Spastic EFI Relay & Ghostly Door Chime (1 Viewer)

[cruzerDave]

This thread is a partial continuation of this one: in need of ideas on two problems with the cruiser (thanks to @jerryb for some good suggestions there) but as that one had starting & driving issues, and mine does not, I felt a more accurate title and focused discussion were warranted.

PLUS this is maddening and if anyone else runs into this I thought I would document as I go to save them grief.

SYMPTOMS
- With truck off, key out of ignition, EFI relay begins chattering.

It can do this immediately on shut off, or come back later and find it going. Will continue, AFAIK, indefinitely until your battery is dead. (I pull mine now overnight or at work)
- After shutting off truck, and removing key from ignition, the instrument light and door chime for the "you left your key in the ignition" are going. Buuuuut there's no key in the ignition. Key fob won't lock the doors but they can be locked with the door switch. Security light sometimes comes on, sometimes doesn't (I haven't been religious on data collection on it).
- Barely inserting the key, maybe 1/8" stopped both problems last night, but I can't say that's 100% repeatable since I only tested this once last night.
- NO problems starting, running, or any other activity when the switch is in the ignition. This is just with key out.
- The symptoms have come and gone - here for 2 days, gone for a week, back for a day, etc. - no discernible rhyme or reason.

Based on the thread above, the ignition switch was blamed, particularly a spot where the plastic can wear down revealing copper. I replaced mine last night to find the same wear:

So woohoo right? Unfortunately, I put everything together and plugged the battery back in to immediately hear the EFI relay start chattering again. When I removed the old switch it was chattering, and I checked the resistance on the old switch and found no active shorts before I took it apart for the above pic. Pretty conclusive that was a $120 wild goose chase.

One of @jerryb 's great suggestions was this Lexus thread where they have identical problems:
EFI Relay, ignition clicking/dead battery solution!!! - Lexus IS Forum
In that one there is a fix by cleaning the contacts on the "Unlock Warning Switch" and sure enough I can find one of those in the FSM:

But before I go on an electrical scavenger hunt (can't even tell exactly what where that switch is in the diagram, or how slightly inserting the key would even activate it all the way down there), has anyone run across this and fixed it, and can share their pain & wisdom with me? I really hate electrical problems...

 

[cruzerDave]

and trying to find the part online in order to help me spot what it might look like the best I can find is "Key Alarm Switch"

Switch - Toyota (84052-33040)

but that looks like a connector, not a switch???

 

[jerryb]

Sorry that didn't fix your problem. I think that rx300 guy's post is pretty good. I'd try what he did. I'd also check all the door switches first. (quick and easy) and make sure the key transponder thing shuts off the security light right when you insert the key into the cylinder, if it doesn't, or sometimes does and sometimes doesn't. then I'd go after that two wire switch below.
My light goes out after I put the key in past the first 'door' in the cylinder and then an addittional 1/8" or so.

 

[cruzerDave]

Thanks @jerryb - I missed that switch check page in the manuals (for those looking he clipped BE-28&29) and it will be helpful tonight! More to follow...

 

[cruzerDave]

Work has been super busy so no time to check switch yet, but additional data: the last 2 days door chime when key removed and leaving the truck, but NO EFI relay craziness.

Today: EFI chattering and NO door chime when key removed and leaving vehicle. Slightest insertion of the key triggers the 'key in' and the EFI relay stops. Not sure why, if it IS the switch, the EFI goes at all, or why it is acting in an either/or mode at the moment with the door chime, so figured I would add to the thread for posterity (and cause I will forget all this later)

 

[edco]

cruzerDave, just wanted to check your progress I have the exact same problem and today changed the ignition switch hoping for a solution only to be right back where I started. I found your thread and thought perhaps you might have the solution to our problem? Have you tried testing your switch yet, gosh this problem is so annoying. Thanks for taking the time to post your findings with photos. I'll report back if I make any headway. I'm working on a 1999 LC with 187K miles miles the clock...

 

[cruzerDave]

@edco thanks for the reminder, I haven't done the switch because I wanted to buy a replacement first and have on standby - trying to minimize how many times I have to get into there... just ordered from the oh-so-excellent Toyota of Dallas online.

In the meantime I have figured out a bit more. First, there is a 100% repeatable connection between when the EFI relay goes wacky and when the key-in-the-lock chime goes. Meaning, when the key chime goes, the EFI will NOT go. When the key chime does NOT go, then you can bet money the EFI relay WILL start up. So, knowing that, it was a matter of fiddling and testing to get the key chime to go every time so I do not have to crawl under there and unplug my EFI relay to save battery. Turns out that if you shut down and pull the key, and the key chime does not go, just put the key back in, turn all the way to run (not start) and back off, repeat a few times, then remove the key, and bingo you should have the annoying key chime! You might have to repeat that a few times, but for me it has been a reliable way to keep the EFI relay from going, and I have had no battery drain problems or other issues (other than triple-checking my pockets for my keys every time to make sure I really didn't leave my keys in the ignition).

Once the switch gets here it should be a quick change and after that I'll report back.

 

[jerryb]

I think you found your answer, hopefully.

 

[edco]

@cruzerDave OK so I have changed the Key Unlock Warning Switch and am still having problems. However it looks like it did get rid of the chattering rely, I now have a constant key in situation, door chime when the car is off and key removed and am unable to lock the doors with the key fab. My temporary solution was to unplug the new Key Unlock switch, I would like to really track this problem down and while the chattering rely is gone the system now thinks there is a key in the ignition no matter what. I did not look to see what activates the little tab on the new switch, could something in the ignition lock cylinder be worn out as well? Perhaps the switch is not being activated? In any case the chattering rely is gone for now but I would love to here your thoughts and what happened on your rig as our problem was identical - chime in when you can - Matt

 

[cruzerDave]

You beat me to the install, and that is NOT what I was hoping you were going to say...

My part got lost, then reshipped, and only arrived last week - no time yet to install was but was eyeballing this weekend. I will post back once done, but at the moment all of my problems have disappeared for more than a week so it'll be hard to say if this was the problem or not.

If you are getting an always-in reading is it possible the new switch is bad? Did you take apart/measure resistance on the old and the new for comparison?

Final thought (I was going to do this as a PM one of these days) but perhaps it's not the switch but what it mounts *into* starting to fail?: For Sale - 98-2007 100 Series Ignition Bracket Assembly MUST HAVE

 

[edco]

Well my switch arrived and the clicking/chiming is driving me crazy so I replaced it. The old switch was brittle and it broke when I pulled it so I did not test it. There is always a chance I got a bad switch. But something differently did change with the new switch, the EFI clicking was gone but I had the door chime 100% of the time. As well as everything that goes with that like not being able to use the fob to look the doors etc. I'm going to take a look at the thread on the ignition bracket and see what that's all about

So now I'm waiting on you will figure this out in time - keep me posted - Matt

 

[richg]

Had this problem manifest itself over last two days. On day one, upon key removal and door open, the "key in ignition" chime kept dinging. If I played with the key in and out several times, I could get it to stop. But even with the problem present, I could still close the doors and lock them with the remote fob (the dinging stopped as soon as the door was closed).

Today, efi relay started chattering non-stop when my wife went to drive the truck. I could fiddle with the key in the ignition a bit and get it to stop sometimes, but it would come back.

I'm in a pinch and won't have time to get the parts here before when I need the truck, so elected to just clean the contacts as best I could on the "unlock warn switch" described above. It is a little white switch is on top of the ignition housing, easily accessible after removing the dash trim and then removing the key cylinder. I sprayed a bunch of electrical contact cleaner into the switch and cycled it numerous times by hand. All is good....for now .

rich

 

[Spike555]

I had this problem, the passenger front sunroof drain was clogged, water was dripping onto the computer behind the passenger kick panel.
Blew out the sunroof drain with compressed air, problem gone.

 

[MattyO]

Anyone else find a solution to this problem? I have exact same issue and need to fix it.

 

[cruzerDave]

I had this problem, the passenger front sunroof drain was clogged, water was dripping onto the computer behind the passenger kick panel.
Blew out the sunroof drain with compressed air, problem gone.

Thought I posted an update but not seeing it so... my problem disappeared once the rain stopped. When it rained, back again. Noticed moisture near my passenger footwell, had to change my rack setup anyway and when I reassembled I extra-RTV'd and gasketed the brackets into the roof channel holes and voila, have not had a problem since (dozens of storms and more than a year). So safe to conclude between my and @Spike555's experiences that this is a water issue (as your first troubleshooting step anyway).

 

[Spike555]

These trucks do NOT like water at all, which is extremely disappointing.
My Land Rover didn't care. You could drown that thing and it would shake it off and keep going, my Land Cruiser...not so much.

 

[MattyO]

Man I am stumped. I pulled the passenger kick panel and no trace of moisture. I blew out sunroof drains for good measure.

My relay clicks and my key in ignition buzzer are both acting up and it is somehow related. I can leave the door open with the key out and the buzzer will ding even though the key is not in. It doesn’t do it constantly, but for a few seconds then it will stop. As soon as it stops the relay will start clicking and then when the buzzer starts again the relay stops. If I leave my key in the key in ignition buzzer it works as it should and the relay does not click. This is the only thing I can do to stop the relay from clicking. Thoughts before I start throwing money at parts??

 

[richg]

Thoughts before I start throwing money at parts??

Read my post #12 above. The unlock warning switch is likely your culprit based upon what you describe.

 

[Spike555]

Man I am stumped. I pulled the passenger kick panel and no trace of moisture. I blew out sunroof drains for good measure.

My relay clicks and my key in ignition buzzer are both acting up and it is somehow related. I can leave the door open with the key out and the buzzer will ding even though the key is not in. It doesn’t do it constantly, but for a few seconds then it will stop. As soon as it stops the relay will start clicking and then when the buzzer starts again the relay stops. If I leave my key in the key in ignition buzzer it works as it should and the relay does not click. This is the only thing I can do to stop the relay from clicking. Thoughts before I start throwing money at parts??

You will not see signs of water. IF water is the problem, once the leak is fixed and the truck dries out everything will be fine.
That's what makes figuring this out so difficult, you cannot see any signs of water. So you do not know if that is the actual problem of not.