4age sil;vertop problems

[91levin]

I have an ae101 levin with a 20v 4age silvertop with a few problems. It occasionally coughs and turns off once up to temperature, has stopped over the past two weeks, the radiator fan is constantly on and the battery drains. Have checked the fuses to see whats draining, there are two, the ECU-b and the STOP. I am unsure on how to find what is actually draining the battery. As for the coughing and turning off, I replaced the rotor in the distributor and that seems to have worked but it looks like there has been moisture in the distributor as there a small amount off corrosion, is it worth replacing the entire distributor or just leave it as is? Any help is appreciated.

[BLSTIC]

I've had two cars with radiator fans always on. One of them was converted from an auto and without the temp sender for the gearbox it would go into a limp home mode, assume the box was overheating, and turn the fans on with the ignition. The other one did the same with the air-con. So make sure everything is plugged in to the right spot. As for the stalling, Toyotas have a pretty easy to use and smart fault code system. There should be a diagnostics plug in the engine bay that you can jump with a paperclip http://4agehub.blogspot.com.au/2012/...ult-codes.html

Other than that, moisture in your distributor is a bad thing. But as long as the sensors inside the distributor (possibly underneath a plate under the rotor button) don't look like they have been wet/rusty/oily they usually don't stop. In any case as long as you haven't COMPLETELY flattened or disconnected the battery the computer will remember the codes and spit out exactly where the problem is.

Has your car been modified at all (I mean electrically)

[allencr]

it looks like there has been moisture in the distributor as there a small amount off corrosion, is it worth replacing the entire distributor

Corrosion? Fuzz flakey stuff on the terminals inside the dizzy cap, the ones that the rotor points to for the spark to arck across? Very normal stuff from all the electricity & oxygen making ozone.
Just clean/scrape it, replace the cap if they're mostly gone.

[91levin]

Forgot to mention it has been converted from auto. I've done the diagnostics before and no codes came up. I'm thinking of just taking it into an auto electrician.

[TERRA Operative]

Where are you located?

Have you tested your ignition leads?

[allencr]

Newer then 95? Then i believe it's ODB-II & needs its reader gizmo by the steering column & won't flash the CEL even though it still has those test ports in the engine bay.

[BLSTIC]

And ECU-b and STOP are constantly powered. They power the ECU memory and brake lights respectively. It would take months for the ECU to drain a healthy battery and the brake lights only take power when they are on, it's unlikely to be the problem.

[TERRA Operative]

None of the 4AGE engines were ever OBD-II, that came in with the next generation of engines.

If the fan is constantly on, check the temperature senders near the distributor. One of them activates the fan through a relay, and as a fail safe it will turn the fan on all the time if it comes disconnected or breaks.

[91levin]

Thanks for the help. I'm in NZ, I'm going to have a look over it again to see if there are any foreign wires as it has had an alarm wired in and not taken out properly. I have removed the fuse that was in the old alarm wiring, it stopped the battery draining but it has since come back. I tested the battery and it reads 12.5v but its still not enough to turn the engine over.

[dumbass]

If the bat is 12.5 and it won't crank u either have fkt battery
Or bad battery cables to engine like a bad earth too
Ecu b powers batt wire to ecu but also powers ecu when ignition is on
So maybe relay could be stuck
But I recon your yr battery might be rooted and it has good voltage but when
U need maximum cranking power it shits itself. Very common if battery is over afew years old

[91levin]

I have just replaced the battery about a month ago thinking that was the problem. Could the fan being on constantly affect the engine turning over in anyway?

[dumbass]

Fan should turn off with ignition if it runs when engine is running
Can u see what the current draw is when everything is turned off
U said ecu b fuse is draining battery. If so by how many amps

Put amp meter in series between batt pos terminal and pos battery clamp
Should be under 0.05 amps. Or 5 milliamperes

If its higher Then start pulling fuses out till it drops below that
Make sure doors are shut when reading amp meter

Once u find which circuit is draining battery then start pulling plugs off to do with that circuit
Till u get zero. Or minimal drain then u can find the problem

Is easy but time consuming work unless u know how corollas are wired up it will only take half an hour or so

[TERRA Operative]

I have the Toyota AE101 Levin/Trueno body wiring schematics if you need them. PM me your email and I'll send some stuff through.

[BLSTIC]

Where abouts in nz? I'll be over in a few eek and if you're in dunedin I can help