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Electrical Issues

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sluggo1967

New Member
I have an annoying electrical problem (what ones aren’t?!) ok i have a 1977 sr5 longbed and if it matters, the original ignition was replaced with a 1979 point less distributor or equivalent. What is going on is the chg light comes on and usually the truck will go for awhile then it cuts out and i assume There is no spark and i have to start the truck up again. I usually repeat this till i get home and it sits till the next day and usually doesn’t “act up” again but sometimes it does. Also when it dies and then repeats, the heater fan cuts out and doesn’t go on till the next day, usually. Im no electrician so I'm at a loss to what is happening
I have replaced the following:
Alternator
Cap n rotor
Plugs n wires
Coil
Fuel pump relay
Voltage regulator(it didnt work so the old one went back in)
If anybody has a clue to what is going on, please help!! Thanks
 
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kennythewelder

kennythewelder

Super Moderator
Staff member
100 Posts
Sounds like the ingition wire that feeds the coil has a short. I have in the past ran a wire to the positive on the coil, to a toggle switch, and found another supply for the toggle switch. To kill the truck, kill the toggle switch. Supply the toggle from the battery and include a fuse. You still need the key to start the truck, but must use the toggle to make it run, and to kill it.
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kennythewelder

kennythewelder

Super Moderator
Staff member
100 Posts
No,but a short some where on the wires will. By running a new wire to the ingition coil, you will by pass any short. To fix it rite, you will need to find and repair the shorted wire, or replace it. In your case, Ill bet there is more than one wire that is shorted. It could be any where in that run of wires comming from the key switch, to under the dash or any where that the wires run. Most of the time, a proper fix means cutting out the bad wire, and replacing it with a new one, that is sauldered and heat shrunk in place. To find it, you need a test light or multimeter, and you have to remove any tape or wire loom or both. Being it only does this some times makes is hard to find the problem. What I sugested with the toggle switch, is a way around a proper fix.
 
kennythewelder

kennythewelder

Super Moderator
Staff member
100 Posts
Start by looking for scuffed up or pinched spots on the wiring from the steering coluum, to under the dash, to under the hood. If you find one, thats most likely where the short is. Grab it and see if you can wiggle it around a little, to make the truck act up like it does when its giving you problems.
 
kennythewelder

kennythewelder

Super Moderator
Staff member
100 Posts
I am unfamiliar with the ignitor. When you put the key on, you should have power to one side of the coil. That is where you want to put the wire from your switch. What is that red jumper wire run in a loop all about? that may be your issue IDK. So is the ignitor your control module that replaced the points?
 
kennythewelder

kennythewelder

Super Moderator
Staff member
100 Posts
Your coil is a transformer. 12 volt positive on one side, 12 volt negative, or ground on the other side, and high voltage out put on the coil wire going into the distributor. Give power to the coil, and the engine runs, Turn off this power, and the engine dies.
 
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sluggo1967

New Member
kennythewelder said:
I am unfamiliar with the ignitor. When you put the key on, you should have power to one side of the coil. That is where you want to put the wire from your switch. What is that red jumper wire run in a loop all about? that may be your issue IDK. So is the ignitor your control module that replaced the points?
Click to expand...
Yes, that wire i believe is jumped because it wont work otherwise. Whoever installed it , perhaps didnt have all the stuff the vehicle that it was removed from to hook it to. I ordered a new cap , rotor and points and to my surprise i found out there was none(no points that is)!! I was even considering an after market distributor complete with coil (like the gm version with the coil in the cap)
 
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kennythewelder

kennythewelder

Super Moderator
Staff member
100 Posts
OK I got you. IDK if Toyota has a HEI distributor like GM does. Just asking, have you thought about going back to OE ( points style distributor) ? No matter what though, IMO you have a short some where. You hit a bump or something the rite way, and the wire or wires short out, or even disconnect for a few seconds, (what ever) and you have an issue. Things settle back into place, and things go back to normal. Hell it could even be in the iginter IDK.
 
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sluggo1967

New Member
Also, it doesn’t always act up. It’ll go for a couple of days with no problem, then the chg light comes on and it’ll be wonky for awhile. Warm or cold weather doesn’t seem to be more troublesome than the other. Im thinking it’s a faulty component like a main relay but I don’t think this has one. But it has a module for emissions ( i think it was a California car) and a smog pump
 
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sluggo1967

New Member
Thx!
I had an idea to look at the fuse panel (only like 8 fuses) so i saw a fuse labeled “engine” so i thought even if i bypass the hot wire to the igniter, the electrical issue could be interfering with stuff, so i pulled it out and thought what the heck I’ll try to start the truck. Voila! It started!! And ever since I’ve had no issues, truck putting along great! The only drawback is i have no gauges so I can’t tell how much fuel i have or if the truck is overheating other than the typical smoke coming from under the hood. This was two days ago! The chg lite doesnt come on but thats because the fuse is pulled!
 
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