'88 Corolla electrical problems

[dsk2293]

Hi all

I've got an old hatchback from '88 which have been doing its job nicely, up until a few days ago. While driving the stereo and most other electrical stuff just went dead (engine still running normal). I stopped at a gas station and then it died completely with no response at all when trying to start it up again (engine not even turning, just a "click" then nothing).

Next day I found that the fuel injection fuse was broken. There was enough power left in the battery to start the engine after changing the fuse, but after 1 minute on idle the fuse popped again and battery was down at 3-4 Volts.

This fuse thing keeps bothering me. The manual claims it is the fuel injection fuse, but on the fuse box the letters CMH are written on this particular fuse AND the relay located just above it... What does CMH mean? Shouldn't it say EFI or something if it was the fuel injection?

Any ideas?

[toyomoho]

CMH might stand for cold mixture heater. This was both a fuel heater and cold mixture heater on Toyota carburetors.

Look at the engine and see if the engine has injectors or a carb. If a carb, check the CMH located underneath the carb for shorts.

[dsk2293]

Thanks for the reply!

It is a carb. I always thought it was until I read the manual that said Fuel injection, but now I know.

Checked all wires and couldn't locate any shorts.

I think the main problem is that the battery is not loading. I loaded the battery manually, put it back in and replaced the fuse. Works like a charm BUT, battery shows 10-11 volts while engine is running and I suppose it should be 13-14 if the battery was actually loading.

So, next thing to do is to check the generator. I think the fuse problem is only a side effect of low voltage from the battery, but not sure of course...

[dsk2293]

Just in case someone has a similar problem and find this thread...

Replacing the generator fixed the problem.