So... the truck which I have had for less than two months now has a complete failure of paripheral power, even hazard lights. The engine does try to turn over but acts like it is being underpowered and does not complete a turnover. The battery is fine, over 12 volts, but the power meter in the dash shows either low or no power. There is a buzzing and ticking of a relay somewhere when there is usually a clean "click" when the battery gets connected. It does not start on a downhill roll, no power whatsoever. I about a month ago had changed a ground wire that had broken and made a similar effect, but cannot find or identify what would be another broken ground, even if that is the problem. There are several disconnected wires, but they were disconnected when it was working.
Any suggestions?
Please note that I cannot affoard to pay someone to do it, and I cannot affoard to spend every day for months chasing phantom problems. I am also going to need my vehicle to move under its own power soon, I am running out of favours. Also, I cannot affoard to keep somthing that does not work, and cannot sell somthing that does not work. And, any fixes need to come from a hardware store, nearest auto parts store is over an hour drive away, and I am without a working vehicle, and public transit is not a viable option.
Thank you.

 

Have you checked the battery terminals? I had a similar situation where the terminals looked ok, but were corroded inside. They are cheap and easy to replace.

 

Kudus!
You have taken a good important step toward fixing your problem and saving money by describing symptoms well (still need a little bit more detail below).
Rest assured, this problem is piece of cake for Yotatech. as long as you have you have your multi-meter, do NOT take it to anybody else.

We're almost there. Classic symptoms that almost always point to bad or discharged battery or poor connection.

Did you compare voltage with nothing on and with all lights, accessories on?
Where did you measure 12Volts? At the battery post, or the connector/clamp?
These two points will have obvious difference in voltage IF your battery is good and you have poor connections.

+1

Corrosion in interface between post and battery connector is sneaky. Connection should have bare shiny metal contacting bare shiny metal. I suggest you invest in a battery post/connector cleaner. A few bucks at Harbor Freight or auto parts store.

 

At "common" temperatures, a lead-acid battery should be around 12.6 volts. If yours reads 12.0 volts, it is close to discharged. (and your other symptoms sound like a discharged battery) Put a battery charger on it (hardware stores carry them) and try to get your battery voltage up to 12.4-12.7.

While you're at it, turn the headlights on, and compare the voltage at the battery posts with the voltage at the clamps. If there is more than 0.5v difference, you have a problem with the clamps (a 0.5v drop with just the headlights will turn into a 8v drop trying to turn the starter).

 

Sounds like a discharged battery along with poor connections might also include a failure of the charging system

Most Electrical systems of my adopted Toyota`s were in very poor shape

 

Check on ground connections.
EFI ground
battery as mentioned above
look for broken/shorted wires always fun

 

fusible link?

 

Robb, He's getting faint clicks, indicative of low power, so most likely just weak battery and/or poor connections.

O.P., Toyota components are bullet-proof. Usually, the cause of problem is the poor way they are put together.

 

gotcha, that is what i get for responding quick on my lunch break. Check your grounds

 

I do that too.
Sometimes I couldn't help but join in when topic is interesting

 

Easy to do a quick ground system check by using jumper cables to connect the negative battery post to the engine block or a chassis ground

 

Hi, sorry for not responding sooner. After I got the truck working I was too busy to respond. Thank you all for your quick responses.
Immediately after reading your responses I checked the positive terminal post of the battery and its clamp for hidden corrosion. There was some, which I cleaned an old tooth brush, and baking soda solution, and then polished with emery paper. It then functioned, and continues to function now. It is a little embarrassing that I missed such a simple problem. While not an actual mechanic I do have some mechanical and electrical skill, certainly enough that I should have caught this with a systematic inspection from the battery outward.
When it broke down in town I had measured various points for resistance and voltage with a borrowed multimeter (mine was at home) and nothing about those readings looked out of place (I don‘t remember what they actually were). In town I also had replaced the negative clamp and polished the post, I only replaced one because there was quite literally only one terminal clamp to be had in town at that moment, any others would have been a week long order. The reason I replaced the negative clamp was because it was cracked and would possibly have been making tenuous contact. While it had worked before, I thought that it may have come loose enough to cause the symptoms in this case. I was able to change it with a multi-tool but it did not help at that time. It did not occur to me that the positive terminal would be experiencing a problem. If I had changed both terminals I would have run across the hidden corrosion as a matter of course.
Again, thank you persons in this forum for helping me solve my problem.

However, this does not explain why it happened when it did. I misjudged the friction point on an awkward corner and stalled. I’ve stalled it before and it was able to start up again rather promptly and did not experience peripheral power failure in the past. Also, why wouldn’t it start on a downhill roll?
Again, it is working now, but I am curious about it not roll-starting. Battery power or connection should have had no bearing on it. It just seems odd.
Thank you.

I had replaced a ground wire on it about a month in. Had similar symptoms to this except worse. It cut out just as I was backing into my parking space at home (no stall before it this time). It took me a few days to find it, though I couldn’t devote solid time to it. It was a short ~8” wire that connected the negative terminal to the chassis, one of two that came out of the clamp. I didn’t have any of the heavy wire that was used (don’t know what guage it is just by looking) so I doubled up household electric wire to make what looked like a comparable conductor. That repair is still sound, and the insulation shows no sign of overheating or degrading yet (I will continue to monitor it though).

 

Thanks for the update. We all miss a thing here and there. Exactly what happened to me for a few minutes.
Truck stalled, I checked voltage ON the connector, Checked voltage ON the battery post, then happened to probe in between post and connector body, and got a spark! Then I knew it was just the mating surface which is hidden, of course. Easy to forget.

Re: roll-starting.
If even if you get engine to turn, perhaps the corrosion was still enough to drop your ignition voltage so low that it prevented ignition and fuel system from working.

 

If the voltage is to low the ECU shuts down to protect it`s self

 

..." It is a little embarrassing that I missed such a simple problem..."

IIRC there was a guy on here a few years ago with a similar problem and it went on for days. I'm happy for you it turned out to be a relatively free to fix problem. That's why I love this forum.