I've already searched several forums ref a 2002 Celica with some "issues". The car has been to the dealership several times now and even the master mechanic is completely stumped. In one shot, I lost the digital fuel gauge, power locks, chimers, day time running lights, and seat belt indicator. Also, because the fuel gauge doesn't provide a reading, the low fuel light comes on. The mechanics have replaced sensors, checked fuses, etc... Based on what the master mechanic and several of his counterparts have said, it seems almost like the car was struck by lightning, however there are no melted or chared wires. I thought possibly that the body ecu might be bad (based on another forum), however that has been checked. A Gatto's mechanic said that the computer may need to be reprogrammed, however the Toyota master said that is not possible.
Any ideas or help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. The mechanics have said they haven't seen anything like this before. The strangest thing though is that occasionally the car won't start.
It is possible that your car have an issue with the ground connection for those circuits. Get a wiring diagram and find out what is common between all the circuits that are not working. It can also be a junction block connection, either way the most common point between all would most likely be the cause.
Sorry, I also forgot... the mechanics have had the car completely torn apart and traced all the wiring and found no faulty points. The master mechanic is so frustrated that he pulled out the Celica repair manual and when he still was at a loss, he put a call in to Toyota. He's now awaiting a call back to find out what to do next.
Is there anything common between those circuits that are not working?
Sometimes, an outsiders with a clear head may be better than someone who is in the middle of it all. Nothing against the techs, when one get frustrated, one tend to miss out on the obvious.
Well, in looking at the diagrams for all the systems, the first thing that pops out as a common factor is the body ECU. When you say it has been "checked", what exactly do you mean? Was it replaced with no result?
Also, the other suggestion that I had was contacting California, but it looks like the tech already did that.
Regarding the body ecu being checked, I have no clue. After searching the other forums and reading that the body ecu could be at fault, I recommended that it be looked into. The mechanic said that they tested and it was alright. They didn't replace it with another body ecu because they didn't have any in stock. They have actually ordered the body ecu and are waiting on it to come in.
Last edited by 6shooter72; 09-04-2008 at 10:11 PM.
There is no bench check or test for the ecu other looking at it for the sign of failure; there isn't anything that they can test. They should have put another one in and see what happen.
Now, I've been looking all over hell and creation for a "body ecu". Is there another term for it? Every time I try a search for it, I get throttle body ecu. I got clarification of what was done now. The mechanic only visually inspected the body ecu. No replacement was done because they didn't have one in stock.
Last edited by 6shooter72; 09-04-2008 at 10:36 PM.
Now, I've been looking all over hell and creation for a "body ecu". Is there another term for it? Every time I try a search for it, I get throttle body ecu. I got clarification of what was done now. The mechanic only visually inspected the body ecu. No replacement was done because they didn't have one in stock.
No, it's just called the body ECU. Your model has a separate computer that handles electronic transactions in the systems apart from the drivetrain (like door locks, mirrors, instrument cluster, etc...). A visual inspection of any ECU is completely worthless. Imagine if your desktop computer crashed....would a visual inspection from the outside be a reliable method of determining anything?
And Neo is correct in that there isn't any bench check for a computer. Based on my experience with California hotline, they've told the techs to replace the body ecu and see what happens.
Oh man, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but It's amazing what a little research has done for me. I'm literally laughing my ass off right now because I evidently had the answer to the problem way before the car went to the shop.
See the background on this car is that it belongs to my mom. I'm kind of a hobby mechanic and learn as I go, fixing my truck when something goes wrong. I told her to wait until I did my research on her car, however she was impatient and took it to the local Yota dealership to work on it.
When I found the info on the body ecu, I gave her the information to give to the mechanic and he kinda blew her off. I just got all that information from her. This kinda solidifies my perception of dealerships and their treatment of customers.
Now I'm really tempted to order the part and replace it myself. I will keep you guys posted and I do greatly appreciate the help.
Btw, QSlim where is the best place to get the wiring diagram for this year Celica?
Last edited by 6shooter72; 09-04-2008 at 11:00 PM.
Don't write off dealerships completely, sounds like your mom just didn't get the attention and explanation she deserves from the tech (or maybe the service writer). There are plenty of stand up techs that work at dealers, and they'll always have the most information at their disposal for fixing problems. Really, based on your description, a skilled tech should have been able to narrow down shared components in a few hours by looking at the WD.
As for diagrams for you, you can always log on to Toyota's TIS. That's exactly what the dealer uses, and I think that you can download the individual PDFs by system (though I'm not sure, I've never used the customer version).
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Forum for all Toyota Celica discussion! Including the ST16x/18x/20x, and ZZT230/231.
02 Celica w/ electrical issues
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