FJ62 EFI relay failure (1 Viewer)

[Godwin]

I recently picked up an '88 FJ62 that I plan to use as a parts rig to go 2FE in my FJ60. But since it's actually in fairly decent condition it's being used as a driver until something major in the engine breaks. I bought it knowing it has a knock so I think it's only a matter of time.

Couple of weeks ago it was driven to the gas station where it died. A quick diagnosis pointed to the EFI main relay; no CEL and with a jumper wire the Cruiser would crank. The EFI main relay is NLA from Toyota.

Quick thread tangent. The red imported fire ant is a scourge of the southern US. These little nasty beasts entered the US in the 1940s through the port of Mobile, AL. They build characteristic mounds and when disturbed boil out by the hundreds to thousands in defense. They also widely forage on almost any type of food and are very difficult to eradicate. Here's a pic of a quiescent mound which I then pestered .

 

[Godwin]

Back to the relay. On the FJ62 the relay is located under the hood on the passenger side near the air filter. Since this can no longer be purchased from Toyota I swapped in a Bosch 30 amp relay. I clipped the wires from the dead relay and crimped on some 1/4" connectors. Plug-n-play from there, and it works and cost <$10 instead of $100. A spare will stay in the console.

 

[Godwin]

Back to the fire ants.

I was curious as to why the relay failed so I pulled it apart. Clustered around the contacts was a slug of dead ants and inside the cap were more loose bodies. Why they entered the relay in such large numbers I don't know . The dead ants were preventing the contacts from closing thus the relay "failed". Overall the relay looked good and I could see no signs of corrosion.

It was just ants.

 

[Dieseler]

It makes you wonder what else they penetrated in your Cruiser.
You may have helped them migrate further into the U.S.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, They destroy a.c. Units in Arkansas and Texas homes , they seem to love any type of wiring. Mike

 

[TobyB]

The original computer bug was a moth, I seem to remember...
...so the Cruiser bug is an ant?

Thanks for the pictures, Jim- the stingy side of me just can't see
laying out $100 for something I already have (in effect) by the dozen
in the parts bin...

Also, in the middle of a 2FE conversion with the attendant wiring DIY,
I can't figure out why they put the relay up there?
The wires all run back into the truck, to the ECU, etc, and the relay
could have been located in a drier, cooler place for a lot less hassle.

t

 

[Godwin]

This is some info I got from Beno regarding this relay:

To Beno:

Is the EFI main relay for FJ80s ('91-92) been discontinued? Since the relay for FJ62s is NLA just wondering if one from the FJ80 could be made to work.

From Beno:

The part supersedes to the same one as the rest of the 80 series rigs with 1FZ. Its actually the same relay as the blower motor fan for an FJ60/FJ62. It's used in a ton of applications throughout the Toyota line. 90987-02004-77 It's like $10. Not sure how it would be made to work though.

I know I have a couple of the blower motor fan relays lying around, just haven't gone to the trouble of digging one out to compare connections to the EFI relay.

 

[TobyB]

Hmmm, interesting-
I DID find that one relay has the same contact pattern,
but it doesn't have the right shape housing.
The EFI relay is a round housing, and the
other has a rectangular one.

t

 

[eknight]

Luckily my relay is still plugging along and I've managed to keep fire ants off my property for years now.

Most folks like to put poison on the mounds, but this generally only kills the workers and the colony just moves. Plus you just put poison into the same soil that tons of other animals and good insects forage through. There is a better, cheaper way: Club Soda. Pour at least 2L directly on top of a fire ant mound, making sure it runs down into the major tunnels and foams up really well, then walk away with a s***-eating grin knowing you just sucked every bit of available O2 from anywhere near those ants and they will ALL die of suffocation.


Definitely interested to see how the cheap Bosch relay works out in the long run, definitely seems like something to keep in the glove box for when the inevitable happens.

 

[SeattleFJ62]

Back to the relay. On the FJ62 the relay is located under the hood on the passenger side near the air filter. Since this can no longer be purchased from Toyota I swapped in a Bosch 30 amp relay. I clipped the wires from the dead relay and crimped on some 1/4" connectors. Plug-n-play from there, and it works and cost <$10 instead of $100. A spare will stay in the console.

Hello @Godwin I'm replacing my original relay, and, not being an electronics wizard, am not sure which wires go to which connectors on the new relay - is there a trick to testing the connectors with a multimeter, or can you let me know what color wire goes to which connector on the Bosch relay. And did you solder in a diode to prevent voltage spikes? Photos here of the wires: Toyota_EFI Relay - Google Drive. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Godwin]

Hello @Godwin I'm replacing my original relay, and, not being an electronics wizard, am not sure which wires go to which connectors on the new relay - is there a trick to testing the connectors with a multimeter, or can you let me know what color wire goes to which connector on the Bosch relay. And did you solder in a diode to prevent voltage spikes? Photos here of the wires: Toyota_EFI Relay - Google Drive. Thanks in advance for any help!

All I did was wire in a Bosch relay in place of the OEM. I cut the wires a the dead OEM relay and attached a 1/4" (I think) spade connector to each wire. No diode or anything other than the standard relay.

The prongs on the base of the replacement relay are numbered. This is how I attached the wires:

Large black/yellow stripe - 87
Small black/yellow stripe - 86
White/black - 85
Blue - 30.

 

[22590FJ62]

Back to the relay. On the FJ62 the relay is located under the hood on the passenger side near the air filter. Since this can no longer be purchased from Toyota I swapped in a Bosch 30 amp relay. I clipped the wires from the dead relay and crimped on some 1/4" connectors. Plug-n-play from there, and it works and cost <$10 instead of $100. A spare will stay in the console.

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View attachment 780567

I realize this is an old thread, but I am a new FJ62 owner (since March '20). I recently had a stall while splashing through standing water. About a month later, "Nancy" started stalling somewhat regularly. I got the infamous Code 51 and my mechanic suggested a new TPS, new TB gasket and 2 EFI relays. He also suggested possibly a distributor. "Nancy" recently got a tune-up where she got new spark plugs, new spark plug cables, a new distributor cap and rotor, an oil change, new fuel filter, new air filter and new oil filter. My mechanic said that water has corroded my relays. How 'plug and play' are the Bosch 30As? How has yours held up since the change? Thanks for any and all input!

 

[SteveH]

My mechanic said that water has corroded my relays. How 'plug and play' are the Bosch 30As?

You can buy fully waterproof versions of these (standard pattern) relays, FWIW.

 

[22590FJ62]

My mechanic said that water has corroded my relays. How 'plug and play' are the Bosch 30As?

You can buy fully waterproof versions of these (standard pattern) relays, FWIW.

Cool! Definitely worth it since our vehicles don't have splash panels underneath them. Where do I find what I'm looking for?

 

[SteveH]

Your basic Amazon deal: Amazon product ASIN B074QV54V1
A buddy of mine had one of these and after unlatching the relay from the base, we had a heckuva time getting it to click back together. It suffered from Chinesium, so maybe look at reviews and get a decent one.

 

[22590FJ62]

Your basic Amazon deal: Amazon product ASIN B074QV54V1
A buddy of mine had one of these and after unlatching the relay from the base, we had a heckuva time getting it to click back together. It suffered from Chinesium, so maybe look at reviews and get a decent one.

"Chinesium"...LOL. Well, my mechanic said I need 2 main EFI relays but the FSM doesn't say anything about 2. I did find a used, pulled part from CruiserParts.net but they are $50 each and are of the same, useless design. So if I get 2, should they both be these 30/40 ones?

 

[SteveH]

I'm sure the EFI system doesn't pull more than 20 amps! (or it surely better not).

 

[1911]

I'm sure the EFI system doesn't pull more than 20 amps! (or it surely better not).

Maybe not, but it seems obvious to me that whatever the stock (round) EFI relay in my 3FE-equipped 1991 FJ80 was rated, it was marginal. It would overheat regularly, and the truck would not start until it cooled down. I bought a brand new one from the dealer (this was 15+ years ago) and that one overheated also. Problem was solved when I hard-wired an aftermarket Bosch relay into the fuse box; I don't remember the amp rating now but the new heavier duty relay never overheated and the truck always started after that.

 

[22590FJ62]

Maybe not, but it seems obvious to me that whatever the stock (round) EFI relay in my 3FE-equipped 1991 FJ80 was rated, it was marginal. It would overheat regularly, and the truck would not start until it cooled down. I bought a brand new one from the dealer (this was 15+ years ago) and that one overheated also. Problem was solved when I hard-wired an aftermarket Bosch relay into the fuse box; I don't remember the amp rating now but the new heavier duty relay never overheated and the truck always started after that.

I was considering the 40/30, based off of other threads. Good info in your share! Thank you

 

[22590FJ62]

Back to the relay. On the FJ62 the relay is located under the hood on the passenger side near the air filter. Since this can no longer be purchased from Toyota I swapped in a Bosch 30 amp relay. I clipped the wires from the dead relay and crimped on some 1/4" connectors. Plug-n-play from there, and it works and cost <$10 instead of $100. A spare will stay in the console.

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View attachment 780567

@Godwin

Was this done for the replacement to part number 85915-60010? My mechanic says I need to replace 2 relays to get "Nancy" running well again. The 2 are in the front passenger wheel well. I have found part 1 and part 2 on CruiserParts.net but everything I've bought from them in the past has been utter crap. Also, part 1 [85915-60010] is $100 used and part 2 [85910-14020] is $50 used. I am not sure that spending $150 on some used parts from that website is going to be the right move. Let me know what you think, please.

Also, I have a 5 pack of some Bosch-type relays I bought off of Amazon about a month ago. Their description is as follows: "40/30 AMP 12V DC Waterproof Relay & Harness". Could one of these be used for part 1? Your original post indicates yes. What do I do about part 2? Thanks for any and all help with this matter.

"Nancy" is a daily driver and I'd prefer she stopped stalling on me. She has the following new parts: radiator, battery, battery cables and grounds, spark plugs, spark plug cables, distributor cap, ignition rotor, fuel filter, throttle position sensor, air filter, oil filter, starter, oil pressure sender gauge and alternator.