It died. Help! :( ... No Spark, no interior or brake lights, can't get out of Park... (1 Viewer)

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May 23, 2016
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Anacortes, WA
Hi,

I have a 99 V8 (gas) Land Cruiser... I have a crappy radio in it that tends to slowly drain the battery, and I forgot to disconnect the battery last time I parked it...

Sat for 3 or 4 weeks... Tried to put my jump pack on it and it turned over but no spark... Also didn't want to shift out of Park.

Replaced the battery (it was dead totally dead, charger wouldnt even try to charge it) ... New battery, same thing.

Turns over.. No sign of spark. Also noticed I don't have interior lights (including dash) ... Power locks/windows dont work... Still cant shift out of park... Brake lights dont work. etc.


Seems almost all the electrical is just dead. About the only things working are the starter and the actual headlights (w/out dash or tail lights).

Any ideas? Really appreciate any suggestions... Hopefully it's a cheap fix, I'm out of work thanks to this !()#@* virus. :(

Thanks!
 
What does the security light do when you put your key in the ignition?
 
Only light on the dash is the door open light (the door was open). Nothing else lights up at all, doesnt matter if the key is off, on, or starting.
The security light is located on the center dash below the radio. It flashes red. What does it do when you put your key in the ignition?
 
 
  1. Notice any rodent chewed wires under the hood?
  2. There are some big fuses in fuse boxes under the hood that could take out a lot of circuits.
  3. Loose or corroded wires / terminals?
 
The security light is located on the center dash below the radio. It flashes red. What does it do when you put your key in the ignition?
Oh, hah, derp, never noticed that light before (I have a 10.1" display on my head unit so it kind of covers it) .. It blinks until I put the key in, then almost immediately goes dark.
 
Interesting, will check out the thread, thanks.
 
  1. Notice any rodent chewed wires under the hood?
  2. There are some big fuses in fuse boxes under the hood that could take out a lot of circuits.
  3. Loose or corroded wires / terminals?
Nothing obvious... Dark out right now, will have to take a closer look tomorrow...
 
Appears I have a Master Key (Security light goes off when I put the key in)... :/
 
I'm sure you've already checked your fuses, and I'd go back and double check to make sure your your battery terminals are Ok. I had a cracked battery clamp one time and I was having an intermittent charging issue and it took me awhile to figure out it was the problem.

Do what the other guys mentioned and see if a mouse or something chewed some wires.

The next thing I'd do, if you know your head unit is draining the battery, pull it and re-wire it to correctly.

Also, if you need to get it out of park, there is a little plastic cap around the shifter that you can removed and use a screwdriver to override the shift lock.
 
Also, if you need to get it out of park, there is a little plastic cap around the shifter that you can removed and use a screwdriver to override the shift lock.

Override.jpg
Override2.jpg
 
I'd start with the basics ... really make sure your connections to the battery are tight, clean off any corrosion, and check your fuses. Could pick up a cheap test light/probe ($4 at Harbor Freight) to see if power is getting to the wires, fuses, etc.

Watched a video on this recently:

Turned out it was the main fuse... but granted, that vehicle wasn't turning over, nothing happening. But would help you eliminate the simple things.
 
Ok, quick update...

Replaced the battery... Turns over good, no other changes... Replaced the 140 and 100 amp fusable links (in the box connected to the battery)... One of them appeared bad and both were very brittle so I replaced them both. That restored power to everything. All interior/exterior lights working, can shift out of Park again, etc...

However still no spark...

Checked the rest of the fuses under the hood and everything looked good... No obvious rodent damage to any wires... Battery connections and stuff all seem solid/clean.

So now I'm just down to a no-start situation... and worrying about what could have caused a 100+ amp fuse to blow. :/ ...
 
Did you do anything near the alternator? Is the alternator B-post is exposed? It is a live wire and shorting that could blow that Bussman fuse.
 
Did you do anything near the alternator? Is the alternator B-post is exposed? It is a live wire and shorting that could blow that Bussman fuse.
I haven't touched anything in that area... One day it was fine, then it sat for a while and when I went to start it it was dead... Didnt even open the hood inbetween.

I'll check it out and make sure nothing is hanging that could have shorted it, but I definitely didn't work on anything that could have caused it to accidentally happen.
 
Have you actually tested all of the fuses or are you just looking at them?

There are threads about random no-starts and the culprit appears to be the EFI 20 amp fuse. Some have swapped it with a 20, others with a 25. Have you tried that?
 
Have you actually tested all of the fuses or are you just looking at them?

There are threads about random no-starts and the culprit appears to be the EFI 20 amp fuse. Some have swapped it with a 20, others with a 25. Have you tried that?
I havent tested all of them, but I did pull that fuse and drop in a paperclip just to test it and it didn't change anything...
 
Others have solved the problem with EFI relay or fuel pump. If you (carefully) can pull the fuel line on the engine side of the fuel filter, you could have someone crank and see if any fuel is being delivered. Have you been able to confirm you're getting power to the coils/plugs?
 

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