Sudden electrical issues (1 Viewer)

[caz]

Hi all,

Did a timing belt on my 2004 GX a few weeks ago.

All well there, but I suddenly have a few electrical issues (can't imagine they are related... I had the battery disconnected)

Interior lights keep blowing the fuse
Gauges take a long time to "come alive" when starting
The trip meter always resets to zero on its own

Anyone have insight on these issues?

 

[caz]

Figured I'd help the next guy out.

Turned out to be the wire in the passenger visor was shorted. Pulled the visor, and left it off, put in a new fuse and everything is peachy!

 

[La Javelina GX]

I had the same issue but no symptoms of a problem existed. Discovered the short when I was installing a pedal booster under the dash. I saw factory wire harnesses burned. Ended up being the visor vanity light wire as well. I wish I caught it earlier. Would have saved me from replacing 38 wires.

 

[WTITW]

I had the same issue but no symptoms of a problem existed. Discovered the short when I was installing a pedal booster under the dash. I saw factory wire harnesses burned. Ended up being the visor vanity light wire as well. I wish I caught it earlier. Would have saved me from replacing 38 wires.

Only a Toyota would burn up a wiring harness and have it effect.... almost nothing.

 

[Rednexus]

Did this result in the visor lights not working after the short? My wife was driving my GX on Tuesday and said it had a burning electrical smell and some haziness in the cabin. I've been over the rig quite a bit and everything seems OK but I haven't pulled off the kick panels to look at the main harness. Both visor lights are working. I do have some aftermarket switches and wiring but it's all fused and completed with heat-shrink connectors and all of my aftermarket stuff seems to be working just fine.

It's disconcerting that a short like that didn't burn a fuse before smoking the wire - that is what fuses are supposed to prevent.

 

[caz]

Mine blew the fuse as soon as the visor was lowered.

 

[La Javelina GX]

Did this result in the visor lights not working after the short? My wife was driving my GX on Tuesday and said it had a burning electrical smell and some haziness in the cabin. I've been over the rig quite a bit and everything seems OK but I haven't pulled off the kick panels to look at the main harness. Both visor lights are working. I do have some aftermarket switches and wiring but it's all fused and completed with heat-shrink connectors and all of my aftermarket stuff seems to be working just fine.

It's disconcerting that a short like that didn't burn a fuse before smoking the wire - that is what fuses are supposed to prevent.

Yes, they don’t work after the short but I chose not to have them rewired. The fuse was still intact, when I discovered the short I removed it. I took it to an automotive electrician for the work. He said the same thing, it’s odd that the fuse didn’t go and allowed the wires to burn up. The electrician asked if I wanted to replace the visor wiring or kill the circuit since the wires were untouched from the factory. I don’t need those vanity lights so I opted not to replace them.

I have an 03’ by the way so who knows if anything changed from the factory over the years.