[71Corolla]

Sweet. When I first starting buying LED headlight bulbs the particular design of the F16+ and ones like it didn't exist. The more expensive set by DDM Tuning are brighter but the beam patterns is not quite as good. The F16's are perfect and fantastic value I think the beam pattern is actually better than the halogens. What would you say the brightness improvement is, 2.5x?

I thought 1989+ didn't have the issue of the high beams not working if there is not enough load my '87 is like this. Maybe the DX model has the same circuit as my '87. Anyway you can solve this by using a 50 ohm power resistor spliced into the high beam wires. It's worth it high beam on the F16's is awesome throws light waaaaaaaaaay down the road.

This puts to bed the long held claim that LEDs 1000% cannot work in a reflector style headlight. I still have people tell me it's impossible and I'm blinding everyone on the road lol.

edit - read your post again it's only the high beam indicator that does not work but the high beam bulbs themselves do?

 

[babyuncle]

The high beam on these Auxbeam works normally. With high beam on, all the road signs are lit up. On low beam, only the bottom part of the signs reflects light back. Only the blue high beam indicator on the dash doesn't work, due to not enough current I guess.

Subjectively, I'd say these are about 4-5 times as bright as halogen bulbs. It seems to match Auxbeam claim of 3500 lumens / bulb which is 5 times 700 lumens / bulb for halogen. Running these bright LED bulbs not only makes you see better but also makes others see you better. People seem less likely to cut me off or when they come out of parking lots or make a right turn on red light, they tend to wait for me to pass first.

 

[Eastman51]

New alternator installed.
Measured at idle with accessories off, just like before.
The engine runs a lot smoother and doesn't struggle after a cold start anymore.

I'm still hearing a whirring when accelerating from a stop (disappears after a few seconds), so I don't think that was ever the alternator. The buzzing at idle is gone, however. Still hear a clunk occasionally when backing out of the driveway (as the front wheels take the curb drop), which repeats when putting it back in drive. I don't seem to hear the clunk when just going reverse to drive and vice versa outside of that.
I also fixed the headlight rattling by adjusting the left/right aim, but I have not tested it at night to see how this has affected visibility.

Cruise control seems to have fixed itself after I smacked the switch. I'm not gonna complain. I will try out the new switch at some point, or perhaps its possible to swap the switch faces? Still need to see about swapping bulbs in the switches too, so a spare is actually a perfect test subject.

Due to the bumper construction, it appears I cannot simply drill into the bumper and mount the fog lights; there would be nowhere to reach and put the nut on the carriage bolt, let alone get a tool on the nut to tighten it. One of my buddies can weld pretty good, and should have the other tools necessary, so I was going to ask him if he'd be able to make some brackets. There's a line of bolts on the bottom of the bumper by the top of the lower grille, which has sufficient clearance for something. Was thinking of having brackets to secure by those bolts that stick out a bit in front of the lower grille and are strong enough to hold the fog light housings.

 

[white90dx]

There's a line of bolts on the bottom of the bumper by the top of the lower grille, which has sufficient clearance for something.

If (that's a big IF at this age) you can get those bolts out, you can use them and the strip to mount fog lights under the bumper. That's what I did on my original Camry.

I now have Aussie headlights (H4 instead of 9004, much brighter and better beam pattern) so I don't feel the need for fogs.

-Charlie

 

[71Corolla]

I got the bolts out too me about 15 minutes per, slowly going back and forth while spray with penetrating oil. That Remy alternator gives me PTSD.

 

[66conv6]

Nice looking car!

 

[white90dx]

That Remy alternator gives me PTSD.

I was refraining from saying something. Suffice to say, a Denso reman would be a better choice...

-Charlie

 

[Eastman51]

If (that's a big IF at this age) you can get those bolts out, you can use them and the strip to mount fog lights under the bumper. That's what I did on my original Camry.

Yea, I'll have to try to get them out. The car is so clean I have hope, but looks can be deceiving. Either way I'll need brackets since the fogs I have use carriage bolts, not to mention the plastic grille piece would be in the way regardless.

I was refraining from saying something. Suffice to say, a Denso reman would be a better choice...

It's claimed to be a reman of a Denso unit. I don't see any official Denso branded remans, just a bunch of other companies that have remanned Denso units. If this one dies too, then oh well I guess. The old one said remanufactured on it, but I didn't see any branding; so, unless there's a brand I didn't see, this new one will probably last longer.

 

[71Corolla]

I don't see any official Denso branded remans, just a bunch of other companies that have remanned Denso units.

Rockauto has the reman Denso. They also have a reman Delco 80 amp I'm tempted to get that one.

 

[white90dx]

It's claimed to be a reman of a Denso unit.

That's absolutely true - but it is not reman'd BY Denso, which is what you want. As 71Corolla mentioned, get it from RockAuto. For now, just keep an eye on the charge voltage and make sure it is working for you...

-Charlie

 

[Eastman51]

This isn't about the Camry (which has been doing great), but rather another car that exhibits a similar symptom to the Camry.

The Camry has a weird deal where if you press the brakes, let up, press the brakes, they get a lot stiffer. It doesn't lose pressure if you hold it once it's stiff. That issue partly went away after adjusting the rear shoes, and is basically completely gone after bedding the new front pads. It's still there a bit, but hardly noticeable and the brakes function well; they lock up nicely even in the dry. To refresh, the dealership replaced the wheel cylinders before I bought it. I adjusted the shoes and replaced the front calipers, pads, and rotors. Bled all four corners in proper order. Have a master cylinder but haven't had time to put it in.

This other car (also front disc rear drum) has been a thorn in my ass with the brakes since I bought it.
I've replaced the rear brakes (cylinders, drums, hardware, shoes, and the rear flex hose). I also replaced the front pads and rotors at one time, but calipers and hoses are 38 years old (I am replacing them soon, Ong with fresh pads). Additionally I've replaced the master cylinder as it was leaking.
And of course, the brakes have been bled in proper order literally dozens of times. The pedal has been ok for a while, travels a good bit and could feel better, but no trouble stopping.
Before doing anything to it, the car had sat for 15 some odd years. Brakes were fine, but the rear wheel cylinders were seized and one was leaking. Master cylinder developed a leak within a few months of getting it back driving.

Tonight I replaced the rear shoes due to one side having excessive wear. The job went smoothly, adjusted the shoes, etc. Touched nothing else.
Now the handbrake doesn't really stiffen up until the full travel range basically. Went just 6 clicks before, now more like 13.
And the pedal goes to the floor. I can lock up, but ONLY the fronts (it's also wet out today).
But it has the same thing, if I pump it once or twice, it feels exactly like it did before I replaced the shoes.

Maybe you guys have some insight or ideas on this? Neither car has a fluid leak.
I am going to take the wheels off the problem child tomorrow to triple check the shoe adjustment, and triple check it's assembled correctly.
Hopefully my pads will be here soon so I can throw that stuff on.
I have no idea what is wrong with this car, and to some extent the Camry.
My van never had any of these problems. It had the pedal go to the floor too, and barely stopped. Replaced the rear drums, shoes, and wheel cylinders; one wheel cylinder was broken and fell apart, plus one side had worn shoes. That helped a lot, but didn't completely resolve the soft feeling and didn't completely restore normal travel. Replaced the front calipers, rotors, and pads. Immediately removed all excessive travel in the brake pedal; it is to this day the best feeling brakes I've ever had (besides maybe my daily).

I'm completely baffled and lost. Damn near ready to take the car somewhere.

 

[71Corolla]

Go back to basics make sure the e-brake cables move properly. Shoes should be snug against the drums if they the parking brake will feel normal. Assuming the shoes and hardware attached are moving freely. Do the adjusters move properly? If you drive in reverse and pull the brake a few times this will auto adjust the star wheel mechanism.

 

[white90dx]

On the other car, I'd lean towards adjusters - especially if no ABS is in the equation... Different drum systems have different 'auto-adjust' procedures, so I couldn't give you specifics.

Soft then better with second quick brake application hints at some residual air in the system somewhere. Maybe the master bench bleed wasn't perfect, etc. My 4Runner has a very odd and special procedure for master cylinder bleeding, so there may be a similar issue there. See if you can find the FSM procedure and see if there is any funny note in there that was previously missed.

-Charlie

 

[Eastman51]

On the other car, I'd lean towards adjusters - especially if no ABS is in the equation... Different drum systems have different 'auto-adjust' procedures, so I couldn't give you specifics.

Soft then better with second quick brake application hints at some residual air in the system somewhere. Maybe the master bench bleed wasn't perfect, etc. My 4Runner has a very odd and special procedure for master cylinder bleeding, so there may be a similar issue there. See if you can find the FSM procedure and see if there is any funny note in there that was previously missed.

-Charlie

I will note, I didn't bench bleed the master. The brakes were bled after the fact. The master was put in a while ago now, and after a lot of bleeding it was fine until this point.

I adjusted the shoes outwards more and the handbrake grabs like before. The brakes feel better, almost where it was before the shoe swap, but it still gets stiffer with a second application of the brakes; a lot stiffer, to a point where its nearly what I'd expect out of it. I did recruit someone to bleed the rear brakes tonight, which seems to be part of the stiffer brake pedal. There were some big bubbles coming out, but quickly ceased; I'll note that the drums on this car are weird, you only bleed the rear from the passenger side. There is only one rear bleeder screw; brake fluid goes to the rear via a single brake line, passes through the driver's side wheel cylinder, and across the axle, into the passenger side wheel cylinder. Entirely possible it needs more bleeding just due to the sheer length of that line.

The brake pads did not arrive today, but hopefully tomorrow. We will see how the new hoses and calipers, plus the bleeding, will affect the pedal.

 

[white90dx]

I will note, I didn't bench bleed the master. The brakes were bled after the fact.

This will be a major issue then. Master cylinders generally don't fully self bleed like the rest of the system. You probably have a few bubbles in there.

Be glad you don't have an ABS system to worry about too...

-Charlie

 

[Eastman51]

This will be a major issue then. Master cylinders generally don't fully self bleed like the rest of the system. You probably have a few bubbles in there.

Be glad you don't have an ABS system to worry about too...

-Charlie

Yea, turns out it was a bleeding issue. I got it bled enough I was confident to drive it around and stop the car well, but it'll need more work.

In other news, the Camry's brakes all of a sudden feel fantastic. She sat for a week or so, started it up tonight and the brakes feel perfect.
I also had my buddy charge up the AC, and it's working great as well.
Unfortunately tomorrow will be it's last drive for a while. I have to put most of my cars in storage for the summer, sad, but hopefully I'll have a new place this fall!
I'm going to fill up the tank, disconnect the battery, and spray fogging oil down the spark plug holes. I've also got a cover to put on it. I'll return in 6 months or so.

 

[swegmike]

I wouldn’t put gas in car if it’s going into storage. I’m not sure how long it takes before it’s considered bad gas.

 

[white90dx]

I wouldn’t put gas in car if it’s going into storage. I’m not sure how long it takes before it’s considered bad gas.

A full tank with Sta-bil or similar would be better than having lots of air/oxygen in the tank. 6-months won't kill the fuel... (my Alltrac sits for that long regularly - I just pop in a few gallons of 100 octane and it is generally fine)

edit: Try to have the tank full of ethanol-free gas when you part it/them.

-Charlie

 

[Eastman51]

Yes, I am going to fill it up with a full tank. Unfortunately ethanol free is not available anywhere near here and I don't know of any places with aviation fuel or 100 octane either.

The full tank is to help keep water out of the tank because of the ethanol. And I will definitely add sta-bil.