Toyota RAV4 Forums banner

Car electrical problems

24K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  dxstx 
#1 ·
Hey All, I don't know where to begin, so I guess I just will.

Two weeks ago my car broke down while I was going ~70mph on the freeway. The radio started flickering on and off, headlights went out, lost power steering, and dashboard lights went crazy. Pulled to the side of the road, killed the engine, then it wouldn't restart. Had to get it towed.

The next day, a general auto mechanic took a look at it. He jumped the car to start it up, tested the battery, alternator, everything. He ran to RPM up to 2500 and tested and couldn't replicate the problem. I assumed it was just a fluke thing.

Fast forward a week, I'm driving ~30 minutes a way, and I notice the battery light flickering on and off occasionally, for a blip and then randomly blipping back on a minute later sort of thing. I slow down to ~40mph and it stops happening. I drive on the highway a few more times and the same thing happens. So I figure that this problem only manifests itself when I'm driving fast, it never happens driving around town. I swing by AutoZone and have them test the battery and alternator as well...nothing wrong. I then bring it to an auto electrician, one of the best in the area, and he cannot find anything wrong. I replaced the alternator 8 months ago, and would rather not replace it again if it isn't the problem.

I'm out of ideas, no one can find anything wrong with the car, but there is obviously something going on. Any suggestions?
 
See less See more
#6 ·
I'd be suspicious of an undiagnosed cable problem, possibly a ground.
At anything above idle the alternator should be powering the car not the battery. Either it's defective or more likely has a wiring issue. Maybe that's the reason it was changed leaving the original issue unresolved.

A weak battery causes problems while starting way more often than while running.

I'd use one of my 12V outlet voltmeters to monitor if the voltage goes down gradually or instantly.
 
#7 ·
Like Dr Dyno, I think it could be a bad ground connection (corrosion/humidity/loose connection)
 
#9 ·
Sounds like low voltage problem. Low voltage drives electronics crazy.

Given that you don't have starting problem, the battery seems to be charged properly, so most likely it's not a faulty alternator.

My first guess would be faulty connection somewhere between the battery and the fuse box or faulty ground connection. I would start by checking the cables that go to and from the battery and their respective connections. Inspect the visually and give them a good tug to see if there are any loose connections.

Another possibility is that your alternator / voltage regulator is failing and actually sending too high voltage. Electronics may go crazy too if the voltage is too high.

Can you hook up a digital voltmeter / multimeter more or less permanently (for example to your 12V accessory power outlet) so that you can monitor voltage while driving? You will be able to see what's going on with the voltage when the issue presents itself again. Under normal driving conditions the voltage should be between 13.5 and 14.0 V. If it drops below 12V or exceeds 14.5V while driving, even for a few seconds, you have a good clue to start from.

If the voltage drops below 12V, it's probably a faulty connection. Even if the alternator is failing the battery should keep the voltage aroung 12V.

If the voltage jumps above 14.5V it's a bad alternator / voltage regulator.
 
#14 ·
Six years old in a 2007 car. My math, 2007+6=2013, says unless someone replaced the original after one year it IS the original, and setting a new record. REPLACE IT!!!!
 
#17 ·
SAME PROBLEM

Guys, I have the same problem. this is now the 4th battery in my 07 Rav4. Typically I will get in the car and attempt to start, and the alarm goes off and the car refuses to turn over. SA said bad battery, did not want to happen again so bought the best battery I could find. Year and a half later same thing. Thinking it had something to do with the alarm system I had the factory OEM alarm uninstalled and installed an after market. Put new battery in and 40 days since replacing the battery was driving down the road and power steering quit, dash lights came on and muscled it into parking lot. Called wrecker and sent to dealer. Explained that battery was less than 2 months old, and that I had the alarm disconnected so it has not happened the same way. Now the alternator is out and 1300 for a new alternator, I still believe there is something causing this to happen and have even asked my SA if there were any TSB and he continues to say NO.

In reading this forum I saw somewhere others were having this problem and a TSB was out, but clicking on the link I received an error that the link was broken, so I could not find. Did notice that it was a US and not Canadian problem.

Thanks for any help

dxstx
 
#18 ·
Guys, I have the same problem. this is now the 4th battery in my 07 Rav4.
This is not the "standard" RAV4 battery problem. Something is draining your battery and keeping it in a low state of charge. Could be as simple as a radar detector that's left plugged in (with the 12V outlet modified to stay hot). I'd suggest getting a 12V (cigarette lighter) plug-in voltmeter and keeping an eye on it. W/o a drain it should read within a few tenths of 12.0V before you start the car and within a few tenths of 14.0V a couple of minutes after it's running. Much lower numbers mean either there's a parasitic drain or the charging system is defective or both.
 
#20 ·
Update

Sorry for the long delay, I haven't had to drive much this past month (great benefits to living 1.5 miles from work, you can bike!). I had to make a long drive this weekend, and thought I was all set after replacing the battery.

I was wrong. On the way back, the light started blipping again at high speeds. When I slow down or drive locally, no problems. At high speeds, I get the battery light flashing. I brought it into Meineke (I've have a rattling noise in the engine when I accelerate, and asked for a quote on the alternator, $500!). I'm going to go through the electrical in the main engine compartment to see if it may be a loose wire or something along those lines.

Any other ideas for what may be causing the problem? Or at least know where I can find a procedure to try and replace this myself? I've done some minor stuff on my car, but nothing this large yet. I've read it's not too difficult to do for this model, and I can find a good replacement alternator online for ~$100.

Thanks again guys
 
#22 ·
Your alternator was much cheaper than mine. $1200. I guess the mechanics world of today is if the computer cannot describe nor locate the problem there is none. Mine stopped, power steering quit while driving. Towed to local dealer. Alternator was bad supposedly, battery was bad supposedly. Replaced alternator, replaced battery. I have had this problem so much that I was buying a battery about every year. All they would say is battery is dead. Took the dead cell battery back to Advance where it charged right up and was actually ok. Asked dealer to check the old alternator with the new battery, and received some happy go lucky answer. Never did check the old alternator with a charged battery. Asked dealer to check the alternator with the new battery, and received some happy go lucky answer. Since I have had this intermittent problem and replaced so many batteries and it seemed to be the engine immobilizer; I disconnected the factory alarm completely feeling this was somehow at the root of the problem in my attempt to fix what they would not check. One day after dealer replacing alternator and battery same thing. This time though we heard the sound for the immobilizer which I thought I had disconnected. Called the dealer and asked if I had to pay for another tow, and they took care of it. Dealer saw where I had a local company install alarm probably 7 months ago and immediately assumed this was the problem. Spent another 453 dollars and they guaranteed this would fix it. Even had the svc mgr sign receipt so I could get a refund if this did not fix it. Now radio will not play, and tech said it was still the alarm installation.
My question to him was this: I have bought batteries in 08, 09, 11,12 and two more now. How can this (the alarm install) be the problem when it was only installed about 6 -7 months ago. Or what caused the purchase of batteries in 08, 09 11 and 12 if the alarm install occurred in 2013. It seems impossible something occurring in late 2013 could have caused batteries to fail in the time prior to the install. Tech got a little huffy and asked me what I wanted him to do. I said all I brought it in the first time for was to have it fixed and now I am out 1500 and it is still not fixed! I am convinced there is a problem associated with the factory alarm install, because when it happens everything stops and it cannot be started. Once it happened in my garage and I hooked a trickle charger to the system and it charged the battery and it started right up. I would have bought another battery had that not worked.

Don't know if this will help you, but the frightening thing to me is if I were going 70 and it decided to quit I would have lost power steering and any curve would have been disastrous.

dxstx
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top