Old Camry Battery/Alternator/? problem

[thewizard16]

Well, I've decided today I need to do something about this before I end up with a dead car on the side of the freeway, but first I thought you all might be able to help me with hypothetical diagnostics.

The old Camry's battery light on the dash has been flickering on and off lately. This had happened a while back, but it turned out that when the new battery was installed a few months ago, the guy who put it in just hadn't tightened the negative terminal down well at all and on bumpy roads, etc. it was jiggling enough to have a poor contact apparently. Tightened that up, and no more flickering battery light. So, when that started up again this week, I thought it might be the same thing (the negative terminal on this battery seems smaller than normal, the cable end has to be tightened down all the way to not wiggle around). So I went to tighten it again and noticed the negative cable end was looking nasty (it was an old cable). So, new cable is put on, tightened down heavily and there's no potential for wiggling or poor connection ( I took things apart again tonight to check and see if it was all good), but the random flickering is still sticking around this time. At first I thought it was strangely RPM sensitive since it'd come and go and I thought it was only happening at a certain range, but upon further inspection tonight it seems just as likely to do it at a stoplight at 800 RPMs as it does at 70mph and 3,200 RPMs, so I don't think that's affecting it as I'd first believed. It just flickers on and off, sometimes staying on (with a constant flickering) for a while then going off for a bit, then coming right back on again. Other times it just blinks once or twice and is fine for fifteen minutes and does it again. So, I'm thinking "probably the alternator". But, time is very limited and having moved recently, so is budget, so before I run out to a shop and replace the alternator (I have no room or proper tools at this house, so if it's at all complicated (and most things tend to be on this engine), I'm not going to be able to do it myself), I was trying to think of anything else it could be that I can mess with or check first. I'll take it to Autozone as soon as I get a chance and see if they can test it, but if it were a cable problem I wanted to get that fixed first so that wouldn't mess with any sort of diagnostics.
Thoughts? Suggestions?

[VTEC_Inside]

Well, you've checked the cables at the battery, but have you followed the ground back to the chassis?

[Rupert]

Check both ends of the ground cable on the battery? Check the connection for the positive cable? Any corrosion? Battery holds a charge (as in, get it tested, even if it's new-- could be a bad battery).

[thewizard16]

Well, you've checked the cables at the battery, but have you followed the ground back to the chassis?

Replaced the entire ground cable, chassis connection is as tight as I can physically get it, so I don't think that's it. That's what I tore things apart this evening trying to figure out.

Check both ends of the ground cable on the battery? Check the connection for the positive cable? Any corrosion? Battery holds a charge (as in, get it tested, even if it's new-- could be a bad battery).

The positive cable has me a little stumped. It goes from the battery (where the connection seems fine and there is no corrosion) into a wrapped bundle of wires and disappears somewhere down into the engine bay. That engine bay is ridiculously tight so I wasn't able to follow it with my hand, and wires are coming and going from that bundle everywhere. I think I'm going to replace the positive terminal end and see if that has any effect, but unless the entire positive cable (which I can't follow anyway) is bad or come loose somewhere, I don't know where it would be or how to fix it. The internet has been little help on this.
I will have the battery tested when I get to autozone too- I have had bad luck with batteries lately so it would be a pleasant surprise if it's the battery instead of an alternator issue, but I bought a pretty good battery this time so I don't think that's as likely.

[Rupert]

The ground area is free of paint and all that?

[thewizard16]

The ground area is free of paint and all that?

Pretty much, but what confuses me about that is the ground area has always been like it is now (appears somewhat painted, but the bolt and threads aren't of course) and it's apparently never been an issue before. I also wondered about that and took a metal brush to the area before I attached the new cable, but it seems like something would have popped up before, or that the problem would be more consistent, I thought.

[Rupert]

Could also be the light that's messed up.

[Secret Chimp]

If you have a fusebox inside of the car or some other area with an open circuit or two available, poke your multimeter's probes in there and leave the meter on while you're driving (if you don't have a multimeter just buy a crap one at Harbor Freight for 5 bucks, they're handy). See how the voltage changes when the light starts flickering. If it doesn't change, the warning light is wonky. In most cars you should see around 14 volts at idle.

[Byteme]

Check and make sure all the wires going to the alternator are clean and tight. 

[Mustangfan2003]

I thought Toyota's never had problems?

[thewizard16]

I thought Toyota's never had problems?

It is an 18 year old car that's never been in the shop for a mechanical failure in it's life to date. If the alternator has decided to go out, I'd consider that an acceptable "problem"... Most annoyances with the car have been the result of my own electrical tinkering, so we shall see if theres a legitimate problem or one of my own creation. I haven't had anytime to look at things today, but will try to trace some wires and follow suggestions tomorrow and take it to Autozone for simple battery and alternator testing.

[thewizard16]

And the verdict is in- Alternator tested fine, as did the battery. When doing the further inspection and cleaning, it did seem like the wiring harness on the side of the alternator (not the big cable from the battery, just some small wiring harness) was a little loose, so I took it apart and cleaned out some gunk and put it back together. Apparently it jostled loose at some point recently, which doesn't surprise me since the streets in the part of town I'm in are somewhere between a chuckwagon trail and roller coaster for smoothness. Now that the harness is clean and reattached- no more warning light. The old camry gets to keep it's reputation for another round.

[Rupert]

I didn't know that the chuck wagon had its own trail...

[thewizard16]

I didn't know that the chuck wagon had its own trail...

Well, it did, and I've driven on it. Some of the old streets around here are amazingly uneven and will wreak havoc on your shocks, tie rods, and spine at anything more than 20mph. They don't look that bad visually (it's not potholes or anything), but they're little two lane city streets with inexplicably sloped lanes (there's a hump in the middle of the street for some reason) and roughly banked intersections with the scrapes in the pavement to prove it. The four lane roads are decent and the freeways are fine for the most part, but these ancient in-town streets are just nuts.

[cawimmer430]

The words "Camry" and "problem" never, ever, ever, in the history of the automobile have been used in the same sentence. The Camry is as close to perfection as possible. Even God himself can't match or come close to the perfection that is the Toyota Camry.

Take your Camry-hating elsewhere, Wizard16.   

[thewizard16]

The words "Camry" and "problem" never, ever, ever, in the history of the automobile have been used in the same sentence. The Camry is as close to perfection as possible. Even God himself can't match or come close to the perfection that is the Toyota Camry.

Take your Camry-hating elsewhere, Wizard16.   

If you'd inspected more closely, you'd realize that I was indeed mistaken and the Camry didn't have a problem of it's own creation. I'd have to drive a Mercedes to be that lucky.

[CJ]

The words "Camry" and "problem" never, ever, ever, in the history of the automobile have been used in the same sentence. The Camry is as close to perfection as possible. Even God himself can't match or come close to the perfection that is the Toyota Camry.

Take your Camry-hating elsewhere, Wizard16.   

We haven't had any problems with ours.

[cawimmer430]

If you'd inspected more closely, you'd realize that I was indeed mistaken and the Camry didn't have a problem of it's own creation. I'd have to drive a Mercedes to be that lucky.

If your meaning of "lucky" is what I think it is, then yes, you're more likely to get laid driving a hot Mercedes than a Camry which makes you "lucky". 

[cawimmer430]

We haven't had any problems with ours.

An honest response. Thank you for your non-biased participation in this thread. Camry = perfection. No problems whatsoever on that car anytime or anywhere!

[CALL_911]

An honest response. Thank you for your non-biased participation in this thread. Camry = perfection. No problems whatsoever on that car anytime or anywhere!

Oddly enough, I can't say the same about any of the Mercedes-Benzes people in my extended family have owned.

Except the really old ones.

[cawimmer430]

Oddly enough, I can't say the same about any of the Mercedes-Benzes people in my extended family have owned.

Except the really old ones.

They should have bought a Lexus. Looks like they fell for that retarded history and heritage bullshit!!!

[CJ]

Oddly enough, I can't say the same about any of the Mercedes-Benzes people in my extended family have owned.

Except the really old ones.

+1

My cousin's '09 328i is having big time electrical problems, but my aunt's 2010 550i is just fine.  Her previous 2007 550i was also just fine.


My buddy's S500 is a shit storm right now.  The ESP, ABS, variable assist power steering, are all fucked right now.  I think it's a simple wheel-speed sensor, but the service techs at Jackie Cooper Mercedes in Tulsa, OK won't tell him what it is, even though they know.  His gauge cluster was recalled and sure enough, it's defective.  The dim doesn't work, and hasn't worked since the vehicle was purchased 1 year ago.  Mercedes won't replace it.  He's trying to unload the car right now.

[Rupert]

They won't tell him what it is? Way to get repeat customers, there...

Did he pay them to find out what it is?

[CJ]

No, but that was when it was in for the defective instrument cluster...which is still defective.

[Rupert]

Clearly, time for a new shop.

[CJ]

There's only one Mercedes dealer in Tulsa

[Rupert]

Indie shop.

[AutobahnSHO]

Indie shop.

[AutobahnSHO]

An  even better one

[Rupert]

Ha! I had to think about that one. I was like, "Harrison Ford? Huh? Maybe Han Solo... No..."