welder94

I have a 93 Toyota Ext. Cab. 4 cyl. I noticed yesterday that when I shut the truck off and pulled out the key, the dash lights were still on and the heater blower was still blowing. I turned the key off and on a couple times thinking that it didn't turn off properly. Sometimes it stayed on, sometimes it shut off. Last night when I came home, everything was fine but this morning when I went to start it, it was totally dead. Any ideas as to what the problem is? Thanks.

fierohink

Probably a bad/worn ignition cylinder. Can you pull the key out while it's still running?

welder94

I checked it out and the key does not come out with the truck running. Someone had suggested unhooking the battery which I did for a few hours and as soon as I put it back on the terminal, the blower started again. Any other ideas??

camo31_10.50

man my dang windshield wipers did that crap after i washed my 4runner one evening......


after breaking the multi-switch thing on the steering column i popped the hood and unplugged the wiper motor.....plugged it up a few weeks ago and they didn't come on..and now they work fine except my switch is broken off of my steering column :/

welder94

Now that you mention it, I did wash my truck the other night and it is -30 C here. Maybe that has something to do with it. May need to have it in a warm shop for a few days or something.

welder94

Now my headlights are working but the tail lights or dash lights don't work? Any ideas as where to start with this? I know electrical can be a pain.

tried4x2signN

Grounds. Check all your grounds....


Pull them off, clean them up, reinstall



Is this a stock well kept truck? Or a salvage vehicle, fire survivor or the cab's been off?

welder94

Well, its not a well kept truck but not that horrible. Not sure if the cab has been off or not b/c its black and most of the under colour is red. The history report shows it always as black. The worst thing is, I work 6 days a week most of the time, so time is limited and I am not taking it to garage. Someone cut me off the other day and I am starting to think that I should have just nailed him instead of braking.

peckinpah

I assume you have tried to jump start it or charged the battery? What result there?

I had my alternator go out a while back and it shorted out much (but not all) of the electrical system. Here is my thread about it:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...s-work-227223/

Kiroshu

Clean Battery Terminals.

welder94

Thanks. I will have to get the alternator checked. But with my luck....ha ha

welder94

I pulled the positive off the battery with the truck running and it died immediately. I think that means a bad alternator. Would that be the root of all my issues?

justin_4runner

sounds like a good place to start, pull the alt and take to a auto parts store and have them test it. and if u have a battery tester while u are having the alt tested charge up the batt to make sure it holds power and not just dies, second with things staying on and not shutting off it sounds like u do have a bad ignition the electrical part. its not shutting the power all the way off. u might want to get your self a tester and with the switch off test the leads at the harness under steering wheel to see what ones have power and what ones dont, look for wire diagram to know for sure, well looks like u have a little fun on your hands... let us know how it goes.

welder94

Thanks. First thing will do is check my connections from the alternator and then see what happens.

peckinpah

Have you tried starting the truck from a push start, with a freshly charged battery? That might get you around for an hour or so, until the battery runs down (assuming your alternator is bad).

I know the alternator is a pain to take out, get tested, and reinstall (mine sure was) but that seems like the next logical step.

welder94

Well, I won't get a chance till Sunday to check it out, so for now its pull the battery cable off every time.

peckinpah

OK, to confirm your symptoms, the blower motor and dash lights stay on after you turn the key off. And the only way you can get them to turn off is to unhook the positive battery cable?

And you've been driving the truck all week, and the battery has not run down?

If that's correct, it sounds like it's probably not your alternator. I'm thinking possibly a bad ignition switch. Anyone else have any ideas?

welder94

Thats how is been going. Everytime I go to work or come home, I unhook the battery. Its becoming a pain in the a$$.

AimCOTaco

Check the voltage at the battery with the truck running in order to test the alternator. I wouldn't remove the alternator, it sounds to me like the load shed relays or accessory relays are the place to look, after you verify the ignition switch is good.

More testing, less guessing would be my 2c,