Christmas dash (dash lights stay on; dash lights come on while driving)

You will want to address that oil leak or else you will be replacing the alternator again in a few months

Hi i posted this in my own thread but i guess i have to jack this thread. My problem seems to be from Christmas lights directly after swapping fuse box

I swapped out my fuse box, checked all the fuses, checked the wiring on the backside harnesses, all seemed pretty good. But i got Christmas lights. Radi, charge, and temp lights stay on now.

Checked the voltage at the terminals while van is running. 12.45, not ideal! Checked the positive box under the seat, 12.4 amp to common. Belt is fine and spinning away. no oil on alternator.

Double checked the charge fuse, seems fine. Double checked the rear connection corresponding to the charge fuse, seems fine. I literally drove the van to where i swapped the fuse block, and suddenly it has xmas lights. I really want to believe it's not the alternator here. It was fine 6 hours ago on the way in.

Also, i thought it was weird that the fuse block has one entire connector missing. On the back its on the bottom in the middle, 3 prongs, 3, 4, 10. Seems odd. Whats this for? The icemaker or something else i dont have?

I Checked the fusible links, 1 is fine, 2 i replaced with a 15 amp fuse, still dash lights

Really seems like it's the alternator to me, but im pretty new at electronics. Is there anywhere else i should specifically check out? I've searched the search bar and there's nothing that talks about this specifically, related to fuse box stuff.


Please advise. Thnxx

Hello!

I'm posting here, but this could also be over in one of the alternator threads. But I'm still in denial that it's the alternator so I'm posting here. :cry:

So while driving this evening, I noticed christmas lights on the dash flickering on every once and a while. Also noticed the other lights on the dash, (lighting the speedo, etc.) dimming every now and again. Almost seemed like that dimming, if it was a heavy dim, would lead into the christmas flash.

The alternator was replaced in September. From what I can see, there's no leakage onto the alternator from the PS pump, which is leaking, but a verrrry small, tiny tiny amount, and has been for a while, way before the last alternator. I suppose there could be some leakage I am not seeing causing it to fail this soon, or maybe I just got a bunk alternator??

I guess my question is, could there be something else causing the xmas flash?

I'm going to keep digging around on the threads and see if I find anything. I realized today when this was happening, I immediately thought, TVT forum! This is such a huge resource, its amazing. Thank you, everyone, Tim especially, for all this great information, stories, everything.
:bluevan::silvervan::redvan::yellowvan::greenvan:

-Terry

Hi Terry, Although leaks on the alternator are never good, I too doubt one so small would cause it to fail so soon. After 30 years the wire harness going into the back of the alternator can become damaged, so that's the next likely thing. Sometimes the little wires can even break inside the insulation and that can cause an intermittent problem. Sadly the complete alternator harness from Toyota is NLA, but you can still get the little round plug with wires and splice that into the system. Links to that part on Amazon and/or eBay have been posted in the forum multiple times before, so check the other alternator threads for more info on that. Good luck. Tim

Has anyone with Christmas lights ever experienced a fast clicking relay behind the glove box ONLY when the A/C is turned off?

So far I have checked all fusible links, replaced the alternator and both of the relays that were clicking.

The ONLY thing not working on my van is AC (front does not get cold, rear does). Other than that the only symptoms is clicking relay and xmas lights on dash.

Since that relay only clicks when AC is turned off it must be related to my AC, but not sure if it is related to my dash lights.

In my world, a clicking relay is a relay that isn't being powered correctly (insufficient voltage &/or ground).

What alternator did you install? Denso??
There is a long list of threads about alternators and how many A/M rebuilds aren't worth installing.

Fusible links are cheap and easy to replace, having been fooled by one that looked good, I don't trust my eyes anymore (it passed the continuity test too!)
If there's any possibility it could be at fault, I change it.
And anytime you eliminate a potential fault, it really isnt a waste of time/money.
Worst case scenario, you now have a "known good spare" :)

No mention of power steering pump condition or alternator harness or any of the other things that have been touched on, in this very thread?

I had this issue on and off and discovered a few things to do on addition to all the good help here. After replacing the alternator years ago, the lights flickered on and off and I dealt with dead batteries needing a jump. Obviously the alternator wasn't charging the battery. I tightened down the cables on the alternator and used this from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZBLP24V...ing=UTF8&psc=1
to cover the terminal. Then I cleaned and heat shrinked the connectors to the + box. Haven't had the lights flicker since and no dead batteries. Again with all the additional help here it's going well.