Symptoms: When the engine is off, the abs, brake & oil light glow very dimly. When the vehicle is on and running, they do not light up. When I turn the engine off and take key out of ignition in addition to the lights glowing dimly, the fan (heat/ac fan) continues to run... weird. Also, takes a few more cranks to start than usual.
My thoughts are alternator or battery on the way out... was hoping somebody would have some insight on this other than pull them both and test them... although I do have a digital multimeter so I guess I could check alternator output.
90K 3.4L v6 5-speed.

 

have them tested at a local auto parts store...Most do it for free now days

 

sounds like a battery, almost 100% sure

 

When you take the key out, the dash lights should not glow & the a/c fan should not run. I think you may have a problem with the ignition switch.

Paul

 

battery and ignition switch, if its like mine i can take the key out with the engine running. its a little worn

 

So yeah I'm thinking there is an ignition issue. Additional symptoms that I either didn't notice or just started are: Key in ignition chime occurs when the key is out of the ignition. Antenna starts when door is opened... whats the deal with replacing the ignition... am I going to have a door key and a diff key for ignition???
I acquired a corolla recenly and accidently used put the corolla key in the 4runner ignition a few tims... I think that may have jacked up the ignition.

 

sometimes they wear out you probably never turned the key all the way back to off befoer pulling it out. I could do that in my 85 and my 92 toyota truck

 

So do you have ANY aftermarket electronics installed in your rig? This sounds more like a backfeed of current or bad ground concern rather than anything else.

 

u probably need a new battery along with an ignition, low voltage can cause electrical sytems to act up.

 

No I do not have any aftermarket electronics. Today, none of these problems occurred. Freakin weird.

 

Thats got to be wiring... Batteries unfortunately do not heal themselves and neither do ignitions. You should check the battery and alternator but my suspicions are that its something going bad with the wiring.

 

I would check for water in the ECM, anything to cause stray voltages in the computer system. You have a serious logic problem that could cause component failure if not properly repaired. Check wiring, grounds, mouse damage, trailer wiring damage, aftermarket stereo installation, prowl around the vehicle really good.

 

My wiring looks cherry... everything is dry. I think that I screwed something up when I put the corolla key in the ignition. Again today it did not act up.

 

I still think it's your ignition switch. If it happens again, put the key back in the ignition ( not the Corolla key) & gently wiggle it around. If that fixes it, it's probably the ignition. You could try to shoot a little WD40 in it if it acts up again.

Paul