lights/power/voltage drops

I'm still working through your previous post for now. I got my analog meter working (bad fuse) and it has a 10v option but I haven't used that range yet. From your previous post

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So with that current being drawn, measure the voltage across that 100A link with a small range (couple o' volts) if you have it, 20V if that's the smallest available. Shouldn't be more than say 1/4 - 1/2 volt tops, and I would hope a lot less. Then, to double-check - and use a different meter range - set the meter to 20V, then with the black on ground, touch the red to one, then the other side of the 100A link (14ish volts presumably). Then, take the difference between those two values to get the voltage across the link. Should be around the same as across the link, but the meter may not be all that accurate at very low values. If you can have the idle up a bit, that's more realistic, but not entirely necessary.

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So I'm still confused here because to my understanding the alternator SHOULD be throwing 14+ volts back at the battery through that 100 amp fuse. Am I wrong? (it may be the stuff underneath that is throwing a wrench in my understanding, so will study your blowup a bit more). I got a 15v reading across the 2 screws on that fuse with my digital (head and brakelights on), and just now I tested each side to ground with my analog and saw no detectable difference/loss, both sides showed near 15v. But unless I misunderstood, you are telling me there should only be a tiny voltage across it to begin with. So I want to get this possible misunderstanding cleared up so I'm less confusable.

I'm going to have to digest your last post a bit before moving on it, but I think I understand what you're getting at

Yes, the alternator supplies voltage to the battery - higher than the battery's voltage on its own - in order to charge it. (The battery also "smooths out" variations in the voltage from the alternator in somewhat the same way that an air tank smooths out the pulses from an air compressor.)

I'm confused about the measurements. One of those fuse block screws bolts to the alternator wire's o-ring. The other screw bolts to metal that bolts to the battery positive clamp. The 100A fusible link has two tabs with holes that those screws bolt through, so they should be electrically connected through it, meaning there should be a near-zero resistance and near-zero voltage change across what is a short piece of metal. That's consistent with measuring the voltage on either side to ground being the same, because if one side is 15V and the other side is 15V, there can't be a 15V difference between them.

The larger investigation here is to find where the voltage across the headlights is being reduced - the voltage across the headlight terminals is too low because of one or more of these:

• Not enough voltage is being applied at the source (the alternator)
• Something between the alternator and headlight positive terminal (that the alternator/battery connection ultimately connects to) is "using up" too much voltage
• Something between the headlight's negative terminal and ground (which it ultimately connects to) is "using up" too much voltage.

An rough analogy might be two sprinklers being fed by a faucet and a "Y" connector. You run one (the headlights), then when you run the second (the brakes), they both lose pressure. Can you open the faucet to increase the water pressure? That's the alternator increasing it's output when it detects the voltage go below what it should be. On the other hand, what if you turn the faucet but nothing happens - maybe there's a problem with that "Y" connector, or the faucet knob is turning but it's not opening the valve (alternator electronics), there's a kink in an extender hose (wiring) that runs from it to the faucet, or a clogged screen somewhere restricting water flow to both sprinklers - that's kind of where we're at.

Maybe see if you can jam the positive (red?) multimeter probe into the back of the smaller connector under the fuse block - pin 1, which is probably the one closest to the front of the van with a white/blue-stripe wire. That's what's delivering the voltage out of the fuse block to the headlight relay. With the other probe (black?) on ground and the meter set to 20V DC you should see a voltage that's really close to the voltage at the battery. If you see that drop more than a small fraction of a volt when the lights+brakes are on vs just the lights, something in that fuse box is blocking the extra current needed for both. If it stays essentially the same as the battery voltage, it's time to look elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by man_btc

Yes, the alternator supplies voltage to the battery - higher than the battery's voltage on its own - in order to charge it. (The battery also "smooths out" variations in the voltage from the alternator in somewhat the same way that an air tank smooths out the pulses from an air compressor.)

I'm confused about the measurements. One of those fuse block screws bolts to the alternator wire's o-ring. The other screw bolts to metal that bolts to the battery positive clamp. The 100A fusible link has two tabs with holes that those screws bolt through, so they should be electrically connected through it, meaning there should be a near-zero resistance and near-zero voltage change across what is a short piece of metal. That's consistent with measuring the voltage on either side to ground being the same, because if one side is 15V and the other side is 15V, there can't be a 15V difference between them.

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There isn't. I get DC 15v reading when I place one probe on the battery side screw of the alt fuse and 1 probe on the alternator side screw of the alt fuse. I don't understand why you think I should only be getting a fraction of a volt.

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So with that current being drawn, measure the voltage across that 100A link with a small range (couple o' volts) if you have it, 20V if that's the smallest available. Shouldn't be more than say 1/4 - 1/2 volt tops, and I would hope a lot less.

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Did you mean a LOSS of 1/4 to 1/2v?

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Originally Posted by Previologist

There isn't. I get DC 15v reading when I place one probe on the battery side screw of the alt fuse and 1 probe on the alternator side screw of the alt fuse. I don't understand why you think I should only be getting a fraction of a volt.


Did you mean a LOSS of 1/4 to 1/2v?

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Yes, the voltage "drop" or "loss" is the reduction in voltage across a good metal conductor, which should be tiny. You should only see large differences in voltage across things that are either supplying large amounts of energy (a battery) or absorbing large amounts of energy (lights, fans, wiring that's heating up).

Looking back at your pics I see the difference between your fuse box and mine, primarily that your battery connection doesn't have an integral metal piece sticking out to the battery plus terminal and yours has an additional "ALT-S" fuse where mine has none. Meaning your alternator has a fuse to protect the circuitry inside it that increases the alternator power (when it sees the voltage start to decline over that "ALT-S" connection when more electricity is being used). Check that ALT-S fuse to see if it's got continuity.

It would make a lot more sense (no pun intended - that's what the "S" stands for) to find the alternator is supplying enough voltage and current initially but when additional loads come on line it's not increasing it's output enough to compensate. Although that wouldn't explain why with a lot of stuff drawing power, the voltage didn't drop at the battery when the initial tests were done.

Hi Previologist. Your info lists the PNW as one of your locations. Are you currently there and what part of the PNW? Maybe I can assist in person. PM me if you prefer to maintain privacy.

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Originally Posted by originalkwyjibo

Hi Previologist. Your info lists the PNW as one of your locations. Are you currently there and what part of the PNW? Maybe I can assist in person. PM me if you prefer to maintain privacy.

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Oh that. That was from my younger, wealthier days when I did a lot of roaming around and Previa camping. But thank you for the offer! I used to visit the PNW every year, and I still try every year, but I haven't been there since 2020. Of course the PNW is on my to-do list for this year as always...but will it happen?

As for my problem, my plans to head for the SW just firmed up and I don't think I'm going to have any more time to worry about this before I leave in a couple weeks. I'm just gonna cross my fingers and hope it goes well. I did replace the ALT fuse with a new one. I haven't driven it since then but garage testing suggested no change...

I've driven the Previa for the first couple of times at night since doing all of the above, and it seems much better. When I brake, the headlight dimming is still there but its minimal. I no longer feel self-conscious coming to a stop behind other cars or with oncoming traffic. Maybe the new battery helped.

The blower dims the headlights a lot more, but braking with the blower on still doesn't cause much change.

Of course my infamous blower is jury-rigged and only works on high. I might be able to reduce the drain by shortening the wires a bit, or possibly using a lighter gauge (they seem pretty heavy), but that will have to wait for another time. I'm taking it on a road trip soon and we'll see how it does.

Stopped for Chinese take out tonight and when I got back in the van had inadequate power to turn over, just a faint faint faint flicker of dash lights, then dead. I turned it off completely, 10 seconds later it fired up. Three days before I leave on a long road trip. On the way home with headlights on, flipped the blower on and the van damn near shut off at 60 mph. Obviously my work is not done. :wall: The Chinese food was good though-shrimp and scallops in garlic sauce. :)

As mentioned previously, I've considered redoing the direct wiring from the heater relay to the blower because it seems heavier than needed. I measured the direct wire at 4.1 mm and the 4-winds aftermarket blower wiring at 2.7 mm (that includes insulation, so I couldn't calculate the exact gauge but you get the idea). Would the resistance in the larger wire potentially be causing my near-shutoff problem? It's also probably 2 feet longer than the original harness wire would have been so it is definitely additional resistance.

Larger wire (heavier gauge) will reduce resistance. Longer wire will increase resistance.

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Originally Posted by tbuyan

Larger wire (heavier gauge) will reduce resistance. Longer wire will increase resistance.

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Well this is why I hate electrics. :LOL2:

I guess its impossible to say then whether the jury-rigged thicker-but-longer blower wiring has more or less resistance than it should.

You can measure the resistance with an ohmmeter is you can disconnect one end. I predict zero ohms (no resistance). It would have to be a hundred feet long to have measurable resistance.

Well onward I march. I found this question and answer intriguing, although it isn't Previa related.

https://www.justanswer.com/toyota/4a...an-turned.html
What you're going to find is that the air conditioning compressor has ceased or locked up. The reason why the engine stalls is because it creates a heavy load on the engine when the magnetic clutch is engaged. Whenever you're in either of the defrost modes and you turn the blower motor switch on it automatically engages the air conditioning compressor to help dehumidifier or clear the Windows.

Doing some in-garage testing, this unfortunately doesn't seem to be my problem because the headlights dim whether its on a defrost setting or not.

I've looked over the thread and am not sure you measured "AC" voltage across the battery terminals with the van running (i.e. the alternator running). AC shouldn't be more than say, 0.2 volts - something very close to zero. The parts stores may have measured that, but who knows. Here's the thing - when you measure a voltage on the DC setting the display shows an average, which is only truly accurate if it's really not rapidly bouncing above and below that value. The meter on the AC setting on the other hand will only display the amount of voltage variation, which should be close to zero volts if the alternator is working properly.

If there's significant AC voltage with probes on the + and - battery terminals, that could mean while the DC voltage is staying high frequently enough to read as OK on average, it isn't staying at that voltage constantly enough to push enough steady current to everything. An AC variation might also show up as a flicker on the lights, but it might be rapid enough that your eyes perceive it as a steady, but dimmed, light. The engine computer (and thus everything it controls) could also potentially be affected by an unsteady voltage.

Presumably that voltage variation would be greater (and a bigger potential problem) as the alternator tries to increase its voltage (remember that sensing wire from the battery through fuse to the alternator? The lower that battery voltage goes, the harder the alternator works to raise it back up by increasing its voltage output to the battery. And that's certainly going to happen with increased electrical demand from brake lights and blower motors).

As a backup I suggest you make room on your dash for some garlic, wolfsbane, a St. Christopher's medal, and perhaps a small tastefully framed photo of Kiichiro Toyoda. And no stopping for Chinese food.

I measured the AC across the terminals several times just now, and even read the manual on my cheapie, misnamed Smart Electrician Digital multimeter to make sure I was doing it right. I was. It came up with about 30.x volts every time, whether accessories were running or not.

I have a plastic dinosaur and fake flowers on the dash, and will only be getting Mexican carry out (and maybe some Thai) on my trip!

Well, unfortunately your multimeter can't do what you're asking of it. A lot of lower-cost multimeters aren't capable of just measuring the "ripple" (alternating) voltage that goes slightly up and down around the DC voltage level (like waves on the surface of the water). That's not from reading the instructions (which I did) but from the fact that 30V AC is a nonsensically high value - the result of some "fudging" calculations that inexpensive multimeters do internally that are thrown off because the meter can't really filter out the steady part of the voltage (DC) from the changing one (AC).

Any friends who have a 'spensive multimeter with "True RMS" AC measurements you could borrow? Yeah, me neither.
Call the parts store(s) you went to and ask if they'd be willing to swear on a stack of repair guides that they actually measured the "AC ripple" when they tested your charging system?
Find someone who can?
Remove the alternator and take it to a parts store or someone who can put it on a test fixture to spin it up and make measurements under different loads.

I know I'm fixated on the alternator. If it was me, I'd want to know for certain it was working properly before I considered more wire tracing.

Also curious: Are the fake flowers for the other dinosaur who was displaced by the sudden and inevitable betrayal of the other?

I called the store and they said they test for ripple but their $600 meter only mentions it if its excessive, and they didn't know what the bar was for being "excessive." Then I went and had it done again, with everything testing satisfactory.

I then priced alternators thinking maybe i would take one along just in case, but i didn't like the answer.

Well, hopefully your alternator is really not, as they say, boro-boro (nearly worn out).

As agitating as it is, it'd probably be a good idea to take a deep breath at some point and start checking things from the beginning again. A visual recheck to ensure there's no obvious looseness somewhere is always good of course.

If current draw from different devices is causing a problem, the issue has to be either the voltage source or resistance that shouldn't be there along the wiring shared by all those things - meaning the battery/alternator output through the fusible links and out to the loads, or the shared ground path back to the battery from those loads (chassis and ground strap). In any kind of wire or connector, any "bad" connection is going to cause a potential voltage drop. Examples include poor contact or corrosion between surfaces, broken strands of wire, and undersized wire). Larger wires than required are not a problem; the wiring harness could be redone with jumper cables and no more current would be used.

While circuits are powered, you measure DC voltage with the black probe on battery ground and the red where you're measuring. To avoid any potential measurement problem with having the meter's circuits in parallel with what you're measuring, it's preferable to measure the voltage to ground at either end and take the difference to get the voltage change. At all points on the path to the load's "plus" input, the voltage should stay close to the battery voltage; from the load's "negative" terminal to battery negative, the voltage should be close to zero (ground). The "load" being any one or combo of things that use up voltage, not wires and switches. You may even want to consider (carefully) using pins or unbent paper clips to get into places where a multimeter probe wouldn't normally fit.

If you're measuring resistance, it should be with everything off, the probes on either side of what you're measuring, and clearly nothing else connected between those points besides what you're measuring with the meter. If you aren't positive that's the case, disconnect one end of the thing you're measuring in order to know for certain there's not also another connection between the two points somewhere else. Without that disconnect, you'd be measuring a combined resistance across multiple paths, which would be inaccurate.

I wonder if I'm overlooking the obvious. We know my blower was disconnected and rewired by the previous idiot because of some problem. The harness was cut, and the cut wires are dead, the assumption being there was a problem in the harness that caused him to disconnect it. I wonder if my current problem isn't also in that same harness somewhere, which i have thus far avoided because it is hidden deep in the deepest innards of the dash-firewall and probably all wrapped up with other harnesses. Plus there was no urgent need, since the blower does work on high.

Just a departing thought, as I likely will not do much on this until I return to my garage in a couple months, unless I'm forced to.

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Originally Posted by man_btc

Well, hopefully your alternator is really not, as they say, boro-boro (nearly worn out).

As agitating as it is, it'd probably be a good idea to take a deep breath at some point and start checking things from the beginning again. A visual recheck to ensure there's no obvious looseness somewhere is always good of course.

If current draw from different devices is causing a problem, the issue has to be either the voltage source or resistance that shouldn't be there along the wiring shared by all those things - meaning the battery/alternator output through the fusible links and out to the loads, or the shared ground path back to the battery from those loads (chassis and ground strap). In any kind of wire or connector, any "bad" connection is going to cause a potential voltage drop. Examples include poor contact or corrosion between surfaces, broken strands of wire, and undersized wire). Larger wires than required are not a problem; the wiring harness could be redone with jumper cables and no more current would be used.

While circuits are powered, you measure DC voltage with the black probe on battery ground and the red where you're measuring. To avoid any potential measurement problem with having the meter's circuits in parallel with what you're measuring, it's preferable to measure the voltage to ground at either end and take the difference to get the voltage change. At all points on the path to the load's "plus" input, the voltage should stay close to the battery voltage; from the load's "negative" terminal to battery negative, the voltage should be close to zero (ground). The "load" being any one or combo of things that use up voltage, not wires and switches. You may even want to consider (carefully) using pins or unbent paper clips to get into places where a multimeter probe wouldn't normally fit.

If you're measuring resistance, it should be with everything off, the probes on either side of what you're measuring, and clearly nothing else connected between those points besides what you're measuring with the meter. If you aren't positive that's the case, disconnect one end of the thing you're measuring in order to know for certain there's not also another connection between the two points somewhere else. Without that disconnect, you'd be measuring a combined resistance across multiple paths, which would be inaccurate.

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One of these days/weeks before I do the return trip I will do some more testing. I made it cross country, some 1800 miles, but not without incident. It only died once (while parked), but new things happened (or maybe I just didn't have opportunity to notice them in my normal driving habits close to home). The turn signal caused the radio or cruise control to turn off a couple times. The brakes seem to be dimming the headlights more again. Something reset the clock once. Gremlins I guess.

Problem getting worse, more frequent no-starts, twice yesterday and twice today. I'm not sure when it blew but I noticed my coolant temp gauge illuminator bulb was dead before my trip. Today I noticed the Power Main relay (90987-02004) in the dash block gets awful hot. Probably all irrelevant but I dread trying to track this down. Nevertheless I'm going to pull the fuse block at the battery and check it real good again, then start trying to test. Seems i have no choice. The auto electric shop in town is booked out 2 weeks, and said they would call me back to schedule an appt but never called. The other place doesn't answer their phone and has dreadful reviews.

I removed the blower fuse just to see if that had any effect. I still get some very slight and very tolerable dimming, but so far no shut-offs or starting problems. Weather is such that I don't need a blower now anyway, so i will continue the experiment.

i only mention it to jinx myself. If something bad doesn't happen now, I may be on to something.

I don't have anything to offer but have read this full post and there are a lot of interesting learnings in it. I'm sorry you are having the trouble but reading this is a good learning experience for me. Good luck.

I sure does seem like something is wrong in the blower circuit. You know the wiring was messed with and pulling the fuse reduces the problem. That seems like two things pointing in the same direction but sometimes that doesn't work either.

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Originally Posted by Previologist

... Today I noticed the Power Main relay (90987-02004) in the dash block gets awful hot. Probably all irrelevant but ...

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Hot would worry me, but warmer than other two relays of its type would not. The Power Main relay is usually on, enabling power to the power accessories (doors, windows, moon roof). The Fog Lamp relay to its left, and the Engine Oil relay (in the row above, between the Fog Lamp and Power Main relays) are usually not on until their respective control switches are enabled, and so draw no current most of the time. That explains the temperature difference, but if it's too hot to touch, try swapping it with one of the other two and see if the heat stays with the relay or the function.

Attachment 12550


The MAIN relay gets quite hot, definitely hotter than the other 3 similar (round metal) relays most of the time. The FR-HTR (HI) relay also gets hot when the blower is on.

My FOG slot is empty, but to the left of that is a HORN and then TAIL. The other similar relay is ENGINE OIL LVL which never gets very warm. neither does HORN.

The TAIL also gets hot when the headlights are on, but not quite as hot as the MAIN. I can only keep my finger on the MAIN about 3 seconds when it is at it's hottest, and 8-10 seconds on the TAIL. Interestingly (to me) the MAIN cools off quite a lot when the blower is on. Then it is only warm.

I haven't tried switching it but since the hotness is situational it will likely be the same result. But I'll try it anyway

I haven't checked my relays to see how hot they get yet, but when you have resistance, you get heat. The coils in relays will produce some heat as they are energized, but relays should never get so hot you can't touch them. There could be corrosion on the pins for the relay, or the connections of the socket. Or, the relay contacts could be burned and present excessive resistance to the power they are switching. Having lights dim when something else is switched on is a clear sign that your circuit is not able to deliver the current needed to sustain the voltage it should.

Years ago I had a '67 VW that had tail lights that didn't work. The volt meter showed 12 volts at the bulb socket and the bulb tested good. Known good bulbs didn't work either. The fuse looked ok as well. I finally checked the voltage at the across the bulb when the lights were supposed to be on and it was very close to zero. It turned out the fuse element on the old style ceramic fuses VW used for a long time had oxidized and made for a very resistive connection. With no load (bulb removed) I could see 12 volts, but when the load was applied (bulb inserted) the bad connection at the fuse would only let a few electrons pass and the voltage would fall to zero. Electricity was passing through the bulb filament but not enough to get it hot. Cleaning the fuse fixed the issue.

It sounds like you have found the location of your problem, you just have to diagnose exactly what is causing the heat. Where exactly is the connection poor.
I also had Bosch relays with bad solder connections around the pins on the bottom in my 1995 Volvo wagon. A common problem that was solved with reflowing the solder around the pins. That was more of an intermittent issue though.

Keep checking voltages and good luck.

I switched the OIL LVL and MAIN yesterday, and nothing changed so at least I've definitively ruled out the relay itself. Could still be the connectors I suppose but I will rule that out and think it unlikely.

I also found that the TAIL gets hot even with just the running lights on. Not sure if that tells me I can rule out headlight wiring or not.

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Originally Posted by isights

Years ago I had a '67 VW .

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Grumpy old Fred, is that you?

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Originally Posted by Previologist

I switched the OIL LVL and MAIN yesterday, and nothing changed so at least I've definitively ruled out the relay itself.

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Thanks for making that check. I'd say it does rule out the relay; the only difference is that POWER MAIN is normally on, and OIL LVL normally off. I'm surprised the coil draws enough current to get really hot, but that must be the case. I'm regretting (for lots of reasons) the demise of my Prev, or would have just checked it myself (having never noticed that issue when I had it).

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Could still be the connectors I suppose but I will rule that out and think it unlikely.

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Agreed. IAC you could check that quickly by pulling the POWER MAIN relay, jumpering pins 1-3, and measuring the voltage from that jumper to ground (should be well under a volt), but I would not expect a problem there.

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I also found that the TAIL gets hot even with just the running lights on. Not sure if that tells me I can rule out headlight wiring or not.

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That's not surprising. In addition to powering the tail lights, the TAIL relay also energizes the DRL relay. Again, it just must be that the relay coil draws more current than we might expect.

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Grumpy old Fred, is that you?

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Thanks for the reminder of Fred Cisin - who probably could answer your question out of a lifetime of experience.

Prev,

I may have misread something you said in your very first post, that "I ran a new battery cable from the battery to ground, no change." Did that mean (I assumed) you actually replaced the long cable that runs all the way from the battery negative to the engine near the left engine mount? If not, here's something you may want to try: take one side of a jumper cable (i.e. a wire with the same color clamps at the ends), attach one end to the battery ground post and the other end to a good engine ground, maybe something you can get to under the driver's seat. With that known-good ground in place, see if your dimming goes away. If so, your engine-to-battery ground cable is the problem.

Attachment 12569

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Originally Posted by man_btc

Prev,

I may have misread something you said in your very first post, that "I ran a new battery cable from the battery to ground, no change." Did that mean (I assumed) you actually replaced the long cable that runs all the way from the battery negative to the engine near the left engine mount?

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No, alas, I'm not that smart. I just ran it to the nearest bolt in the body.

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If not, here's something you may want to try: take one side of a jumper cable (i.e. a wire with the same color clamps at the ends), attach one end to the battery ground post and the other end to a good engine ground, maybe something you can get to under the driver's seat. With that known-good ground in place, see if your dimming goes away. If so, your engine-to-battery ground cable is the problem.

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Thank you for posting this because I've been meaning to track down the place where battery ground meets engine and kept forgetting to ask where it is. So I found it now, and found a 1 inch gash in the ground cable a few inches above the end, where it is collecting dust and gunk and exposed to moisture etc.


https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/...6b/QD5Eb6P/9k=https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/...6b/QD5Eb6P/9k=Attachment 12570

But when I ran a jumper from the battery ground to the point this cable attaches (which looks fine and tight), I still had dimming of dash lights with brakes or blower. I then ran the jumper to a couple even cleaner dryer engine points under the seat, and still the dimming of dash lights persist.

I did not disconnect the gashed cable while performing these tests, so I don't know if that matters.

That break in the ground strap insulation doesn't look serious at all. And when you put the jumper cable in parallel with the ground cable you eliminated it as an electrical path that might be the problem given that the jumper cable should've been able to carry all the current by itself. Once there's a big enough wire to carry all the current required from one point to another, other wires connected along the same path don't make any difference.

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Originally Posted by man_btc

Once there's a big enough wire to carry all the current required from one point to another, other wires connected along the same path don't make any difference.

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Sounds like a bunch of Voodoo to me. :dizzy:

But it's probably a good thing I crawled under the van because I noticed another fun problem coming my way: my left front strut appears to be leaking oil. :no: That will definitely have to wait quite some time, because I can't do it until I get home in a few weeks and I can't do it then either because I have to replace the clutch in my 4runner first. Big fun. (not to mention the 4Runner timing belt and valve cover gaskets but those can wait)

I'm going to test my DRL wiring eventually but I'm a bit afraid to crack the plastic or brittle gaskets when I'm so far from my parts van so I may procrastinate that until I get home in April too. @Isights may be on to something and I've been planning to do that since before I left home

Re: Voodoo and wiring currents

Once your wiring capacity is big enough to carry all the current being drawn by the loads, the only thing that varies with extra wires connecting the same two points is how much of the total each carries. Let's say the jumper cable was the same size wire as the ground cable, and there wasn't anything wrong with the ground cable. In that case 1/2 the total current would flow through each. If you added two extra jumper cables, each of the four wires would then carry 1/4 of the current. Remove all the jumper cables and the (good) ground wire would go back to carrying 100% of the current - but again, the total current would always stay the same.

Did you ever find a solution for this problem? I'm experiencing same.

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Originally Posted by Colorado_previa

Did you ever find a solution for this problem? I'm experiencing same.

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My solution has been to ignore it. No, unfortunately I never pinned it down despite the great advice I got here on how to do so. I just grew weary of chasing it and have other more important things on the to-do list. It doesn't really affect the performance other than the annoying dimming of headlights.