URGENT Advice Needed! Relating to Power Steering, Alternator and Electrical.

[The Marshall]

Good morning everyone,

I have had a very strange problem today and urgently need advice on what I need to do about it. I commute to work every day by highway and have to drive my mom to the airport, and need to know if my Yaris is safe, hence the urgency :frown:

First, a little bit of background. I have had alternator issues before and have had the alternator and the battery replaced almost exactly one year ago.

The weather was terrible today and when getting in my car I didn't realize how wet and cold the windows were and they were foggy, so like an idiot I put down and back up the power windows about 3 - 4 times before giving up and using my winter brush on them. When driving out of the parking lot I noticed my headlights were dimming a bit on and off, just like when I had a bad alternator. The electrical system light did not trigger so I thought maybe I just drained the system and it would recharge on my drive. I drove 12 km at highway speed and kept having the issues with the lights, it was so bad even the speedometer and tach backlight was dimming. I turned off the heat and defrost and popped off my stereo's faceplate... everything to help it charge up. I wasn't extremely worried because I drove this way for weeks when I had a bad alternator.

I stopped for a few minutes off the highway to pick up a friend, and didn't shut off the engine because I wasn't sure it would start if I did. When turning out of the driveway, I lost power steering halfway through my turn, then it came back seconds later. I was looking for somewhere to park obviously after that happened, and lost it again while turning into a gas station.

I then tried to get roadside assistance which I pay for with my insurance, with a HORRIBLE insurance company who were unable to help me out (long story). Because I get paid at 2:30 AM today I couldn't afford a tow truck and had to drive home (which I did at 30km going a long way so I could make only right turns).

Anyways, when I started up my car again to go home, it started fine and everything was good. My lights were solid and I had no steering issues whatsoever. When I got home I turned on all my lights, heating and put the radio back on and sat there for five minutes with no flickering or dimming whatsoever.

No trouble lights came on AT ALL this whole time.

What caused this? Has this happened to anyone before? Is my car safe to drive on the highway or with my mom tomorrow?

I'm about to go move my car for the street parking (gotta switch sides), and will update if anything unusual happens in the 10 seconds I drive it for. I may also go get some gas now just to be sure the issue doesn't come back.

[The Marshall]

Drove it about 3 KM to get to the gas station and pulling in I lost my power steering again. I filled it up and started the car and it still was flashing empty after putting 37 L in. It's at the dealer now.

Any ideas as to what it could be? I'd like to sound like I know what I'm talking about, this is the first time taking it anywhere in the city (just moved).

I guess at least I'll get an oil change (have needed one for awhile) and my tires checked out......... hopefully it will be something simple and cheap, but I highly doubt it.

So far I've had to put $700 into this 2007 Yaris (cam positioning sensor, alternator, brakes) over the last year and two months, before this even gets done. My 2000 Cavalier with 280K kms on it though ran fine for a whole year before some moron T boned it. Not too impressed... :frown:

[CTScott]

The power steering ECU gets an output signal from the alternator and will shut down if the alternator is not putting out enough. So, I would really suspect the alternator or possibly the battery.

[bobselectric]

Drove it about 3 KM to get to the gas station and pulling in I lost my power steering again. I filled it up and started the car and it still was flashing empty after putting 37 L in. It's at the dealer now.

Any ideas as to what it could be? I'd like to sound like I know what I'm talking about, this is the first time taking it anywhere in the city (just moved).

I guess at least I'll get an oil change (have needed one for awhile) and my tires checked out......... hopefully it will be something simple and cheap, but I highly doubt it.

So far I've had to put $700 into this 2007 Yaris (cam positioning sensor, alternator, brakes) over the last year and two months, before this even gets done. My 2000 Cavalier with 280K kms on it though ran fine for a whole year before some moron T boned it. Not too impressed... :frown:

I'm surprised that this wasn't covered under warranty-

[The Marshall]

I'm surprised that this wasn't covered under warranty-

I bought it from a lot that flips auction cars, and it had I think 88K kms on it then, so pretty much no warranty other than recourse. The alternator I bought was a rebuild, and I think it had a one year warranty. The battery is from costco so should have a warranty and I actually have an extra one lying around that should be OK. I would have tried working on it to get it fixed myself but I work nights and have nowhere to park to look at it :thumbdown:

[SpaceShot]

Could be the remfg alternator had a bad winding, but it might also be the brushes. When the next replacement goes in, you might have the mechanic take extra care to verify the pulley is properly aligned.
If the belt is too tight or the pulley seriously misaligned, you could be putting extra stress on the bearings or brushes which would result wearing out the alternator prematurely. (or you're just extra un-lucky)

[The Marshall]

EDIT: Thanks SpaceShot, that actually sounds very much like it could be the issue. But then why did the electrical system failure light NOT come on? Any ideas?

I took it to Ken Shaw at St Clair and Runnymede and they took it for a drive and said there was nothing wrong with it. I asked them to go out again for longer, so they went to Finch and 400 and back with no issues. My girlfriend is going to pick it up and we'll see.

I may take it to Canadian Auto Electric where I got the alternator on my day off Wednesday, if it's not still in warranty, it's just barely barely out of it. I will also keep that spare battery in the hatch!

Also, they said the gas gauge read as full when they started it this afternoon. Now THAT'S what I am truly confused about!

[typicaljawaiian808]

Call Rob @ DC Power Engineering about a high output alternator.....he'll set you up

[The Marshall]

It's been running fine ever since the dealer inspected the electrical and did an oil change. I'll wait and see if it does it next time it's raining before trying anything else.

[yaris-me]

Intermittent problems usually suggest a loose wire. Check the wiring and if a connection looks dirty or corroded, clean the connections.

[OTA'sTOY]

Intermittent problems usually suggest a loose wire. Check the wiring and if a connection looks dirty or corroded, clean the connections.

+1 :thumbsup: yupper check ur ground wires

[CarBob08]

Sounds like the oil change fixed your problem. :) Just kidding... does sound like bad alternator or wiring as others have said.

[The Marshall]

Well, I think I found the problem today when my car wouldn't start...

http://i56.tinypic.com/2a9cnis.jpg

[The Marshall]

http://i55.tinypic.com/35mpfnm.jpg

Looks like the battery exploded on my drive to the LCBO, could this have been the problem all along?

[CTScott]

Is the case ruptured or did it boil over?

[The Marshall]

it appears to have boiled over, as the corrosion is mostly at the connection points. I inspected it and did not notice a crack in the casing. I got a boost and drove home, I will be replacing the battery in the morning with my known good one. Is this indicative of a bigger problem?

[CTScott]

it appears to have boiled over, as the corrosion is mostly at the connection points. I inspected it and did not notice a crack in the casing. I got a boost and drove home, I will be replacing the battery in the morning with my known good one. Is this indicative of a bigger problem?

Boiling over is usually the result of overcharging, so check your voltage with the engine running (should be ~14.1 V).

Two things I don't think I'd buy at Costco are car batteries and underwear. Although, I see lots of positive reviews of the Kirkland batteries, which are made by Johnson Controls.

[ezhacker1]

Boiling over is usually the result of overcharging, so check your voltage with the engine running (should be ~14.1 V).

Two things I don't think I'd buy at Costco are car batteries and underwear. Although, I see lots of positive reviews of the Kirkland batteries, which are made by Johnson Controls.

Cuz of chances of a getting a returned one? Lol on the underwear.

[CTScott]

Cuz of chances of a getting a returned one? Lol on the underwear.

About 10 years ago I did a project where I analyzed about a dozen different 50-55AH lead acid batteries from generic ones (like the Costco one) to crazy expensive ones. Replacing the battery pack (which consisted of 4 55AH car batteries) was extremely expensive, particularly for shipping them. The results showed that you really get what you pay for with batteries. Good quality ones would have 5+ times the life of cheap ones. For us, saving 5 rounds of shipping far outweighed the 2-3x higher cost of the better quality batteries. To this day, Sonnenschein batteries remain my personal favorite.

[bzinn 1]

Had that problem in my last car with things gremlining.....after months of trying to find it it was a wire corroded under the casing that went tothe starter.......only reason i found it is it finally loaded up and burnt and wehn i cut it open there was corrosion....

Little known fact......Johnson Controls makes most of the batteries that are on the market.....lol.....they make them to each manufacture specs.

The battery may of been the last area that some loose or corroded wire loaded up resistance and the battery bubbled.

Do you live in a climate where there is lots of snow,ice,salted roads......

Electrical gremlin may of been the reman alternator,some of them last for years and I have had some go in months,the windings short and it goes out fast.

Hope you have good luck with the car....electrical gremlins can be a pain.

[.Kevin.]

"Kirkland" That explains alot. Why not just buy a Stock one. My car battery is made by Sony lol like my PS3 never fails.


EDIT: Btw make sure you wear gloves while taking that out if you do it yourself.

[The Marshall]

The car was a former rental from Toronto, and spent a year in Sudbury. Now it's back in Toronto, so that's a big yes for iced roads and cold climates.

When I brought it to the dealer the work order had "Check under fuse box for corrosion. Everything OK".

Where else should I be checking?

Of course I'm going to use gloves to change it lol, lead acid probably wouldn't be a nice moisturizer!

[bobselectric]

From the pics it also looks like the hood support rod is on the neg battery terminal, and in the second, close to shorting out to the pos terminal. Driving around, the bumps, shakes, and vibrations might be causing it to short the battery out.

Oh, and get the underhood area cleaned- you might be able to see more of a problem with less grime

[OTA'sTOY]

maybe just maybe you should replace that bungee with the the OE clamp and change your battery to OE group 26R IMO

[The Marshall]

I might have to do that. I re-installed the correct OEM sized battery today and it's really not looking good. I wrapped the hood support in electrical tape and duct taped it in so it won't make contact, but that battery is definetly not secure.

The car came with the proper sized battery and support piece but I was having trouble removing the old one and putting the new one in, so my neighbour at the time, who is a mechanic, tried and ended up snapping the rod in half...

What would I be looking to pay to get a new one, and it's probably going to have to be installed by someone. I am not at all handy and have only access to street parking :iono:

[CTScott]

I might have to do that. I re-installed the correct OEM sized battery today and it's really not looking good. I wrapped the hood support in electrical tape and duct taped it in so it won't make contact, but that battery is definetly not secure.

The car came with the proper sized battery and support piece but I was having trouble removing the old one and putting the new one in, so my neighbour at the time, who is a mechanic, tried and ended up snapping the rod in half...

What would I be looking to pay to get a new one, and it's probably going to have to be installed by someone. I am not at all handy and have only access to street parking :iono:

A replacement OEM one shouldn't be more than $20.