Flickering Display

[toyavaowner]

I have a 2006 Avalon where the display for the climate control/trip computer intermittently flickers and fades out completely and then after a minute or so will come back on normal. It is not the blue portion of the display but the various white lines, numbers and letters that are flickering. The other odd part is that the radio info stays on steady other than the circles and numbers representing how many CD's are inserted. The circles/numbers flicker with the climate control and trip computer info. This is not a constant problem yet, but does appear to be getting worse. Looks like a service trip to the Toyota dealer. Any ideas what might be causing this?

[Mike Murrell]

Bad alternators have been known to cause this sort of problem.

Only way to know for sure is to have a legit shop with elect. skills diagnose it.

If you are familar with the basic workings of a VOM(voltage ohm meter) - you can measure voltage on the battery with car idling.

When cold - Asian cars read 14.1v - 14.4v if alternator is healthy.

Once warmed up the volt. reading will dip into the 13.5v - 13.9v range.

If you get less than 14.0v on a cold motor - you might have an elect. shop dig deeper.

The test I provide is not proof conclusive that your alternator is OK - but it's a start.