Electric: Starter, turn signals, dash fan out. Headlights and Engine ok. AM1 FL?

[aelxon]

Hi everyone, awesome website, these forums have helped me so much already. I've had a few Toyota vans over the past~6 years, and I just got my most recent about 2 weeks ago. ~300k miles manual 1985 with the 3Y engine. Driving this morning with heat blower on, turn signal on, van kind of shakes and then the blower turned off. Turn signals also don't work. Got to work, parked. 8 hours later come out to start car, won't turn over. Check battery voltage, fine at 12.36V, check fuses in fuse box, none blown(dome light fuse missing). Headlights still work, high beam and low beam. Starter, turn signals, and dash blower don't work. After reviewing these forums(fusible link thread via another thread), it looks like it is probably my AM1 fusible link that went...any ideas why this might happen? I just put in a new alternator, and the 3 prong plug cluster doesn't clip in like it should, it felt like it had backed out a little, but if the 3 prong alternator plug fell out while the engine was running, would it blow the AM1 fusible link?

I can't actually look at the car right now(locked up behind NOAA gates), but I'm hoping/expecting it is the AM1 link that blew. Any ideas where to get a replacement? I'm thinking junkyard, or is there and easy way to just jammy a 60amp fuse in there?


Thanks for any input, and I'll update tomorrow after checking out that link.

Cheers,

Alex

[timsrv]

If that alternator plug came out it wouldn't blow any fuses. Your alternator wouldn't charge, but the fuses would still be good. Sometimes fuses just blow. If it is blown, i wouldn't read too much into it unless it blows again. FYI, I think that 60A fuse has a screw that goes into one of the legs (so it doesn't just pull out). I haven't messed with one of those for a long time, so not sure............but check for that before going ape sh!t yanking it out of there. Not sure where to get one either. Toyota maybe? Good luck. Tim

[aelxon]

Just took a look, it was the fusible link, which is apparently an 80 amp. It is locked in there, but I can't find the screw to back it out, may just short it to drive home, fix it later. Some of the other fusible links have visible corrosion on the burnout point, should probably replace them all soon

[timsrv]

It would concern me to short it because it might have blown due to rated amps being exceeded. Those links are there to prevent your wires from burning up. Shorting/bypassing may lead to the very thing they are there to prevent . I'm a bit uninformed as the differences with 84 - 85 vans as I don't own any.........there being an 80A fusible link here is likely one of these differences. I haven't had to mess around with these fusible links much, so I'm also unfamiliar with how it's locked in there (I've simply heard reports from others that there's a screw going into one or both of the legs). If I'm ever lucky enough to mess around with this fuse box, I'll snap some pics and update that fusible link thread. Good luck. Tim

[aelxon]

Yep, it is an 80 amp http://www.partsgeek.com/cr7nzkx-toy...a+fusible+link

Funny because the other bussmann fuses in there were all female, but this one is male, which you can't tell from the frontside(this is why I couldn't figure out how a screw would tie in). I'll pick this one up at autozone http://www.autozone.com/electrical-a..._0_4303_45952/ tomorrow and hopefully get back underway!

[timsrv]

If you get a chance, snap a picture or two of the box with the plastic off it (so we can see how these are screwed in). Thanks. Tim

[aelxon]

Just got back from a few months in Alaska...so I tried to make sense of some wiring diagrams while away from the van, but wasn't super successful...lucky for me the culprit was pretty obvious, the main positive lead coming off the alternator was chaffed through in 2 places and intermittently contacting a part of the frame and grounding, blowing the 80 amp fusible link. I guess the wire was bent in a way that it wasn't grounding for a long time, and then when I replaced the alternator, I bent it back in a way that got it close enough to part of the suspension that it would ground when turning/hitting a bump or something.

So my major electrical problem is solved, though I may have to replace the alternator again because I do occasionally get christmas tree lights now(after blowing the 80 amp fusible link twice). Bless the lifetime warranty.

The van does still overheat intermittently, so I'm going to try and back flush all systems...the concept is simple, but there are quite a few circuits in the cooling system, so hopefully I do it right. I like the idea of a vinegar flush/soak also, but am a little worried that this could corrode out something more than just gunk.

[aelxon]

Also, I'll try and get some pictures of the fusible link holder up soon. The easiest way to change the 80 amp fuse out is to unscrew the box that all the fusible links fit into, so that you can flip it over to get at both top and bottom screws that hold the 80 amp fuse in, without having to crane your wrist around and do it blind.