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It seems you have a problem with your electrical system. My bet is the alternator and battery is bad. I would suggest you take it to AutoZone or such car parts place and have a free electrical diagnostic done by their machine. They will be able to tell you whether those components are bad for sure.

Reply to
badgolferman

You've been paying attention to the NG's _name_? Silly billy.

:-)

FWIW, I agree about the accumulator especially. How old is it? (If the lights brighten a lot when you rev the engine, that says to me that at least the generator side of things is working.)

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson

Hmmm...usually a bad alternator trigger the MIL (Check Engine) and brake lights, but yours is newer than I am used to dealing with!

Same symptoms on an '85 Corolla in 1992. I pulled the alternator, cracked it open and found the brushes were less than nubs. $3.50 at the harware store and a few minutes with a soldering iron and we were good to go again.

But you're probably luckier. When I did my '85 Celica 3 years ago, the brushes had screw contacts. Unscrew the old ones, and screw in the new ones.

The hardest part is getting the damn thing back together. You have to hold the brushes in place with one hand, hold one half of the alternator with the other hand, and slide the other half on with your other hand... ;)

Get some bearings from Toyota while you're at it. Three years ago the bearings in the alternator finally wore out, and I can't get the damn thing off the car now! (Wish I had known about anti-seize back then...I would have gooped up the bolt holding the alternator on REAL GOOD...)

Reply to
Hachiroku

OK, one of the problems with some of the alternators put into US Toyotas is that they're made by AC-Delco. This is a common problem. I had to finally replace my alternator in my 93 Corolla with a NipponDenso. Now the only thing I've had to replace is the battery.

Definitely get your electrical charging system checked out. A little dimming under heavy load in the winter isn't unusual, but this sounds like more than that. One of the things that could be is the diode pack on the alternator. I'd still get someone to check out the whole charging system. Winter's coming on and being stuck in a dead car in the cold is not a whole lot of fun.

Charles of Schamburg

Reply to
n5hsr

The battery is probably dying. Check the battery manufacturing date code stamped (or stickered) on the side, and the warranty period on the label - if the date code is DE-02 and it's a 48-month battery, it's well within the window to start dying. Have a mechanic hook the battery up to a load tester and see how long it'll put out 50 amps before the voltage falls off.

Get a pair of safety splash goggles (*), pry off the battery filler caps and look inside - if the water/acid level in the battery is way below the top of the plates stick a fork in it (Figuratively Only!) it's toast. Even "Maintenance Free" batteries live much longer if you top them off with distilled water once a year, but once the plates are sulfated from drying out it's all over. And this is deliberate...

(* - Search and read up on proper safety gear and work procedures needed when working with lead-acid batteries and electrical systems in general. That's a long post of it's own.)

The whole idea is for your old car battery to crap out with a few months left on the warranty - they will prorate the warranty and give you 5% or 10% off a brand new battery, but the Catch-22 is that it has to be the same brand... $Cha-Ching!$ Another $ale.

The alternator does not put out full current at idle, and it might keep up during the day with just the engine loads (EFI and fuel pump) but NOT at night with lights, wipers and heater blower also running.

The engine needs to be turning about 1800 RPM or faster to get the alternator up to full output, so you have to run partially off the battery at idle. If the battery is failing, you get the dimming lights and radio shuts down symptoms. The slow cranking confirms it.

Separate problem - check ALL the lights again, including the CHMSL "third brake light", and check the chart in the Owners Manual to make sure they are all the right lamps. The sensor is rather sensitive, if someone substitutes an older 24CP stop or turn bulb (1034) for the newer higher wattage 32CP size (1157), it will see the difference.

Clean and grease the lamp bases and sockets with a light coating of special anti-corrosion electrical grease.

Right - but he's not getting the warning lights. Which means that the battery is the prime suspect. The alternator could still have problems like a bad diode or two, but it seems to work well enough when he revs the engine.

Hachi! You missed the trick! For shame, for shame... ;-P

There's a strategically placed hole in the back shell of the alternator - you push the new brushes back in the holders and stick a bent paperclip or a toothpick into the hole to hold the brushes in the retracted position, tape it to the back cover. After you get the alternator all assembled and bolted together you pull the paperclip out, and the brushes pop down into operating position on the rotor slip rings just like magic.

And you only need the two hands you were originally issued.

You can get the bearings from other places, the important thing is that you get the right bearings for the intended use. Bearing designs and model numbers are no secret, and the sizes are fairly universal - it's those letters and numbers AFTER the basic model number that are just as important to get the cross right. They indicate the type of dust seals or shields, tolerance and precision, among other things.

And yes, anti-seize compounds are good for most bolt threads, when used properly which is sparingly. A little dab is good, but more is NOT better, it will migrate to places you don't want it. For instance most anti-seize is conductive (powdered nickel or copper in a carrier grease) so you don't want it all over the inside of the alternator or other electrical gear.

Go to a local parts house and find MARS Rust-Buster (Johnstone Supply has it with their own label) - an alcohol based penetrant in a

4-ounce zoom-spout bottle that will get inside the threads and get that alternator loose in a jiffy. Then you clean the threads up with a wire brush and put some anti-seize on when reassembling.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

LOL! Thanks! If I ever get the alternator off my Corolla, I will certainly remember this!

See, this group IS useful after all! ;)

Reply to
Hachiroku

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