87 4runner issues, mostly electrical
03-11-2010, 09:02 AM
#1
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87 4runner issues, mostly electrical
I got a '87 4runner a few days ago. Here is the current list of problems with it:
* Gas gauge drops off at half a tank, then goes back up.. etc
* Oil gauge remains at 0
~ When i flash, brights work, when i switch to bright lights, they go dark
+ rear window doesnt work
* throttle looks like its missing parts and has been homemade, revs
between gears because the throttle takes 3-5 seconds to go back to idle
+ rear wiper doesnt touch window
* had the alternator checked at walmart, they told me there is a "charging
system problem" But its not the battery (its new and they said it worked fine), i disconnected the battery while the car was running and it kept going, so i dont think the alternator is bad either.
* I have no idea what to do
+ I might know where to start
~ I have a possible solution
If anyone has any inputs, or perhaps theyve seen seen a thread on here that might help me a bit that would be awesome to hear about! I bought one of those Chiltons car manual things, and so far iv not been able to find anything in it that im looking to repair.. maybe im looking in the wrong section lol
also if someone can send me a picture of their throttle thing so i can see what mines missing, thatd be great!
* Gas gauge drops off at half a tank, then goes back up.. etc
* Oil gauge remains at 0
~ When i flash, brights work, when i switch to bright lights, they go dark
+ rear window doesnt work
* throttle looks like its missing parts and has been homemade, revs
between gears because the throttle takes 3-5 seconds to go back to idle
+ rear wiper doesnt touch window
* had the alternator checked at walmart, they told me there is a "charging
system problem" But its not the battery (its new and they said it worked fine), i disconnected the battery while the car was running and it kept going, so i dont think the alternator is bad either.
* I have no idea what to do
+ I might know where to start
~ I have a possible solution
If anyone has any inputs, or perhaps theyve seen seen a thread on here that might help me a bit that would be awesome to hear about! I bought one of those Chiltons car manual things, and so far iv not been able to find anything in it that im looking to repair.. maybe im looking in the wrong section lol
also if someone can send me a picture of their throttle thing so i can see what mines missing, thatd be great!
03-11-2010, 10:16 AM
#2
Registered User
to get you started, here's some quick input:
gas gauge sender is a rheostat. if it drops but comes back up, usually that means a dead spot in the rheostat coil. you'd probably have to replace the sender, in the tank.
tip: try to drive it to almost empty and see if you can force your FUEL light to come on. if you have the light, then u can rely on that. or just count miles.
oil gauge: you'll want to confirm your sender is ok. sender is on the right side of the block. usually easiest to see from the right fender well. make sure its connected. test instructions are in the FSM. find it on NC TTORA website.
tip: after truck has been running a bit, force it to stall with key on. confirm your low oil pressure RED IDIOT LIGHT works. if it does, it could be the gauge itself. if not, it may be a bad sender.
lights: when you flash, and they work, is it when all lights are off, or when low beams are already on? both filaments should light with a flash to pass. so if your lights are off, turn them on first. THEN see if they get brighter, to confirm the hi-beam filaments are good. if so, it's a bad headlite switch. or high beam relay. you'll have to break out the test lite to check these.
rear window: cap has a special bolt which activates a switch in the left rear qtr panel. this bolt MUST be in place, and that switch must be functional. confirm the bolt, test at the switch for power, then test the switch. if there's power, move to the window regulator. if no power, move to the console switch.
rear wiper has a "park" position off of the glass. the wiper must be adjusted, and the arm must have the little piece, so that the thing will move up a few inches and park on the cap. confirm you have the piece on the wiper arm and on the cap, which fit together to hold it off the glass in "park". if one of these is missing, the arm may have been adjusted to compensate so you can operate the window.
alt: go somewhere else. go to napa or some auto parts store you trust, and ask them to check the alt and battery. if the alt is charging, make sure you have a good ground connection between the battery and the body, and the engine and the body. i think the regulator is internal, but you need to confirm this. i just cannot remember right now. if its external, its probably that.
you can also check if there's open circuits drawing your battery if you pull the neg. terminal and put a test light in between the post and cable. if it lights, something is drawing. the test light should be off with every electrical thing off. (including interior light from open door)
SEARCH IN GOOGLE FOR YOUR PROBLEMS, but include 'yotatech' or just '4runner" and you'll have much better search results. google pulls yt stuff right to the top usually, and its easier to read through your search results.
don't forget to get the FSM.
good luck!
gas gauge sender is a rheostat. if it drops but comes back up, usually that means a dead spot in the rheostat coil. you'd probably have to replace the sender, in the tank.
tip: try to drive it to almost empty and see if you can force your FUEL light to come on. if you have the light, then u can rely on that. or just count miles.
oil gauge: you'll want to confirm your sender is ok. sender is on the right side of the block. usually easiest to see from the right fender well. make sure its connected. test instructions are in the FSM. find it on NC TTORA website.
tip: after truck has been running a bit, force it to stall with key on. confirm your low oil pressure RED IDIOT LIGHT works. if it does, it could be the gauge itself. if not, it may be a bad sender.
lights: when you flash, and they work, is it when all lights are off, or when low beams are already on? both filaments should light with a flash to pass. so if your lights are off, turn them on first. THEN see if they get brighter, to confirm the hi-beam filaments are good. if so, it's a bad headlite switch. or high beam relay. you'll have to break out the test lite to check these.
rear window: cap has a special bolt which activates a switch in the left rear qtr panel. this bolt MUST be in place, and that switch must be functional. confirm the bolt, test at the switch for power, then test the switch. if there's power, move to the window regulator. if no power, move to the console switch.
rear wiper has a "park" position off of the glass. the wiper must be adjusted, and the arm must have the little piece, so that the thing will move up a few inches and park on the cap. confirm you have the piece on the wiper arm and on the cap, which fit together to hold it off the glass in "park". if one of these is missing, the arm may have been adjusted to compensate so you can operate the window.
alt: go somewhere else. go to napa or some auto parts store you trust, and ask them to check the alt and battery. if the alt is charging, make sure you have a good ground connection between the battery and the body, and the engine and the body. i think the regulator is internal, but you need to confirm this. i just cannot remember right now. if its external, its probably that.
you can also check if there's open circuits drawing your battery if you pull the neg. terminal and put a test light in between the post and cable. if it lights, something is drawing. the test light should be off with every electrical thing off. (including interior light from open door)
SEARCH IN GOOGLE FOR YOUR PROBLEMS, but include 'yotatech' or just '4runner" and you'll have much better search results. google pulls yt stuff right to the top usually, and its easier to read through your search results.
don't forget to get the FSM.
good luck!
03-11-2010, 11:54 AM
#3
Registered User
to get you started, here's some quick input:
gas gauge sender is a rheostat. if it drops but comes back up, usually that means a dead spot in the rheostat coil. you'd probably have to replace the sender, in the tank.
tip: try to drive it to almost empty and see if you can force your FUEL light to come on. if you have the light, then u can rely on that. or just count miles.
oil gauge: you'll want to confirm your sender is ok. sender is on the right side of the block. usually easiest to see from the right fender well. make sure its connected. test instructions are in the FSM. find it on NC TTORA website.
tip: after truck has been running a bit, force it to stall with key on. confirm your low oil pressure RED IDIOT LIGHT works. if it does, it could be the gauge itself. if not, it may be a bad sender.
lights: when you flash, and they work, is it when all lights are off, or when low beams are already on? both filaments should light with a flash to pass. so if your lights are off, turn them on first. THEN see if they get brighter, to confirm the hi-beam filaments are good. if so, it's a bad headlite switch. or high beam relay. you'll have to break out the test lite to check these.
rear window: cap has a special bolt which activates a switch in the left rear qtr panel. this bolt MUST be in place, and that switch must be functional. confirm the bolt, test at the switch for power, then test the switch. if there's power, move to the window regulator. if no power, move to the console switch.
rear wiper has a "park" position off of the glass. the wiper must be adjusted, and the arm must have the little piece, so that the thing will move up a few inches and park on the cap. confirm you have the piece on the wiper arm and on the cap, which fit together to hold it off the glass in "park". if one of these is missing, the arm may have been adjusted to compensate so you can operate the window.
alt: go somewhere else. go to napa or some auto parts store you trust, and ask them to check the alt and battery. if the alt is charging, make sure you have a good ground connection between the battery and the body, and the engine and the body. i think the regulator is internal, but you need to confirm this. i just cannot remember right now. if its external, its probably that.
you can also check if there's open circuits drawing your battery if you pull the neg. terminal and put a test light in between the post and cable. if it lights, something is drawing. the test light should be off with every electrical thing off. (including interior light from open door)
SEARCH IN GOOGLE FOR YOUR PROBLEMS, but include 'yotatech' or just '4runner" and you'll have much better search results. google pulls yt stuff right to the top usually, and its easier to read through your search results.
don't forget to get the FSM.
good luck!
gas gauge sender is a rheostat. if it drops but comes back up, usually that means a dead spot in the rheostat coil. you'd probably have to replace the sender, in the tank.
tip: try to drive it to almost empty and see if you can force your FUEL light to come on. if you have the light, then u can rely on that. or just count miles.
oil gauge: you'll want to confirm your sender is ok. sender is on the right side of the block. usually easiest to see from the right fender well. make sure its connected. test instructions are in the FSM. find it on NC TTORA website.
tip: after truck has been running a bit, force it to stall with key on. confirm your low oil pressure RED IDIOT LIGHT works. if it does, it could be the gauge itself. if not, it may be a bad sender.
lights: when you flash, and they work, is it when all lights are off, or when low beams are already on? both filaments should light with a flash to pass. so if your lights are off, turn them on first. THEN see if they get brighter, to confirm the hi-beam filaments are good. if so, it's a bad headlite switch. or high beam relay. you'll have to break out the test lite to check these.
rear window: cap has a special bolt which activates a switch in the left rear qtr panel. this bolt MUST be in place, and that switch must be functional. confirm the bolt, test at the switch for power, then test the switch. if there's power, move to the window regulator. if no power, move to the console switch.
rear wiper has a "park" position off of the glass. the wiper must be adjusted, and the arm must have the little piece, so that the thing will move up a few inches and park on the cap. confirm you have the piece on the wiper arm and on the cap, which fit together to hold it off the glass in "park". if one of these is missing, the arm may have been adjusted to compensate so you can operate the window.
alt: go somewhere else. go to napa or some auto parts store you trust, and ask them to check the alt and battery. if the alt is charging, make sure you have a good ground connection between the battery and the body, and the engine and the body. i think the regulator is internal, but you need to confirm this. i just cannot remember right now. if its external, its probably that.
you can also check if there's open circuits drawing your battery if you pull the neg. terminal and put a test light in between the post and cable. if it lights, something is drawing. the test light should be off with every electrical thing off. (including interior light from open door)
SEARCH IN GOOGLE FOR YOUR PROBLEMS, but include 'yotatech' or just '4runner" and you'll have much better search results. google pulls yt stuff right to the top usually, and its easier to read through your search results.
don't forget to get the FSM.
good luck!
That is a great post, good job!
03-11-2010, 12:13 PM
#4
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fantastic post, indeed.
OP: if you don't know what he means by "top", he's referring to the removable shell on top, that's held in by 14 bolts (one of which needs to be in to activate the rear window).
If you don't have one, get a good ohmmeter so you can do your own resistance/voltage checks- these are a great tool and must have for anyone working on car electrical gremlins.
Good luck!
OP: if you don't know what he means by "top", he's referring to the removable shell on top, that's held in by 14 bolts (one of which needs to be in to activate the rear window).
If you don't have one, get a good ohmmeter so you can do your own resistance/voltage checks- these are a great tool and must have for anyone working on car electrical gremlins.
Good luck!
03-11-2010, 12:56 PM
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Here is a picture of my accelerator thing, should i just get a new one? Or can someone tell me what is actually called so that i can search for replacement parts?
Last edited by Chikokishi; 03-12-2010 at 09:38 AM.
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