Random problems on 92 Corolla DX 5-speed

[desired_speeds]

Hi! I'm new here. I have been doing all the maintenance and fixing my mom's Corolla for the past few years and recently, there have been a few problems I have not been able to troubleshoot. If you guys can help me, it would be great. Here are the problems:

1. Lowbeams on the headlights wont work, relay above driverside interior footwell fusebox keeps blowing when i throw a new one in. My mom currently drives around with her highbeams on at night that I have adjusted as low as possible. I know that its shorted out. I was wondering if it would work if I just cut the ground on the headlight bulb and just grounded it onto the frame itself.

2. Connected to the headlight problem is that when you step on the brake pedal, the front corner lights light up dimly. I noticed this one night when she was parking with her lights off.

3. The rear brake lights are crazy. Some of it lights up, I have already tried to tighten and clean all the connections at the brake lights. i have also checked that the bulbs are working and not blown.

4. Trunk leaks, probably tail light gaskets.....

5. Trunk light wont turn off. I pulled the bulb for the time being.

6. Some moron installed a Clifford alarm years ago. Starting maybe about half a year ago, the siren quit working. Along with the siren, the dome light doesn't light up when the doors are open. I know that this is connected with the alarm because the alarm currently locks the doors 30 seconds after you unlock it even when the doors are open. When the alarm was beginning to quit, this was an intermittent problem and when the alarm worked correctly, there was never a problem with the dome light or the doors locking or the siren.

7. Bad gas mileage. I do realize that living in San Francisco, I cannot expect very much, but still, its a manual and it gets around 17 mpg. I have already replaced the spark plugs with NGK coppers, motor oil, did a minor tuneup, and gas treatment. Maybe the next thing i should try is to replace the spark plug wires/ distributor cap and rotor. My friend with an 88 Integra 5-speed gets around 25 mpg and he drives the car like its stolen daily. My mom drives nowhere as rough as he does.

Besides those things, the car has been great. Its easy to fit into parking spots and its pretty powerful for the 1.6L motor. Any suggestions for any of these problems would be greatly appreciated, thank you for your time!

[90 GP]

Try replacing air /gas filter, cap/rotor and plug wires. You might also have a oxygen sensor on the way out . I used to have an aftermarket alarm on my celica and it had a lead that attached to the front left parking light. The connection at the wires was corroded and caused some problems . I also remember a pinched wire in the door causing the door locks to act up. My guess is the alarm and it's conncetions are the cause of most of your electrical system woes. I remember seeing a forum that you could ask questions regarding aftermarket alarm questions. Might want to do a search and see what you can find.

[desired_speeds]

so maybe I should trying ripping out my alarm first?

[punter]

You have earthing problems, check the earth on the battery, clean it, maybe even replace it.
Clean and check all the earths you can find.

Bad mileage is probably somthing else though.

[desired_speeds]

well, i just finished ripping out the poorly installed alarm... replaced the headlight relay again. let's see if it'll fry again.

[desired_speeds]

Originally Posted by punter

You have earthing problems, check the earth on the battery, clean it, maybe even replace it.
Clean and check all the earths you can find.

Bad mileage is probably somthing else though.

earthing, what does that mean, basically clean every ground I can reach? WHat do i use to clean it btw? thanks!

[AVANT]

Earthing, grounding, same deal.

Check the ends of all your grounds is what punter meant. Pull each end out, remove any rust or build up that can cause resistance. Sand paper is good for this. Reinsert the ground. If you have a multimeter or ohm meter, check and make sure the wires aren't broken.

[desired_speeds]

Originally Posted by AVANT

Earthing, grounding, same deal.

Check the ends of all your grounds is what punter meant. Pull each end out, remove any rust or build up that can cause resistance. Sand paper is good for this. Reinsert the ground. If you have a multimeter or ohm meter, check and make sure the wires aren't broken.

ahh, i get it now. Thanks!

I just realized that after I removed the alarm, the two passenger side doors' door switches work now so the dome light comes on when either of those doors are open. The two on the driverside still don't work, so I will grab a few the next weekend when i go to the junkyard. I drove about 10 miles on it tonght with the headlights on maybe about 20 mins and it seems to work fine, I hope it stays that way.

[tashirosgt]

When replacing fuses, remember to select the fuze AMP rating according to some reliable reference. Don't trust that the value of the old fuse was the correct size.

[REN69]

Aussies and Kiwis seem to call it earthing from what I've noticed.. we call it grounds in north america.

[desired_speeds]

Originally Posted by tashirosgt

When replacing fuses, remember to select the fuze AMP rating according to some reliable reference. Don't trust that the value of the old fuse was the correct size.

well my mom is the original owner, so all its fuses have been the original besides the fuel pump, which IS the correct amp rating

[punter]

Yea grounding earthing, same thing. Those words are interchangable over here.