austinmacry

Okay, it may be electrical, but maybe mechanical??? Me and my buddy have never seen this happen. I was driving down the road in my 91 4runner and when i changed gears the engine died and went to neutral. I pulled over and turned my hazards on but that killed all electrical. So I took the key completely out and then turned it back on. Lights came on just fine. Went to start it and it wasn't idling correctly. After a min or so it returned to normal. At this time i tried the hazards again but the rpm's dropped down again so i left those off. I stuck it into 1st gear and put in the e-brake. As soon as i did this the engine shut off again. So i tried a few different combination's but could never get it to move especially with the e-brake on. The tac would jump every once in awhile and any electrial thing i turned on or off would not help the problem. If i hit the brake or moved the stick it would also mess with it a little. I need some serious help. Any input is grateful.
Thank you!

iamsuperbleeder

what motor? is thie auto or manual?


sounds like possibly the alternator is shot to me... in wich case is would be mechanically created electricity, making both of your assuptions correct


but it could also be as simple as a bad ground or battery connection

austinmacry

3vz manual. or 3zv manual <-- something like that. For sure its a V6 manual. Its about 10 miles from home right now so I cant just go look at it. Im gunna pick it up in the morning. I just got it like 4 days ago and it was running great. Replaced the power steering pump.

I was thinking about checking the battery connections. I noticed that the grounding wire had no rubber on it and it was kinda loosely on there.

austinmacry

BUMP

BlackNite3

Snatch the battery and take it to the local parts store to get it tested and/or charged. That will tell you if the battery was drained, indicating a weak alternator. If that's the case, a fully charged battery would give you enough juice to get home at least (just keep the radio, lights, etc. off). Make sure to tighten that battery cable too when you re-install the battery. My guess is that the trans popping into neutral was a fluke and unrelated to the electrical issues.

austinmacry

Hmmm... will have to do that. thanks

limon32

Don't just tighten the battery connections, take them off, clean them, apply corrosion inhibiter then put them back on tight.

ayoung101

x3 on alternator being my first guess too. the only time i ever had an alternator die (on an 88 camry) i was driving like normal and suddenly my AC fan died. it was summer (and hot) so i had to open the windows. as i started opening the windows they only made it maybe 1/2 way down and they stopped. within a few seconds the radio turned off. shortly after that my engine sputtered and died as well.

but also agreed, it's much easier to take your battery to get tested than the alternator. if the test shows a "bad" battery, it's probably really your alternator, cuz if your battery was actually bad but your alternator good, then your alternator still should have enough power to run everything until you turned the engine off.

and definitely make sure all your electrical cables are tight! that's essential, whether it's related to this problem or not cuz that can cause all sorts of electrical gremlins!

toyotabull

with the truck running, pull the positive battery cable . if the altenator is working it will stay running, if it dies then its not making power, check the ground wire on the frame also.

fireman1559

i had a problem like that my truck wouldnt even turn over so i took the alternator off and had it checked and it was fine took my battery out and sob the battery was "good" at orileys but bad at advanced auto so i replaced it and sure enough it ran without problems

runnermedic

one simple question
did you wash the engine or deep water dive with it?
if so your problems is the ignition module connector is wet or other system wet,same thing happens to me after an egine wash the ignition module connector was flooded i take it off and dry it with a cloth then spray some wd40 dry again with a cloth and everything works fine.
a jumping tach is a sign of ignition module problem or wet ignition module.let me know if this helps you!!!

Marc

Don't do that. It will damage the diodes on the alternator.

abecedarian

And the voltage spike as the alternator goes full output (provided it's working) can damage any voltage sensitive devices connected to the electrical system such as ECU....

abecedarian

Since the problem seems to be related to the engine shifting positions or vibrations: shifting gears and tach jumping, combined with rpms changing when a load is applied (hazards, etc.) I'd suggest checking the engine grounds.
Couldn't make out if it's an automatic or manual so the 1st and e-brake on thing confuses me.

Team420

and make sure the wire is good too, I have seen this type of thing happen a few times, and the batt cables, or terminals were the cause, and as abe said....def check your grounds.

austinmacry

Replaced grounding wire and it definitely works better. Now im going to replace the negative battery terminal. Trying to find where it ends though so I can take it off. Any one know. Text me ill be outside working on it. 7194828890

austinmacry

I also just found this very helpful thread. Not sure if its the reason but after I get this done Itll probably be my next step.

iamsuperbleeder

wouldn't be this thread, would it?

austinmacry

Well I replaced the negative battery terminal, the positive terminal piece that attaches to the actual battery, and put a larger gauge wire going from the positive to the large fuse box that sits right next to it. Also replaced the negatives ground and the old negative wire I also grounded to the body just in case something was plugged into it. It runs like it did the day before it died again!!!

limon32

Glad its working out for you. I've helped numerous people with "dead" cars that simply had dirty terminals. Whenever I buy a used car, or someone I know buys a used car, cleaning and tightening the terminals is part of my initial service.