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Electrical accessories not working

18K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  NY RAV 
#1 ·
Help! I'm new to the forums. I just did an engine swap on 2003 Toyota Rav4. The engine started but none of the interior electrical accessories are working. What did I do wrong or what did I need to fix to make everything work please help !
 
#5 · (Edited)
The engine started but none of the interior electrical accessories are working. !
None is kind of general. Assuming that a fuse may be blown, answering the following questions will help narrow down what fuse it may be.

1) Does the radio work
2) Do the hazard lights work
3) Do the dome lights work
4) Does the cigarette lighter work

VOM=voltmeter?
Volt, Ohm, Meter. The two functions of a legacy multi-meter.
 
#6 ·
There are only a few things left working, such as hazards and dome light. Most of the other things are not, including; gauges, radio, power windows, door locks, turn signals, windshield wipers, brake lights, power mirrors, etc. and the transmission won't shift out of park unless I manually push the shift lock release.
 
#10 ·
Akull, U need to get & use the wiring diagrams. The volts start at the battery, and follow it from the battery Positive (red post) using the wiring diagram and a volt meter (and using the continuity meter also) to the fuse box & from there to what equip. is not working . Pulling fuses out of fuse box and using continuity tester to check fuse is good or bad.
 
#7 ·
Some of the items you mentioned ( like brake lights) should work even without the key in the ignition, while other things should work only if the key is turned on.

So you may have multiple fuses blown, or perhaps one of the large multi-wire connectors mounted on the firewall has become dislodged while you were removing the engine.

Are the taillights working (should work without key in ignition)?

Are the directional signals working ( should only work with key turned to run position)?

EDIT: Testing the horn is the quickest way to test if a fusible link has been blown
EDIT 2: I still need to know if the cigarette lighter is working.
 
#9 ·
With the information you have given me ( you didn't tell me about the horn) I suspect one or more of the following fuses may be blown.
140A ALT
100A MAIN 2
80A MAIN 3
80A MAIN 4

If the horn does work then you can eliminate the MAIN 4 fuse and ALT fuse as being blown. If the horn doesn't work then the ALT fuse would be the single point of failure.

These fuses are all located in the same "fusible link box" which can be seen in the top left area of the attached drawing.

What connector are you talking about?
I don't own a 2003 RAV4 , so I can't go out to the driveway and tell you exactly what to look for, but most vehicles have connectors on the firewall that might look similar to this.
 

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#11 ·
The horn is not working either. Thanks for the tips,I had already pulled several fuses a visually checked them but I'll start checking continuity and voltage on fuses when I get home this afternoon. Could it be an issue with the fusable link by the battery?
 
#12 ·
The horn is not working either. ........ Could it be an issue with the fusable link by the battery?
Since the horn is not working I would suspect the 140A ALT fuse as being the problem. If you tried to remove the alternator without first disconnecting the battery, that would pretty well guarantee this is the problem.

The wiring diagrams do not show a fusible link near the battery, but they are just diagrams and don't necessarily show the physical locations of all components. If you do have a fusible link in that location, then by all means take the 5 seconds to check it.

The diagrams also show a fuse symbol for the suspect fuses I listed, but in some diagrams it refers to some of these fuses as "fusible links". So when you look in the "Fusible Link Box" you may see either fuses (most likely bolt in type) or fusible links. The test procedure is the same for either type.

EDIT: If your battery voltage remains the same when the engine is running and when it is not running, that is another confirmation that the 140A ALT fuse is blown.
 
#13 ·
After checking out several things today I took a good look at the box attached to the positive battery cable ( I think it's the fusable link). I took it apart/ removed it and found a connection I had never previously taken apart had come loose! After hooking everything back up I am back in business! Thanks everyone for the tips! Any tips or advice on the best break in process for a freshly rebuilt engine?
 
#16 ·
You replying to a 4+ year old post in the 4.2 forum. Please start a thread in the 4.3 Mechanical forum
 
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