My daughter was driving to a job interview when the brake and battery lights came on and car stalled and would not restart. Where can I start to look for the problem. It may be the alternator/belt is bad, or possibly ign. switch. any thoughts please.
Thanks, Bill
More details, please. Does the engine turn over at all? Are there any lights working? Did she open the hood and look to see if the belt was actually broken? There are any number of things it could be. Some Toyotas that were made in this country had alternators that were weak and had to be replaced.
Charles of Schaumburg.
Charles, Thanks for the quick reply. Engine does not turn over. When the car stalled all I know is turn signals quit also, as did break lights and head lights. Idiot lights went out also. While she was driving the radio volume got lower and lower until it quit.
Bill
n5hsr wrote:
=========== Check for tight, corrosion free connections at the battery.
After re-reading your question, I added this, but put it in front to save a lot of troubleshooting. As mentioned below, the brake and battery lights together usually mean an alternator failure, but it may be the timing belt. Remove the disbributor cap and crank the engine (um, if it DOES crank! unfortunately, you didn't mention if it even cranks...). If the rotor is not moving, the timing belt is broken. Depending on the model engine, it may still run, or may need a head overhaul. If the rotor is turning, continue to check the charging circuit:
Brake and Battery lights together on an 80's vintage Toyota means the charging ciruit has a fault. Obviously, check the belts before anything.
You also want to check the output of the alternator, you can do this by placing a voltmeter on the battery. Start the car (if you can, by jumping if neccesary) and measure the voltage after the cables have been removed. If the voltage remains constant, then the alternator is OK and the battery is most likely the culprit. If it's over 5 years old (6 if it's a real Toyota battery) then chances are it needs to be replaced. If you have a known good battery, try substituting that and see if it holds up. Also, make sure the voltage is ~12-15VDC with all accessories thurned OFF. If higher or lower, the regulator may be bad.
Otherwise, the Alternator has a fault. Has it ever been replaced? This happened twice to me, and in both cases the brushes inside the alternator were worn to nubs. If you can spin a wrench and wield a screwdriver or soldering iron, this is a fairly easy repair. You can get the brushes from Toyota for abotu $12 or from a parts store for ~$8. Get bearings while you're at it if you plan on keeping the car for a while, or if the bearings feel tight, squeak or wobble.
Or, you can buy a reman'd alternator. A lot of rebuilders use JUNK parts; we had one vendor we refused to sell because their failure rate was about
70%!!! Easier to rebuild yourself with Toyota parts.You may also want to get a meter with a 'current clamp' to make sure there is enough current flowing to the battery, although this kind of failure is rarer, but definitely requires replacement of the alternator.
Good luck!
Ok, I know this is going to sound a bit odd, but check the alternator. Sounds like you're running on battery only and the battery is run down. A lot of 1NXxxxx Toyotas (Made in Fremont CA) had Delco alternators that broke down at a fairly early age. Also do check the belt.
Charles of Schaumburg
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.