[frostyboskitzo]

Hello ToyotaNation fellow enthusiasts.

Lately my partner's '94 2.2L Camry sedan has been getting harder and harder to start after being left to sit for greater than 24 hours. At first we thought it was the cold, but on a warm day after being left over the weekend it was very hard to start. Once it started it was fine - and starting again soon after a short run was easy. I suspected the battery, so replaced it today. We'll see soon whether it's fixed.

Now the fun part: when I replaced my battery, I wasn't too quick about it and forgot that I'd need to use the FOB to disable to alarm on first run. My neighbours and I got quite a start when the horn and lights started alarming when I tried to start it on the new battery! I quickly ran around the front, disconnected the positive terminal, went inside and grabbed the Fob. Reconnected the positive terminal, used the fob to lock/unlock, then started the car - nice and easy.

It was at this point that I noticed that the left indicator light was "stuck" on. Not flashing, just stuck. No clicking from the relay. I checked, and the outside LHS indicators were all stuck on.

-- I tried moving the stalk to the left, then the right, (right indicator works as normal, but moving left has no effect)
-- I tried Hazards button, and BOTH LHS and RHS indicators all illuminate, but stay on - there's no relay click.
-- I disconnected the turn signal fuse (no damage) lights stayed on
-- I disconnected the HAZ/HORN fuse (no damage) lights stayed on. Hazards did same trick, even with the fuse out.

I believe that the Turn Signal Relay got fried, or more likely, the Alarm relay/fuse got fried. However, my haynes isn't specific about any of the relays and fuses, an i've unplugged a handful on unnamed relays (under the passenger kickboard, on the left, and the two black relays under the drivers steering column behind the panel) but the lights stayed on.

After just over an hour of scratching my head, I've just disconnected the positive terminal for now.

My question: Anyone ever seen this before? I'm thinking it's a busted relay/fuse for the alarm or hazards because it stays on even when the ignition is off. These, along with Headlights, are some of the only things that are on despite the ignition. (I've also pulled the headlights fuses to make sure it's not a bad earth/short)

I can't find any clear "THIS IS YOUR TURN RELAY, FROSTY!" anywhere; most of the relays are just the OEM black Toyota unit, with only codes on them.

A picture or video of exactly where the
-- alarm relay/fuse
-- hazard relay/fuse
-- turn signal relay
are should help me be sure i'm diagnostically unplugging something.

I haven't yet checked engine codes - would that be worthwhile doing, when it's an accessory/alarm?

Car runs fine, just dangerous to go around without indicators working properly.

 

[frostyboskitzo]

Additional diagnostic information:

So whilst I was cooking dinner just now, I had disconnected the battery to save it from the drain - when i hooked it back up to go for a drive, I noticed that the LHS indicators (only) came on, then went off.

I checked the immobiliser light, and it was flashing (normal for disconnected battery - re-arms the immobiliser and alarm)

I used the FOB the first time like an intelligent person, and the lights flashed (indicating the alarm has been disarmed) but the LHS indicators stayed on after this!

Same as before.

When i came back from the drive, I disconnected the battery, counted to five, then reconnected it. The LHS indicators came on once again, then went off. The immobiliser and alarm are now armed. I figure if I use the FOB to disarm it, they'll stay on - so I'll leave it as is for now.

I believe I'm looking to bypass the alarm/immobiliser. If I can do that, it means that I don't have to replace it. I'm not worried about theft of this vehicle, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[7yotanavy]

Hi, is this factory alarm system? If not, find control box probably under steering wheel area and dc the thing by pulling out the slide out connections, be carefull not to let the power wires, possibly red and white touch ground. Sounds like the lights being on may be from a loose ground or its indicating it wants a signal to confirm your fob. The hard starting is another issue entirely, I think.

 

[frostyboskitzo]

7yotanavy, it's the stock alarm/immobiliser. Do you know where the OEM is located?

Edit// I'm not worried about the "hard to start" issue, as I believe a new battery has solved that problem - but provided the info for diagnostic purposes.

 

[frostyboskitzo]

Okay, last post for tonight:

http://www.toymods.org.au/forums/threads/77050-help-with-factory-alarm-(95-camry)
^ in this thread, a fella talks about how if you connect the battery, unlock the car with the key, and just leave it for an hour, it should be good to start?

This might work around my problem, as it's 100% the anti-theft device that's at fault. I'm struggling to find any wiring diagram that phsyically shows me where to find and pull out the faulty relay, but from what I can read, there's a relay which is outside of the turn signal/hazard loop, which is specifically for the anti-theft/immobiliser/horn alarm (factory option in some 95's). In other models of cars, this relay was known to fail with overuse but in this car it's probably just old and not used to doing any hard work.

If anyone knows where to find the factory alarm system/relay that's causing trouble here, it'd be great if a photo or some very specific instructions could get me to it. I bet a good re-seat will fix my problems until I can replace the relay.

Sleep tight, Toyota Nation!

 

[frostyboskitzo]

Ok, so I read on a BMW forum that relays can get a bit sticky when they're warm, and someone with a similar problem had less issues when it was cold. I got up early this morning and before the sun hit it, pressed unlock on the fob. Presto chango, the thing worked and the lights didn't get stuck on! It's 100 percent a relay, and I still don't know where it is to replace but if it's only ever a problem using the Fob then that's fine, as we never use it.

I hope this thread helps someone else - if anyone does know where the relay is for this car for the alarm/immobiliser's control of the indicator lights, please share for anyone else who runs into this trouble.