3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
Only thing I can think of is that your alternator is sending less than ideal current at idle but when it spins up it's sending a lot more. I believe the normal range is between 12 and 14.4v. You can get a tester that plugs into your cigarette lighter to measure current I think.
it's normal. As you accelerate the alternator increases the voltage to the battery which boost the voltage to the fans which makes them run faster. You can easly see this by buying one of those cigarette lighter volt meters. At idle, you'll see 11-12V and as soon you get it gas it'll go to 13-14VYou might also have a loose or worn out belt... or bad alternator/regulater, etc.
Sorry, my interior fans. It does this regardless of what my fan setting is at.
Quote:
Originally Posted by matt621
it's normal. As you accelerate the alternator increases the voltage to the battery which boost the voltage to the fans which makes them run faster. You can easly see this by buying one of those cigarette lighter volt meters. At idle, you'll see 11-12V and as soon you get it gas it'll go to 13-14VYou might also have a loose or worn out belt... or bad alternator/regulater, etc.
I've never noticed this before that's why I asked. I put new belts on less than a year ago.
I suspected it may have something to do with the alternator. I have a volt meter, but not the kind that plugs into the cig lighter.
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1997 Toyota 204k miles. Runs like a champ.
Does yer lights dim/brighten the same way in relationship to the RPMs?
How good are those battery terminals? Any corrosion/acid build up? How good are yer battery cables? How about yer grounds? Snap a few piccies of the engine bay and post them up...
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1998 T-100 SR5 2WD auto, Roadmaster Active Suspension, 6½" dropped front air dam, 4½" drop full belly pan, 4° rear diffuser, 11" side skirts, oil catch jar, AC mod, aero cap, 67% grill block = 26mpg highway!
Quote:
Originally Posted by n c t t o r a
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My 00 does the same thing. It's been normal for me since the day I got my Camry. It's just a voltage drop as everyone is saying. I never really notice it unless I have the blower speed set to 4.
Sounds like the definition of "normal" is up for grabs here.
IMO normal ranks in the "I hardly notice" catagory.
OP sounds like, it used to be OK and now its not normal and it is noticed!
List of all true:
Nominal battery voltage everything off: 12.4v
Idle voltage everything off: 13.0 -13.5
High idle voltage nominal: 13.8v +
A loose belt could cause alternator output to drop.
A bad connection, gound, battery, could cause battery output to drop.
A bad alternator could cause the voltage to be erratic.
The fan motor, switch, resistor block could isolate everything to the blower circuit itself.
Measure the battery voltage in all of the conditions above. If the voltages are good and lights do not dim or noticeably change output with engine speed, the fault could be something like the resistor block to the fan motor or the fan motor itself.
How doe the fan behave on High?
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95 Cam, V6 1MZ, Auto A541E, LE >245,000 miles!
Last edited by 73sport; 06-25-2010 at 10:57 AM.
The Following User Says Thank You to 73sport For This Useful Post:
Sounds like the definition of "normal" is up for grabs here.
IMO normal ranks in the "I hardly notice" catagory.
OP sounds like, it used to be OK and now its not normal and it is noticed!
Yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 73sport
A loose belt could cause alternator output to drop.
A bad connection, gound, battery, could cause battery output to drop.
A bad alternator could cause the voltage to be erratic.
The fan motor, switch, resistor block could isolate everything to the blower circuit itself.
Measure the battery voltage in all of the conditions above. If the voltages are good and lights do not dim or noticeably change output with engine speed, the fault could be something like the resistor block to the fan motor or the fan motor itself.
How doe the fan behave on High?
I'll go to the Zone today and see what they say. I changed the battery last year. It's ALWAYS had horrible problems with build up and I'm constantly cleaning the terminals.
Alternator has never been changed in the ten years I've owned the car.
Fan is normal on high, only thing that I notice is in original post.
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1997 Toyota 204k miles. Runs like a champ.
keep us posted with autozone testing results on the battery and alternator, it might get interesting.
mine was doing pretty much same thing with old battery. with new one i hardly notice the fans blowing harder at high rpm vs idle, but if i was anal i would say yeah there is always a difference and i think it's kind of normal per toyota normal operating ranges.
__________________ '02 Solara SLE V6 1MZ-FE/A541E Coupe .: Denso/NGK : Akebono SP : Philips 9011 HIR (low+high) : Toshiba HIR2 9012 (fogs) : Magnefine :. @ 131k
'00 Solara SE 5S-FE/A140E Coupe .: NGK : Hawk HPS : Philips XP : RCEng : Magnefine :. @ 82k
4SALE: connectors for Camry Headlight Wiring Harness and ECU
Sounds like the definition of "normal" is up for grabs here.
IMO normal ranks in the "I hardly notice" catagory.
OP sounds like, it used to be OK and now its not normal and it is noticed!
List of all true:
Nominal battery voltage everything off: 12.4v
Idle voltage everything off: 13.0 -13.5
High idle voltage nominal: 13.8v +
A loose belt could cause alternator output to drop.
A bad connection, gound, battery, could cause battery output to drop.
A bad alternator could cause the voltage to be erratic.
The fan motor, switch, resistor block could isolate everything to the blower circuit itself.
Measure the battery voltage in all of the conditions above. If the voltages are good and lights do not dim or noticeably change output with engine speed, the fault could be something like the resistor block to the fan motor or the fan motor itself.
How doe the fan behave on High?
Ditto that. Except voltage should be closer to 14.2 volts @ idle
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