Bear with me here...
-A couple days ago my gauge cluster stopped working along with my blinkers. The illumination lights behind still work as does the clock and sterio.
-Today I couldnt start it and it was acting as if the battery was dead, so I jumped it, and after a while it started
- Right after that as I was driving home, it all of a sudden started running really poor, like when the timing is retarded, then it would clean up again and then go right back to running like crap. I barely got it home.
- Now its acting like the battery is dead again
** I just changed my alternator like a year ago, as well as had the battery tested recently and it was still good. I cleaned the terminals and harness, and I swapped the starter coil and still no starting

Does anyone have any idea what this could be?? are these all separate and coincidental issues or one big one??
Thanks ahead of time for any and all imput

 

How long ago was the battery tested? Was this alternator a Toyota part or aftermarket?
I would get the charging system checked again to start simple then go from there, even if the battery tested good it could have went bad and as far as the alternator goes I have learned my lesson buying the cheapest aftermarket replacement after going through 4 on my old el camino until I bought a good one. And yes if anything in the system is failing I have seen it cause sporadic off the wall issues.

 

Its your "engine" fuse, bottom row, middle column, in the drivers kick panel.

It feeds power to your alternator to "run."

Weird enough it is also for the gauges, so if your gauges and your alt go out, you can't read the voltage... which is dropping.

 

Agreed!! I had a very similar problem on my 87 not charging, no blinkers, or gauges, but everything else worked. The terminal for the engine fuse was corroded, so i just used a nail file to clean it up and everything is normal. Also mine had a problem with starting, that turned out to be one of the wires on a fuse under the hood in that fuse box had a bad connection. Really hope this helps you! I searched for that problem for months, and for it to be something so simple was annoying!!!! Especially on a DD like mine was.

 

Thanks guys for getting back to me. Lol it was actually that engine fuse. I guess i just overlooked it when i was checking them all.