Big Car Repair Screw-up
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jdjohn
Posts: 3,443
I was trouble-shooting a misfire in my son's 4Runner today, and while removing a spark plug, the ratchet handle touched the positive battery terminal. Big spark, and now no-go. I fear the worst...may have fried the entire electrical system, but hoping we had some fuse protection.
Now I have a better appreciation for the typical step one in auto repair - disconnect negative battery terminal.
Now I have a better appreciation for the typical step one in auto repair - disconnect negative battery terminal.
"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
Comments
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Get on some 4Runner web sites and present them with the question? I would guess a fuse blew first? I am on tundras.com and they help me out all the time. Be careful hanging around there. They can also help you spend your money. Just like the gentlemen on here.
Good luck. DMIT Magnum MH-750, Monster HTS 5100MKII, Sony 77" Class - A80CJ Series - 4K UHD OLED,PS4, Def Tech 15” sub,LSIM 706c, Sunfire Signature Grand 425 x 4,Parasound hca 120, LSiM 702 x 4, Oppo 103D, SDA SRS 1.2, Pioneer Elite SC63 , Pioneer Elite BDP-05 “Why did you get married if you wanted big speakers?” -
Check mainfuse in fuse relay box under hood.Since we don’t know where we are going we have to stick together in case someone gets there….Ken Kesey.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper REALLY likes you.
And the boots you lick will stomp you too. -
Exactly there is a main fuse that blew. All should be fine
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Hopefully it's just a fuse somewhere. Possibly one not too far from the battery terminal?
I can relate to you hitting the ratchet on the positive terminal. Many moons ago as a young newlywed I was wrenching on the positive terminal with pair of pliers. I came in contact with a ground with my wedding ring making the connection. The gold band was a great conductor and instantly turned red hot. I learned that lesson the painful way right then and there; always disconnect the negative side first. -
Thanks guys. I'll start with the main fuse, and go from there."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
I'm assuming the "no-go" means no power whatsoever....if that's the case that's surely better than cranking with no start.
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In case it's not the fuse...
Dunno if Toyota uses different wiring harness smoke than vintage (NOS) Lucas smoke?
The latter, of course, is still readily available for vintage British auto enthusiasts.
Just tryin' to cheer the OP up. Chances are, it's a fuse -- someplace!
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Haha, Doc! Really showing your age with that old joke
Luckily, no smoke or even burnt smell in my case. Whew!
That's correct...no power at all. Initially, the dashboard lights up as normal, but then all goes dark.I'm assuming the "no-go" means no power whatsoever....if that's the case that's surely better than cranking with no start."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
... Initially, the dashboard lights up as normal, but then all goes dark.
oh, that doesn't sound encouraging.
Did it only do that once, and then stay dark on a repeated trial, or does it do that again (light up, then dark) if the key's turned to ACC again?
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The pattern seems to be that, after sitting/resting for several minutes, put keys in ignition, ding, ding, ding, dash lights up as normal, turn key and all goes dark. Then it stays dark for any immediate repeat attempts.
Let it sit several minutes, and then the same pattern again. That was yesterday afternoon. I haven't looked at it, or tried it again, since. I'll look for the main fuse when I get home from work this evening."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
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I guess anything is possible, but we tried jumping it as well with no luck.nooshinjohn wrote: »Any chance the battery itself was damaged?
I was just reading about an older generation 4Runner with similar problem, and in it, there was a fusible link between the positive battery terminal and the fuse box that burned up."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
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Highly possible the battery shorted. This will not allow you to even jump it. When this happens weird things happen with the dash lights and instruments. Like the tach needle jumping around while trying to start and other oddities when turning the key. The battery shorts and can't find a ground.Since we don’t know where we are going we have to stick together in case someone gets there….Ken Kesey.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper REALLY likes you.
And the boots you lick will stomp you too. -
I did test battery voltage, and it has 12+VDC. I think my next step (should have done it yesterday) is to test for voltage reaching the main fuse box. If there's no juice getting there, it would indicate failed link between the terminal and the box."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
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Maybe there's enough of a 'link' remaining to initially light-up the dash, but then when any additional load is added, it says, 'nope'."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
^^Nope cant happen. That battery link opens there is no power to anything.Since we don’t know where we are going we have to stick together in case someone gets there….Ken Kesey.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper REALLY likes you.
And the boots you lick will stomp you too. -
Just goes to show how awesome this forum is! Everybody chiming in to try to help a brother out. Good luck. DMIT Magnum MH-750, Monster HTS 5100MKII, Sony 77" Class - A80CJ Series - 4K UHD OLED,PS4, Def Tech 15” sub,LSIM 706c, Sunfire Signature Grand 425 x 4,Parasound hca 120, LSiM 702 x 4, Oppo 103D, SDA SRS 1.2, Pioneer Elite SC63 , Pioneer Elite BDP-05 “Why did you get married if you wanted big speakers?”
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I've seen "nope" happen... But usually it's heavy corrosion related. Nothing saying the link can't still pass minimal current even when burnt.motorhead43026 wrote: »^^Nope cant happen. That battery link opens there is no power to anything.
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FWIW, I like @motorhead43026's hypothesis. Really and completely dead lead-acid batteries can do all kinds of weird things, including resist being jumped. I wouldn't think an instantaneous short-circuit as described in the OP could've damaged the battery without welding the ratchet to something firstbut, again, a really sudden and profound current drain and, perhaps (?) and iffy battery could cause an internal short and muck things up pretty significantly. My "understanding" (belief) is that the internal plates can warp in the individual cells that make up the battery (and a 12V car battery is a battery of cells -- unlike a "flashlight battery" which is in fact a single cell).
If another battery's handy, do a quick swap & see what happens!
No warranty and no liability on my part for any undesired outcomes, though!
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I belong here; great information and quick responses. For anything electrical, there is a member there that is a great help and someone who is super friendly. His user name is rigtec
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/
Shawn
AVR: Marantz SR-5011
Center Channel: Polk LsiM706c
Front: Polk LsiM703
Rear: LSI fx
Subwoofer: SVS 20-39pci
Television: Samsung UN58NU7100FXZA
DVD Player: Sony PS4 -
That same misfire could be related to a possibly shorted battery or defective battery.The ignition is battery excited, if it is not taking a charge or shorted, an ignition misfire is appropriate. It can still show 12 volts and be defective once put under load.Since we don’t know where we are going we have to stick together in case someone gets there….Ken Kesey.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper REALLY likes you.
And the boots you lick will stomp you too. -
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^^You are wrong, not on modern machines.
Go start your car and disconnect the battery. Report back with the results. And be sure to rev the engine while the battery is disconnected.
Since we don’t know where we are going we have to stick together in case someone gets there….Ken Kesey.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper REALLY likes you.
And the boots you lick will stomp you too. -
This content has been removed.
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I should be able to measure/test for CCA with my multimeter. If I have 12+VDC and a few hundred CCA, the battery should be considered good, right? I do have a trickle-charger as well if needed. Like I said, it is my son's truck, and we know how kids will often sit in their cars with the accessories on...not good for a battery.
BTW, for reference, this a 3rd generation 4Runner (2000), which shares the drive train and chassis of a Tacoma. This vehicle has 316K miles on it
"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
You will be using something alternate for your journey Saturday I hope.
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I should be able to measure/test for CCA with my multimeter. If I have 12+VDC and a few hundred CCA, the battery should be considered good, right? I do have a trickle-charger as well if needed. Like I said, it is my son's truck, and we know how kids will often sit in their cars with the accessories on...not good for a battery.
BTW, for reference, this a 3rd generation 4Runner (2000), which shares the drive train and chassis of a Tacoma. This vehicle has 316K miles on it
Make SURE you have a meter that will handle the DC amperage!!!
