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In a previous thread ( quirky engine start ) I suggested that I might should study the possibility that there is a mechanical problem with the ignition lock cylinder, which is mounted to the steering column.
Unfortunately my pickup doesn't seem to have the quick disconnect pin presented on so many Youtube videos. I removed the steering wheel and the two-piece shroud from the steering column. Several pics are shown below.
Can I replace the cylinder from this position? Do I need to disassemble the steering column to replace or repair the ignition lock?
I recently bought a 2wd 1990. Abandoned and no keys. It was mounted with tamper proof bolts and was a BIT_CH to get out. Hopefully yours is not the same. Sorry I can't say for sure about your 88.
Did you see this one as it doesn't have the pin hole release when you put the key in accessory position. Looks like your switch and say 1988 4runner which should be the same.
Around the steering column there is a donut onto which the turn signal lever and the wiper control lever are attached.The release button for the ignition lock cylinder (ILC) is blocked by the donut, which is attached with four screws, one of which connects to the housing of the ILC. When I remove the donut tomorrow, I should be able to remove the ILC easily. I will replace the ignition switch then, too.
Thanks. I did see that video. It's the only one I found that deals with my style of ignition lock cylinder. However, it appears easier to remove the steering wheel and adjacent donut than to fabricate his special tools. I will know tomorrow..
The pin that releases the cylinder on a normal 1988 Toyota cylinder lines up with the "Lock" position, maybe 1/2"-3/4" down.
I'm not aware of any "anti-theft locks" but it is possible. Not sure why anyone would really go to the expense, as most thieves just took a slide hammer and ripped the lock assembly right out, then used a screwdriver to start.
Be that as it may, once you get the steering wheel off it's not much extra work to remove the turn signal switch assembly. Looks faster than trying to work around it.
After I removed the screws from the donut and rotated it about 45 degrees, I had excellent access to the pin. I turned the key to ACC, pushed the pin, and removed the cylinder with light effort. Removal of the ignition switch was uneventful, altho the small screws that hold the door buzzer were difficult to access, but I did it.
I installed the new ignition switch then realized that the cylinder I bought was incorrect: it had the release pin near the top, not closer to the bottom. I reinstalled the original cylinder and replaced the donut, steering wheel, and lower kick panel.
The engine started just fine.
Several readers have commented on the status of the battery. I tested it today after the pickup has been sitting for two days. It seemed OK at 12.6 volts.
I waited until dusk to conduct a short test drive. It was uneventful until I came to a stop sign about a 200 hundred yards from home. As I was braking, I lost all power: the engine died, and the headlights and dashboard lights went dark. I tried to restart; dashboard lights worked and emergency flashers worked OK, but the engine wouldn't turn.. It started with the jump start battery.
I am baffled. Do any of you have any idea what happened here? Thanks
You can have good voltage, but low CCA, as I did on my battery. Plenty of cheap load testers to tell you if it's dead. It sounds like what mine did with a good alternator. A new battery fixed it. This is the one I bought.
I bought a new battery today with 650 CCA. Apparently my nearly-four-year-old battery is over the hill. Thanks everybody.
Changing my ignition switch and almost changing my cylinder was an adventure. (My LPS (local parts store) specil ordered the cylinder which turned out to be incorrect. For some reason the 1989 model is correct!)
There's a difference between Amps, or Cranking Amps, and Volts.
Think of it this way: Voltage is the POTENTIAL to make electricity flow. It's like putting a tank of water up on a stand. The taller the stand, the greatter the POTENTIAL force to make the water flow. But if the tank is nearly empty, you won't get much FLOW out of it. The POTENTIAL to make the water flow is there, but there's no water to flow!
Amperage is the AMOUNT of flow. Like if the tank has 2 valves, one 1/4 inch, one 1 inch. The AMOUNT of water that will flow out of each valve is determined by it's size, yes, but mainly by the height of stand the tank is on. The higher the tank, the greater the Amount that will flow, IF it's in the tank.. Using the 1" valve ( imagine it as a heavy cable) you will get a lot of flow to turn the starter. Again though, you need the amount available to get enough flow.
So yes, VOLTAGE matters, up to point. Mainly though, it's the AMPERAGE, the flow rate, that matters most.
Thus a "dead" bbattery can read good voltage, but not be able to supply enough amperage to turn the starter. As to running the truck for a short time, that's a function of the amp-hours available in the battery. There may be a small amount of water in our tank, but once it runs out, well the truck dies. If the alternator isn't able to charge the battery adequately, whether due to the battery being dead, or the alternator not providing enough current to the battery, the truck dies.
Usually, when a battery "dies", it's due to a cell either shorting out, or opening up. Either way, it prevents the battery from charging properly, or from holding a charge for any length of time.
Ok, shutting up now. I rambled long enough.
Good luck!
Pat☺
It's kinda like your iPhone. you can have it fully charged, but if the capacity has gone down(Battery health on your iPhone) than it can't hold as much.
That's the bad thing about letting a battery go dead from lack of use. You can recharge, but the capacity declines a bit each time.
Good you got the issue fixed. Four years seems to be a normal life. I just replaced an Optima Yellow Top dual crank/deep cell that was 8 years old. Truck had a bad parasitic drain that killed the battery overnight. Two auto electrical shops couldn't find the drain. One said bad switch, replaced and not fixed. The other said bad radio, upgraded and not fixed. The Yellow Top was a work around as it started in the morning. Two years later when I replaced a dead starter, the drain disappeared. Now just using a regular starting battery.
Dec 4, 2022 | 04:58 PM
