Starting issue- new to me 92 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Sep 2, 2020
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48
Location
nor cal
Howdy guys!
I just picked up my first ever toyota.
I’ve always admired the 90s era rigs up here in NorCal (sac area) and this LC fell into my lap at the unbeatable price of 200 bucks.

My main problem is a starting issue.
after purchasing the LC I drove it to work, started and ran fine.
came out, and battery is dead.
co worked jumped me, went home fine.
had the AC on and it was surging pretty bad. Parked it for the night, next day no start like battery is dead again.
checked battery, has normal voltage disconnected from LC checked again the following morning And same~15 volts
Jumped the LC with my truck, runs great at idle, unhooked my truck, still idling great, then dies when I put the AC on, I tried all the other lights and stuff only the AC kills it.

My conclusion is that if my battery is good, my LC idles fine off itself then the alt is ok too, and it starts perfectly fine every time I jump it so it’s not my starter either and the ac works great no surging when my truck is connected still. After some reading on here it looks like I’ve narrowed it down to the fusible link, efi fuse, or something AC related.
Thanks in advance.
 
I think you also need to have your battery properly tested. Also as a new LC owner you may not be aware that when the AC is on and the compressor is engaged, the ecu will increase the idle by a few hundred RPMs. Maybe this is the surging that you are experiencing.
 
A properly charged good battery will be ABOVE 12.5 volts when engine is off.
If 12.5 V or below, it is dead.
 
Now after I jump it when I disconnect my truck the FJ dies in about 3-4 min. Not really sputtering like a gas problem.
My fusible link didn’t look too bad when I cracked it open.
No CEL when my key is in the on position

is there a way to jump my fusible link To see if my Ecu will receive power?
 
Hi, Change your efi relay in the engine fuse box. Mike
 
Hi, Change your efi relay in the engine fuse box. Mike

The black box or the fuse?

-update
I pulled the efi fuse and with my truck connected didn’t get a cel
Popped it back in and got the cel in the on pos
I threw a zip tie on the throttle cable and it kept the engine alive with no accessories for about 10 min, I added the ac and the high beams & the engine immediately started losing power.

starting to think Occam’s razor might be right and it’s my battery.
I’ll pull it and bench test it tomorrow when my buddy comes over with his FZJ80
 
Last edited:
As mentioned earlier, a properly charged battery AT REST should read 12.7 VDC. Your post said it was reading 15 volts when disconnected from the truck in the morning. That is not physically possible for a battery at rest. Please recheck your readings.
After the alternator charges the battery, it will retain a "surface charge" and read higher than 12.7, but 15 is not possible.
 
As mentioned earlier, a properly charged battery AT REST should read 12.7 VDC. Your post said it was reading 15 volts when disconnected from the truck in the morning. That is not physically possible for a battery at rest. Please recheck your readings.
After the alternator charges the battery, it will retain a "surface charge" and read higher than 12.7, but 15 is not possible.

I had it bench tested and it onlywas putting out 2 CCA so.... yea....
replaced it and fired up first shot.

hopefully it passes smog this week.
I’ll update this thread if my electrical issues come back.
 
Well came out to go to work this morning, and it was dead.
used my little pack to jump it, died on my way to work.

anyone know the usual things that would kill a brand new battery over night?
aftermarket radio was manually turned off.
don't have an alarm system.
the only add-ons I can see are trailer plugs & brake controller?
 
Sounds like your alternator is not charging the battery.

It would only be charging while the car was running, no?
If it was running fine at night, and in the morning completely dead- that could be my alternator?
It seems more like something is drawing power even when the keys aren't in it.
I'll check the alt. though.
 
It would only be charging while the car was running, no?
If it was running fine at night, and in the morning completely dead- that could be my alternator?
It seems more like something is drawing power even when the keys aren't in it.
I'll check the alt. though.
You said it died on the way to work. I assume you had the engine running while driving. If the battery was depleted and the alternator was not charging, then the truck would die from lack of power.
If you put a brand new battery in with a faulty alternator, every time you drive the battery is getting depleted.
A quick test would be to put a meter across the battery terminals with the engine running. A healthy alternator will put out 14.4 volts to charge the battery.
Without the engine running, with the battery at rest for a few hours, you should read 12.7 for a full charge. 12.1 volts is 50% discharged.
 
You said it died on the way to work. I assume you had the engine running while driving. If the battery was depleted and the alternator was not charging, then the truck would die from lack of power.
If you put a brand new battery in with a faulty alternator, every time you drive the battery is getting depleted.
A quick test would be to put a meter across the battery terminals with the engine running. A healthy alternator will put out 14.4 volts to charge the battery.
Without the engine running, with the battery at rest for a few hours, you should read 12.7 for a full charge. 12.1 volts is 50% discharged.

ah, that makes a lot more sense than the way I was thinking of it.
Thank you for the help.
I'll be checking it out when I get it home.
 
Hi, If you get rid of the smog pump it will be easy to replace the alternator. Mike
 
Hi, If you get rid of the smog pump it will be easy to replace the alternator. Mike

unfortunately I need the smog pump here in CA...
only pre 65 gas and pre 98 (I think) diesels get to go smogless.
I ended up just pushing it over to the shop next door to my work to have them replace it and then smog it so I can finish the transfer of the title.
Not really what I wanted to do, but at the moment I have the money and not the time.
Usually I'm in the opposite circumstance and would be doing this in the drive way.
 
Howdy guys!
I just picked up my first ever toyota.
I’ve always admired the 90s era rigs up here in NorCal (sac area) and this LC fell into my lap at the unbeatable price of 200 bucks.

My main problem is a starting issue.
after purchasing the LC I drove it to work, started and ran fine.
came out, and battery is dead.
co worked jumped me, went home fine.
had the AC on and it was surging pretty bad. Parked it for the night, next day no start like battery is dead again.
checked battery, has normal voltage disconnected from LC checked again the following morning And same~15 volts
Jumped the LC with my truck, runs great at idle, unhooked my truck, still idling great, then dies when I put the AC on, I tried all the other lights and stuff only the AC kills it.

My conclusion is that if my battery is good, my LC idles fine off itself then the alt is ok too, and it starts perfectly fine every time I jump it so it’s not my starter either and the ac works great no surging when my truck is connected still. After some reading on here it looks like I’ve narrowed it down to the fusible link, efi fuse, or something AC related.
Thanks in advance.

You may want to check your allternator. put a multi meter on the battery set to voltage. you should see about 12 -14 volts. now turn on the engine and check it agian. the voltage should be quite higher. 15-20 volts. if the voltage is unchanged, you probably have a bad alternator.
 
You may want to check your allternator. put a multi meter on the battery set to voltage. you should see about 12 -14 volts. now turn on the engine and check it agian. the voltage should be quite higher. 15-20 volts. if the voltage is unchanged, you probably have a bad alternator.
Your voltage numbers are incorrect for a 12 volt automotive system.
A fully charged automotive battery at rest will read approx 12.7 volts as read across the battery terminals. If it has a recent surface charge, approx 13.2.
When the alternator is charging the battery it should read approx 14.4.
If you're seeing 15-20, the voltage regulator in your alternator is not working and you have a very good chance of overcharging the battery and damaging other electronics. That's why you have a voltage regulator.
 
Update-
Alternator replaced
New battery

no problems thus far.
thanks for the help guys.

looking forward to building this car out over winter to be ready for next camping season since quar & fire season basically killed this whole year for us here in nor cal
 

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