common relay of fuse for the windows, wipers, and mirrors? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

hans747 · 09-06-2011, 03:15 PM

Hey guys,

Is there a common fuse or relay for the windows, mirrors, and wipers?

Earlier today, my wife's 2002 camry v6 began having serious starter problems. In an effort to verify that it wasn't a problem with the battery, I attempted to jump start it with my little 4cyl nissan truck. Anyway, i don't know if I let the cables touch or if I just left it hooked up to my truck too long, but now the power windows, mirrors, and wipers have stopped working. I've been looking for a relay or fuse for accessories, but I haven't seen one labeled as such either in the fuse/relay panel over the wheel well, or the fuse panel by the driver's knee.

Here's a list of some things that are still working:
door locks
lights (front and back)
maybe the fuel pump (i can hear a constant hum when I turn the key on)

Unfortunately, all the windows were down when this happened, so I really need your help!

Thanks,
Eric

p.s. I looked around online, but the closest thing I found was a tech help guy suggesting that someone should check the ACC relay. I don't see one under my hood (neither did that person asking the question).

Luna2 · 09-06-2011, 05:02 PM

Have you check the Alternator fuse? (under the hood?)

Glenn8963 · 09-06-2011, 06:26 PM

someone here had to replace that alternator fuse. it was a tough one to get at, it was inside the fuse box (under the hood) but underneath all the other fuses.>?? do a search for it, i think there are pictures of it as well.

what i have been doing the past 3-5 years now, is when someone needs a jump start. i have one of those "portable jumpers" you can get at pep boys, sears, auto zone, etc,etc. mine is capable of 900 CCA. stays charged in your car's trunk for months at a time. once about every 4-5 months, i let it discharge to near zero, and recharge it for about 2 days..till it's 100% charged again.

this is safer than jumper cables, as when you are using jumper cables, the "donor" vehicle is running.....you're putting a lot of volts AND amps into the other battery...

then of course, it IS recommended to go positive to positive, then negative to ground...not on the negative terminal. sometimes the spike you get when hooking them up will cause what you are now experiencing...

hans747 · 09-06-2011, 07:35 PM

thanks! I'll look into it.

hans747 · 09-06-2011, 08:58 PM

Alright, I poked around in there, but I could not see a broken spot on the 120A fuse. This is driving me nuts! Almost nothing in the car works now, but I can't find a single blown fuse. Can the alternator fuse burn out in a spot that's not visible through the clear plastic?

Glenn8963 · 09-07-2011, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hans747

Alright, I poked around in there, but I could not see a broken spot on the 120A fuse. This is driving me nuts! Almost nothing in the car works now, but I can't find a single blown fuse. Can the alternator fuse burn out in a spot that's not visible through the clear plastic?

i do not know what fuse you were looking at....

i am trying like heck myself to remember the alternator fuse, and something tells me it was about 3, maybe 4 inches long, and not showing anything as it was black i think...the young man that replaced it, provided pictures, and he said he had to disasemble the fuse box (under the hood) and this big long fuse was inside, underneath the other fuses....

i do believe he was able to get the fuse at a parts store..??? .

hans747 · 09-07-2011, 06:19 AM

Thanks for the lead. I read a few writeups on replacing it. here's what it looks like:

I'm pretty sure the screws go through the blades.

Glenn8963 · 09-07-2011, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hans747

Thanks for the lead. I read a few writeups on replacing it. here's what it looks like:

I'm pretty sure the screws go through the blades.

nope, that is NOT it....

in fact, just minutes ago i was also trying to find that thread with pictures. that thread was posted THIS year, between (i'll say) April thru June the latest here on the Camry boards.....

as i remember it, the guy had to open up the fuse panel (along the drivers side, under the hood). once opened, there are/were 2, maybe 4..???? 8 MM screws he had to remove...once done, that top part lifts off, and those (i think 2..???) fuses are located there......

i think he went to auto zone or someplace, not a dealer, but this i cannot actually remember, but i think the price was under $25 each..>???????

i wish I COULD FIND that thread for you, as i too want to confirm what i am saying..

hans747 · 09-07-2011, 07:44 AM

Alright, now I'm intrigued. Tonight, the fuse block comes apart!

Thanks for sticking with me on this one.

LE05 · 09-07-2011, 05:24 PM

Got pictures of my 05, but it's an I4. Should be pretty similar? At the time that I replaced this fuse, dealership was closed, and neither Pepboys, Autozone, or Advance Auto had the proper size fuse. Had to go to some mom+pop store an hour from where I lived to get it... $3.99.

Top fuse is the alternator fuse. You should be able to see pretty readily if its blown.

And yes, it is bolted and the fuse box must be taken apart to access the bolts. I did this a long time ago, and remember there being a lot of clips/snaps that had to be undone to split the two halves of the fuse box:

LE05 · 09-07-2011, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn8963

nope, that is NOT it....

in fact, just minutes ago i was also trying to find that thread with pictures. that thread was posted THIS year, between (i'll say) April thru June the latest here on the Camry boards.....

as i remember it, the guy had to open up the fuse panel (along the drivers side, under the hood). once opened, there are/were 2, maybe 4..???? 8 MM screws he had to remove...once done, that top part lifts off, and those (i think 2..???) fuses are located there......

i think he went to auto zone or someplace, not a dealer, but this i cannot actually remember, but i think the price was under $25 each..>???????

i wish I COULD FIND that thread for you, as i too want to confirm what i am saying..

Glenn, i think that was for a Gen 6... which has the longer style solid looking fuses I believe.

EDIT: found it!
relevant thread: Changed water pump and car wont start???

and from that thread - pictures, post 10: FUSE Location/Word for Headlights

hans747 · 09-07-2011, 06:43 PM

Glenn and Luna, Le05 is right. My fuse box (gen 5) looks like what he posted. I don't have any of those long beautiful blue fuses. The problem is that my dorky little blue fuse doesn't look blown. Then again, the car is showing all the symptoms of a a dead 120amp fuse... I was able to get a replacement fuse at O'Reilly for $4, so all I can waste now is my time. I'm going to replace it, and see what happens. Wish me luck!

hans747 · 09-07-2011, 08:25 PM

UPDATE: I started taking the fuse box apart. On these fuse there's one screw that faces the outerside of the panel and there's another one that faces the inner side of the panel. The outer one is easy to remove once you've removed the bottom of the panel. The inner one not so much. It's lost in a sea of wires.

HINT: There's an easy way to test the fuse without even taking the box apart. If you have one of these little square 120 amp fuses, you can just remove the spare fuses that are located immediately next to the 120 amp one. Underneath them, there are little holes that are big enough to stick a probe from a test light. You can touch the little screws and get a reading off of them.

I did that on mine, and i can confirm that there's hot electrical current on both sides of the 120 amp fuse. So now what?

LE05 · 09-07-2011, 11:20 PM

you've probably already done it, but i'm going to ask anyway: have you checked all the fuses are still good? check both the engine fuse box and the dash fuse box. it's a lot of fuses, so you might want to get one of those fuse testers, so you're not pulling them out one by one.

hans747 · 09-08-2011, 12:48 AM

I've checked all the major fuses (big clear ones that you don't have to take out), I checked the power fuses (1thru4) under the dash. I've also grabbed a bunch of random fuses throughout. So far, they all look good.

BtW, since i already had the fuse block disassembled, i replaced the 125 amp alternator fuse. Still no luck.

Should I be looking at the ignition switch now?