Total Electrical Failure, then recovery

[3rd Gen 3 Owner]

Was returning a video to Blockbuster tonight in my 92 DX. I shut the car off and took out the key with the lights on, got out and dropped the vid in the box. Got back in and started turning the key while closing the door and everything went dead. No dash lights, headlights, dome light, no click when turning the key, nothing! Popped the hood to check the fuses and disconnect the positive terminal. Didn't see anything out of place. Reconnected after about 10 min and it started right up like nothing had happened. This is my daily driver, never had a starting issue before. Not sure of the age of the battery as I've only had the car about 3 years. But it came from my Aunt, so I know it's repair history. I had the ignition coil replaced in May, it died while driving but it would still crank, just not start. I don't have the means to check the power of the batt, or resistance of relays, I was mainly wondering if there's any particular relay that would cause this and then reset spontaneously. I did a search for breakers and main fuses but the threads I found didn't have my exact same circumstances. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated!

[new echo owner]

I would suggest clean and tighten the battery cables and connections, then if have the battery and electrical system check when you have a chance to. Your description sounds like a poor connection problem.

N.E.O.

[bootcamper]

weird. Is there a master fuse that may have blown?

[DFBonnett]

It's possible you have a break internally in the battery and just wiggling things around when you reseated the terminal was enough to get you going again. There could also be a break under the insulation on one of the battery cables. Normally that would manifest itself as a lump indicating corrosion under the insulation.

[ASG14]

Originally Posted by new echo owner

I would suggest clean and tighten the battery cables and connections, then if have the battery and electrical system check when you have a chance to. Your description sounds like a poor connection problem.

N.E.O.

On top of that, I wonder if it may be a short in the starter itself. Maybe N E O can chime in on that too. But for sure, check the battery terminal's 1st.

[3rd Gen 3 Owner]

Well, I cleaned and tightened the posts and terminals tonight, and did a cursory visual inspection. I didn't see any visable damage to the cables, but the positive is sheathed in several layers of tape and that hard plastic conduit. The positive had a little crust on it, but nothing alarming. I'll replace the felt washers later this week. My Aunt doesn't know how old that battery is, It's probably in the packet of receipts she kept for any service she ever did to the car but I haven't had time to go through them all yet. I'm working 12 hours the next 2 days so Wed I'll take it in and have the charging system checked, then see what they say. I replaced the starter 2 years ago, so I would hope that's ok. There is something I forgot to mention last night, that this car has had for some time. Occasionally, when starting you get a starter grind on the first key turn, then it starts fine. This started I believe about 3 or 4 years after it was new. My Aunt had the ignition system checked several times by Toyota, they never could find anything wrong with it. A couple years ago when it wouldn't start I pulled the starter and had it checked, it came out fine. I replaced it anyway as it was the original and I had it out already. It will not do this for months and then do it 2 or 3 times in a month. It did do it yesterday when I left work, but not since. I haven't had them check it since I've owned it, I'll mention it to them this week. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll let you know what I find out.

A.

[new echo owner]

Keep us posted!

And ASG14: usually if there is a short in the starter, he should still have power to the other circuits. However, one can never tell, sometimes strange things do happen.

N.E.O.

[3rd Gen 3 Owner]

Well, after explaining everything I've posted above to the rep at Toyota, 3 hours later the results were that they couldn't find anything wrong with the charging system or it's components. I think he used the term, "complete health check". The battery tested out fine, all they did was clean and treat the posts and connectors with that white grease. They thought the felt rings were causing more harm than good so they removed them. The random starter grind was dismissed as "A result of this particular design", gotta love that. On the plus side, they also looked into the rattle from my front struts that I had replaced a few months ago and removed the rotted and torn boots, which while not eliminating the problem, has reduced it quite a bit. So at this point, I will chalk it up to the worst random bad connection problem I've ever had, and stop using felt washers and start using this new miracle grease. Now if only I can get my new radiator hoses to stop leaking

Thanks for everyone's ideas and opinions. This board is a great resource for those of us who have just enough automotive knowledge to be dangerous, without actually knowing 100% what we are doing. Take care everybody,

Andrew.

[new echo owner]

Well, if anything pops up that you have questions about, let us know, or just drop by to 'chat'!

In the mean time, enjoy your ride, and drive safe!

N.E.O.