dkpath96 Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Here's an interesting problem my pathy is developing. After driving for 1/2 hour or more, and then after long stretches of not using the brakes, when I do apply the brakes (even lightly) the whole engine tries to stall and all the lights dim. The check engine light flickers on and then off again. And then it goes away for a while. One morning after it did this even turning on the turn signal or heater fan caused the lights to dim a bit, perhaps due to the strain that the issue placed on the battery moments before. I'm thinking it could be the brake booster going, but does anyone else have an idea?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Sounds electrical to me. Have your alternator tested. Could also be an open brake light circuit that is causing problems... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissandoms47 Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 check your brake booster hose going from the brake booster to the intake manifold, it could be electrical, it could be the brake booster itself. usually when you undo that hose the engine will run rough. and if your pathy is under load when its doing it. meaning its in D it might be it. check it for leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuismO Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 this happened to me in the celica... turned out to be the drive belt that drives the alternator...it slipped on the alternator pulley. but it happened more when i turned to full lock, possibly because the same belt that turned the alternator was also driving the power steering. blah, i guess it might not be the same as your prob...maybe similar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 I'd suspect a vaccuum problem first. Make sure the check valve for the brake booster is working and connected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkpath96 Posted October 26, 2006 Author Share Posted October 26, 2006 Thanks for the help, guys. Ok, I tested some things this afternoon: 1) The brake booster seems fine - the brake pedal gets "tighter" when pumped while the vehicle is off, and it doesn't drop in position when I hold it in with the engine running and then shut the engine off. 2) The battery holds 12.45 V when the engine is off and I detected no sort of power drain. 3) The battery holds 14.0 V while the engine is running, indicating the alternator is working properly. I had the "power drain" happen only one time this morning, and did not notice it happen on the way home. I'm now leaning towards a very intermittent short in the brake light wiring. How the heck do I check for this besides visual inspection of the wiring? And if it were this, why does it only happen once or twice after driving long stretches (3-4 mi at 45-60 mph) of not using the brakes (my daily commute is ~40 minutes, with some stop-and-go, where I've not had it occur...)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuismO Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 (edited) an intermittent short in the brake light circuit can definitely explain the power drain during braking, check if your brake lights actually work. if they don't...check the fuse. if it's blown, the bad wire is most likely between the brake light and the fuse. if they're still working, then the bad wire has to be between the brake light switch and the fuse box, or maybe even closer towards the battery it probably only happens sometimes, maybe due to vehicle movement which moves let's say an exposed part of the brake light wire closer to the body/frame or anything that it can ground itself on. Edited October 26, 2006 by QuismO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkpath96 Posted November 2, 2006 Author Share Posted November 2, 2006 Well I haven't had the power issue ever since I tested the battery. I did clean white crusty corrosion off of the terminals, so perhaps that was the cause. Makes sense I guess. Just don't know why it wasn't more consistent, but oh well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 I was going to suggest a bad connection and to clean all the terminals... Here's my thought: If it was an intermittent short that flowed enough current to suck that much power, it really should blow a fuse. Modern vehicles should have all circuits properly protected. So the next thought would be a bad connection. When things shift due to weight transfer, something is occaisionally going almost open and not enough current is getting through to power everything. I'll bet major bucks you truly fixed it with the battery terminal cleaning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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