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Wolfbox shuts down upon starting my Taco

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by foothill96tacoma, Feb 9, 2025.

  1. Feb 9, 2025 at 6:56 PM
    #1
    foothill96tacoma

    foothill96tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    1996 LX 3.4L MT 4x4 Xtra cab. Wolfbox G930 with USB hardwire kit.

    Just installed my Wolfbox. It's nice, but when I start the truck, the Wolfbox shuts off. It works fine when the key is in the position just before start. Once the truck is running, I can press the power button at the bottom of the Wolfbox and it turn on and stays on.

    I assume the power drawn by the starter somehow convinces the Wolfbox the truck is turned off. Any suggestions?

    BTW the red Wolfbox wire is tapped into the cigarette lighter fuse, while the yellow (always on) wire goes directly to the 12V battery with an inline 15AMP fuse.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2025
  2. Feb 10, 2025 at 8:02 AM
    #2
    time623

    time623 Well-Known Member

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    Have you tried just starting the truck regularly without letting the truck sit in a power on engine off key position?

    My wolfbox turns on fine except if I have been sitting with the engine off but power on. The wolfbox will turn on and function while I am sitting like that, but turning the key to ignition shuts it off and it doesn't come back on when the engine starts.

    Mines just plugged into the cig lighter not hardwired, so I imagine its functionally wired the same as yours.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2025
  3. Feb 10, 2025 at 8:14 AM
    #3
    0xDEADBEEF

    0xDEADBEEF Swaying to the Symphony of Destruction

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    Which circuit is it wired to?
     
  4. Feb 10, 2025 at 8:18 AM
    #4
    foothill96tacoma

    foothill96tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Please see my original post:
    "the red Wolfbox wire is tapped into the cigarette lighter fuse, while the yellow (always on) wire goes directly to the 12V battery with an inline 15AMP fuse."
     
    0xDEADBEEF[QUOTED] likes this.
  5. Feb 10, 2025 at 8:28 AM
    #5
    foothill96tacoma

    foothill96tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Errr not until this morning, but it worked fine when I tried this! Ha! Thank you.

    Now if I can just figure out why the reverse mode (lines + camera angle) work only intermittently when I put the truck in reverse...
     
    time623[QUOTED] likes this.
  6. Feb 10, 2025 at 8:42 AM
    #6
    0xDEADBEEF

    0xDEADBEEF Swaying to the Symphony of Destruction

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    Oh man. I must be less awake than I thought :laughing: Sorry about that.

    I was thinking there might be a relay that opens up during starting, but i don't see one on the diagram. I bet the voltage is just sagging enough to make it cut out.
     
  7. Feb 10, 2025 at 8:46 AM
    #7
    foothill96tacoma

    foothill96tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    No worries @0xDEADBEEF, my coffee has not quite kicked in yet here on the West Coast :) Yeah I think there is strange thing that happens with voltage going from "engine off but truck power on" to "engine on + truck power on". I can live with that idiosyncrasy, as I've discovered the WF starts up fine when I start the truck from a fully off position (thanks @time623 !).
     
    0xDEADBEEF likes this.
  8. Feb 10, 2025 at 8:50 AM
    #8
    time623

    time623 Well-Known Member

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    Yeah I've attributed it to some issue losing power and getting power back too quickly. Like it can't turn off fast enough to be ready to turn back on.
    afaik all accessories lose power when the starter is on, unless I'm wrong about that.
     
  9. Feb 10, 2025 at 9:25 AM
    #9
    treyus30

    treyus30 70% complete 70% of the time

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    ^ been my experience as well. Volts drop to like 9, which will knock out most digital circuitry that operates at 12-15V. You can try a big ol capacitor and a diode if it's that bothersome.
     
    foothill96tacoma[OP] likes this.

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