Electrical Problems With Toyota Corolla Ke72 Wagon

[KHL]

How is D*MO's bosch service center??? They advertise as doing engine & electrical repair's.

[The Don]

Good but expensive. I think a worthy consideration for something like an engine rebuild, but their prices are amongst the highest in the industry. But they do have a lot of expertise and a very well equipped workshop.

[KHL]

Thanks for the reply "Don".

Yeah I guessed it might be expensive. But wouldn't it be worth the hassle.

I have extremely bad experience with repairs. My car a Toyota ke 72 has some electrical problems. I'm no expert but I believe it's due to faulty wiring. I have taken the car to several places and person's to get it fixed but is yet to be successfully repaired. Have spent more than 20,000 rupees in trying to get the fault's fixed. So rather than spending around 1000 rupees over and over again and yet to get the job done won't it be a good idea to go to a place that can definitely fix the issues even though costly????

[aps]

Thanks for the reply "Don".

Yeah I guessed it might be expensive. But wouldn't it be worth the hassle.

I have extremely bad experience with repairs. My car a Toyota ke 72 has some electrical problems. I'm no expert but I believe it's due to faulty wiring. I have taken the car to several places and person's to get it fixed but is yet to be successfully repaired. Have spent more than 20,000 rupees in trying to get the fault's fixed. So rather than spending around 1000 rupees over and over again and yet to get the job done won't it be a good idea to go to a place that can definitely fix the issues even though costly????

this is common issue with Ke 72,73,74s since it is more than 25 years old think you should start replacing with new fuse board which is next to your gas pedal. it is not positioned well and exposed to water if door beading in bad condition.so start with that get generic fuse box (like the one in maruti) start wire . don't ever think to rewire your meter panel it is a mess forget it

BTW what kind of issues you have ?

Edited January 2, 2015 by aps

[The Don]

There are plenty of good auto electricians out there. Try Pala in Orugodawatte. They are also a little bit expensive but they are an old company with a good reputation.

For a KE72 I would not really bother with D*MO. You will find its cheaper to buy the entire wiring loom from Japan than to content with their charges. But I could be wrong, you can always take it there and get a quote.

[KHL]

Thanks all for your replies.

@Don,

Thanks for the suggestion. My father took the vehicle to "Pala" sometime back. But the issue's were not resolved and they too tried to patch it up without fixing it.

Really fed up with these maka bass fellows, so am looking to get it properly fixed once and for all and that's why I asked about D*MO. I tried to find the wire harness from the internet and still searching but couldn't yet find one.

I love the car and also it's also quite good. Never failed us on long journey's and last year it did 16-18 km per liter (without AC) on outstation trips even with issues. So trying to get it back to a better condition

@aps,

Thanks for the advice. The issue's are several.

1.Mid way last year the "dim" in the head light's started malfunctioning. When going over a rough patch the "dim" light would suddenly go out for several minutes until another rough patch comes and starts to work again. All the while the "head" continued to work. Took the car to several places but no one fixed it.

2.Has a problem with the starting. Sometimes the starter motor doesn't "disengage". Meaning it continuously pulls in the current from the battery and the car is like "wheezing". If do not disconnect the battery wire immediately it heats up and once burnt the starter motor. Also never resolved.

Late last year the car developed some engine oil leaks and due to some corrosion's decided to repair the car at home. Stripped everything from the car, tinkered and painted. The engine was also overhauled. (The only thing's that were not dismantled were the differential and gear box. also the camm shaft wasn't removed). And also re-connected the wire's as it was before dismantling.

All these were done by my father who is a mechanical engineer with me helping. But unfortunately my father does not know about the electrical stuff. Hence the problem.

The issues we now have are,

1. The starting problem is still there. When trying to start can hear the engine working smoothly.

2. The car's left sided front light's are not working (head light's and signal light)

It's been nearly 2 months since finishing the mechanical part. We called in several auto electrician's but all have failed to repair it. Quite frustrating. They all try attaching wire's here and there and hope for the best. The wire harness has now become very messed up bcoz there maka bass jobs.

@aps - I know about the fuse box you are referring to. And yes there was a water leak near there and it may be affected. But these maka bass fellows don't know how to check the fuse's and relay's. (once one fellow put in a piece of "Kambia" in place of a fuse). But I suspect they are all fine and the problem lies in the wiring.

[The Don]

From what you say I don't think the issue is your wiring harness. There are something you can do to begin with.

You should disconnect the battery and basically take off each of the connectors in different circuits and clean it with contact cleaner to ensure a proper connection. Sound like your signal stalk is malfunctioning, so you should take it off the steering column and try cleaning it. If cleaning does not work you should probably replace it. My old Mazda had a very similar problem and you can usually find it brand new in panchi or used in Delkanda. There are a couple of places which specialise in electrical parts.

Your starter morter issue sound like a sticking solenoid or a relay or a short caused by a dirty connection. All connectors in the circuit must be removed and cleaned and if necessary the starter relay replaced.

[The Don]

Moving KHLs queries to a new thread so the issues he has can be addressed better.

[KHL]

Hi Don,

Thanks for the reply and for the trouble starting a new thread. (I wondered where all the comments had gone )

About the contact's cleaning ,

When we re-installed the wire harness we cleaned all the contacts (though not with contact cleaner) and also repaired damaged wires to the best of our ability. Will check the connector's again.

Signal stalk,

Will check. But I think it is fine. Because when check with multimeter the current passes on from it but it doesn't reach the end point. But I haven't thought about checking this so will do it.

Starter motor,

Will check it out

Thanks again!!!!!

[The Don]

Hi Don,

Thanks for the reply and for the trouble starting a new thread. (I wondered where all the comments had gone )

About the contact's cleaning ,

When we re-installed the wire harness we cleaned all the contacts (though not with contact cleaner) and also repaired damaged wires to the best of our ability. Will check the connector's again.

Signal stalk,

Will check. But I think it is fine. Because when check with multimeter the current passes on from it but it doesn't reach the end point. But I haven't thought about checking this so will do it.

Starter motor,

Will check it out

Thanks again!!!!!

Well the only other element after the signal stalk is a relay mechanism, so that would be the next thing to check. Old relays tend to rust a bit and stick sometimes, and can be fixed up with with a bit fo careful disassembly and cleaning, a light knock with a hammer to losen the rust or replacement.

I'm surprised Pala did not sort these out. There is another place I and Komi use called Malinga auto electricals but giving you directions to this place is an interesting job as I've always followed komi and you need to travel a bit in from Attidiya road.

Edited January 5, 2015 by The Don

[aps]

Thanks all for your replies.

@Don,

Thanks for the suggestion. My father took the vehicle to "Pala" sometime back. But the issue's were not resolved and they too tried to patch it up without fixing it.

Really fed up with these maka bass fellows, so am looking to get it properly fixed once and for all and that's why I asked about D*MO. I tried to find the wire harness from the internet and still searching but couldn't yet find one.

I love the car and also it's also quite good. Never failed us on long journey's and last year it did 16-18 km per liter (without AC) on outstation trips even with issues. So trying to get it back to a better condition

@aps,

Thanks for the advice. The issue's are several.

1.Mid way last year the "dim" in the head light's started malfunctioning. When going over a rough patch the "dim" light would suddenly go out for several minutes until another rough patch comes and starts to work again. All the while the "head" continued to work. Took the car to several places but no one fixed it.

2.Has a problem with the starting. Sometimes the starter motor doesn't "disengage". Meaning it continuously pulls in the current from the battery and the car is like "wheezing". If do not disconnect the battery wire immediately it heats up and once burnt the starter motor. Also never resolved.

Late last year the car developed some engine oil leaks and due to some corrosion's decided to repair the car at home. Stripped everything from the car, tinkered and painted. The engine was also overhauled. (The only thing's that were not dismantled were the differential and gear box. also the camm shaft wasn't removed). And also re-connected the wire's as it was before dismantling.

All these were done by my father who is a mechanical engineer with me helping. But unfortunately my father does not know about the electrical stuff. Hence the problem.

The issues we now have are,

1. The starting problem is still there. When trying to start can hear the engine working smoothly.

2. The car's left sided front light's are not working (head light's and signal light)

It's been nearly 2 months since finishing the mechanical part. We called in several auto electrician's but all have failed to repair it. Quite frustrating. They all try attaching wire's here and there and hope for the best. The wire harness has now become very messed up bcoz there maka bass jobs.

@aps - I know about the fuse box you are referring to. And yes there was a water leak near there and it may be affected. But these maka bass fellows don't know how to check the fuse's and relay's. (once one fellow put in a piece of "Kambia" in place of a fuse). But I suspect they are all fine and the problem lies in the wiring.

1.Check head lights signal coming from switch with multimeter if its ok (both sides) then check relays, if bad replace, also check ground wire

2.This is a common issue for this car. just replace the relay (step 1) and service the motor if necessary only

The car's left sided front light's are not working (head light's and signal light)

by pass ground wire using connection from battery terminal (-) before that check which is ground wire using multiM

BTW

what is ur location ?