No dash lights (except charge) and no click in run

[perfoxhil]

Hi all,

Never had this happen before but the van basically doesn't power up with key in run.

Have a multimeter and test light.
Don’t know much about electrical -- would appreciate any help in how to troubleshoot.

Checked battery voltage:
Battery shows 12.6v plus

Checked to see what’s still active:
Headlights high and low (low beams dim)
Charge light on dash (seems a bit dim)
Hazard lights
Horn

Checked fuses:
Main fuse box (18 fuses)
All correct and intact
Just 4 light up when probed
15A EFI
15A haz/horn
7.5A charge (definitely dim)
7.5A IGN

Two-fuse box next to main fuse box
All correct and intact
None light up when probed
7.5A ST
15A EFI

Four-fuse box next to battery
All intact
All light up when probed
80A AM1 has 80A (power from the battery)
40A HEAD has 30A (powers the headlights? and what else?)
30A AM2 has 30A (what does this do?)
30A EFI (has no fuse, exiting wire coiled up)

Four-fuse box next to power steering reservoir
All intact
30A lights up when probed
30A lights up when probed
40A lights up when probed
50A doesn't light up when probed
(No descriptions/legend on this box/what do these fuses do?)

A month and a half ago I installed a new battery and alternator.
The old battery was two and a half years old and the old alternator was six months old.

It also occurred to me that water leaks could be related. I know there are leaks at the windshield frame (corrosive holes from rust) and back door opening (gaps from bent hinge/door). I knew I had leaks into the driver and passenger side foot wells and into the rear interior corners. But leaks could also be dripping into areas I don’t know about and maybe accumulating in some places. It has been very rainy lately and the van lives outside although it is stuck in the garage at the moment so has had a chance to dry out.

Click here to Reply or Forward

[timsrv]

Four-fuse box next to battery
All intact
All light up when probed
80A AM1 has 80A (power from the battery)
40A HEAD has 30A (powers the headlights? and what else?)
30A AM2 has 30A (what does this do?)
30A EFI (has no fuse, exiting wire coiled up)

The factory never put a fuse box here. If you have one now, it sounds as if somebody added it (based on the labels, it sounds like they took it from a salvage yard vehicle). These kind of mods always make troubleshooting harder as who knows why they did it and what else they might have done. Based on what's not working, I'd suspect the FL 1.25B fusible link under the van (just forward of the battery box). It's the 1st one featured in THIS THREAD. Good luck and let us know what you find. Tim

PS: I hate hack jobs. If it were my van I'd remove that extra fuse box and put things back to stock. If I had to guess, based on amperage, they are probably using that 80A fuse near the battery box to replace the FL 1.25B fusible link that should be in front of the battery. The other problem with hack jobs is the quality of work these hacks do. If in fact they are using this added fuse box to power things in the van, I would very carefully inspect the splice locations where they made their connections. Guys that do stuff like this usually just twist stuff together and/or use wire nuts.........then hide their work with gobs of electrical tape. These type repairs may work initially, but usually don't hold up well over time.

[perfoxhil]

Hi Tim. Tried probing 1.25 link with test light but got nothing. Then bumped the link itself and accessories flashed on and off. Looks like I need new link. Thank you for responding so quickly! Peter

PS Trying to upload pic of my bad link but get upload failure message?

[timsrv]

Yeah, check that link and any connections in the area. FYI, I just tried the upload feature and it worked fine for me. Just make sure you're signed in and that it's a common file type. If you have any more issues with the site (uploads etc), please post in the "Site Suggestions, Issues, and Problems" section. Thanks. Tim

[perfoxhil]

Here's a pic of my 1.25 fusible link. Any idea what to spray if anything on the nuts to get them off. I tried using two 10mm spanners but the nuts didn't budge. How to undo these nuts? The eyelets on the cable that the fusible link connects to are pretty rusty also. Should I keep them or replace the eyelets/cable. Looks like replacing the cable would be a difficult job.

[originalkwyjibo]

If it were me I would clip all four ring terminals and start over. It appears the shrink wrap on the bottom rings has melted. There's a good chance the wire insulation has melted in between the strands as well which will make it difficult to get a good connection. Make sure you clip them back far enough to find clean wire.

Edit: Forgot this is a fusible link. I would clip and replace the top two ring terminals and get a new fusible link and holder.

[perfoxhil]

If it were me I would clip all four ring terminals and start over. It appears the shrink wrap on the bottom rings has melted. There's a good chance the wire insulation has melted in between the strands as well which will make it difficult to get a good connection. Make sure you clip them back far enough to find clean wire.

Edit: Forgot this is a fusible link. I would clip and replace the top two ring terminals and get a new fusible link and holder.

I think you're saying to snip the wires above the two ring terminals and far enough up to get to clean wire? Also, any ideas on where to get a new 1.25 box that will hang on the same bracket as the one I'm replacing? How important is using Toyota factory fusible links versus O'Reilly or a diy? Thanks

[timsrv]

Yes, don't mess with trying to save, just cut it all back to clean copper wire and replace as required. The white/blue looks pretty good, so that one can be clipped/stripped right up next to the old terminal. You might need to take a 1/2" or so off the yellow, but start close to the terminal and only remove small increments as necessary to get into the shiny wire. You'll need to crimp new terminals on these two wires. If you can still get a new link from Toyota, just get that one. You will need to use a high quality crimper and high end terminals. I'd consider these to be minimum grade for a spot like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-In...klein+crimpers

http://www.amazon.com/Ancor-311325-E...=ring+terminal

Note: I'm not 100% sure the size of terminal I selected would work. I have a big selection & when doing this type work I test fit before putting the final crimp on things. Based on a post in the Fusible Link Thread (quote below) it sounds as if the OEM link & holder are still available, so I'd probably go with that. During final assembly, put some dialectic grease or some other type non-corrosive protection on the studs & terminals. Tim

The FL1.25B and it's holder are still available from Toyota as is the yellow main fuse.
As they are still available, its the easiest route to go (and not overly expensive and they "fit" without having to re-engineer anything).

The other 2 are NLS, but the solutions are all contained within the post you have quoted.
(Pico or weather-pack fuse holder with a 15A ATO fuse and 6in of 12G fusible link wire, both are sold at most auto-parts stores)

BB

[isaiah44]

Our van broke down today in Vegas. We turned it off when it was seemingly running fine, but when we tried to start it again a bit later, the charge light was the only thing that lit up on the dash, and it didn't make a sound when I turned the key. Nothing, wouldn't even try to turn.

Checked the battery and it was good. Swapped the alternator in the parking lot, but nothing changed..... Charge was the only light on the dash and it didn't turn at all.

Does this sound like a starter issue? There's no clicking that I would normally associate with that though.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Thanks in advance.

[Chowfunstudios]

Not 100% sure but this sounds like your ignition switch is stuck in the acc. position even though it is able to fully turn. Might be a bad ignition switch.

Hopefully somebody else will chime in.

-Marvin

[timsrv]

Our van broke down today in Vegas. We turned it off when it was seemingly running fine, but when we tried to start it again a bit later, the charge light was the only thing that lit up on the dash, and it didn't make a sound when I turned the key. Nothing, wouldn't even try to turn.

Checked the battery and it was good. Swapped the alternator in the parking lot, but nothing changed..... Charge was the only light on the dash and it didn't turn at all.

Does this sound like a starter issue? There's no clicking that I would normally associate with that though.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Thanks in advance.

That sounds to me like the FL 1.25B fusible link. For more information, check out this thread: http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...le-link-thread

[isaiah44]

Thanks Tim, sure enough the fusible link is burning hot (van hasn't run in 24 hours, though the battery was still connected until I went to check the FL). The housing is melted to the FL. I'd post a photo, but can't figure out how. Sounds like I have a short somewhere to have caused that, but not sure where.

[timsrv]

I wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion of a short. If the link failed due to age/high resistance/corrosion, the end result could be a hot/melted link. I would recommend replacing as required (with the battery disconnected), then hook up the battery and test. Assuming you use the correct materials and get nice solid connections, if you get a spark show while reconnecting the battery, or it were to suddenly blow again, only then would I start chasing down/looking for shorts. Tim

PS: I would at least do a visual inspection of all the main circuits between that fusible link and the other fusible links (behind the PS reservoir) prior to reattaching the battery.

[isaiah44]

Yeah Tim, you were right. Fusible link replaced, the van fired right up. Everything else seems in order and we're on our way again. Thanks so much for taking the time to help out!

[timsrv]