Man oh man what did I do...

Hello wise people. 08 Tacoma Reg Cam with 33k on odom.

Here's what happened: classic reverse of polarity on new battery install two days ago. Blew a million fuses, including Alternator fuse and ABS fuse.

Replaced all fuses, plus a few others.

Since then, Brake/ABS lights come on intermittently. Sometimes they go off and my ABS works again, then they come on. It happens randomly. Sometimes I'll start the truck, and the lights will be on. Sometimes I'll start the truck and the lights will be off, in which case everything works. Then they come on again during my drive, and bye-bye ABS. Sometimes, I'll start the truck, lights stay on, then they turn off, and then they come on again. You get the picture.

So. What do you guys think the problem is? Speed sensors? But they were fine before the battery mishap. No mud, no crazy bumps or driving. Fried ABS module? ABS works sometimes. More not working than working, but still works. Battery too low for ABS? Check. 12.7V.

I've been diving into forums for the past few days, and am waiting on my code scanner to arrive that i ordered when this started happening. It is dangerous, I had to slam on brakes today and my whole back end went in to the other lane at 60mph. Great.

 

damn dude, im betting ten buck, you WILL NOT do that again.

warranty still?

 

you just won ten bucks. yes it is, JUST bought it.

 

Take it to toyota, he's over the 32k. So you maybe SOL as far as warranty.
Brakes are something you can't go without, can be life or death. Take it in tomorrow.

 

check your voltage with the truck running. You should be about 13.4-13.7 with the alternator running. if you fried a cell in your battery it could be causing a massive drain leaving some things not to work properly. Stress your truck. Run the wipers, AC, lights and see if that affects your voltage or the brake lights.

Your ABS module should be protected by the fuse. I dont know much about the tacoma but some vehicles have seperate fuse panels for other elements of the truck.

 

i would take it in, and play dumb. probably your best bet.

ill send my paypal info for my ten bucks

 

Ok will go do that right now. Hmmm. So a drain might explain why the ABS is intermittent. Because sometimes the battery has enough charge, sometimes it does not. Am I on the right track?

 

there is a way to read the abs codes without buying code scanner. i used to do this with my integra when i would throw a CEL.
Here is a little info on doing it with toyotas. im not sure if you should try this though. just double check everything and dont get in a hurry like you did with your battery..
http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/brake10.pdf

 

Ok, GotLift, will check that out in one second. o5iiawah, did what you said with heat on, high beams, flashers, radio, and measured voltage. 13.5~13.6V.

 

Thats what it should be.

Always check the free stuff first.

You should be about 12.7 dead and 13.5 running. Your battery and charging system is fine.

 

k, so strike another thing off the list. Thank you. let's see if I can check the code now with GotLift's guide.

 

Never driven without ABS?

 

No John. Scared the crap out of me today. And the cars behind me must have crapped themselves.

 

It will wake you up if you're not used to it that's for sure. Good luck with the electrics on the truck.

 

Yes it will. Thanks, I need it! Ok Matt, checked the article from AutoShop, and since the DLC is DLC2, I don't have any jumper pins to work with. Or am I missing something?

 

should do a non vehicle running test on the battery, will a battery with a fried cell still show full charge if the alternators working??

 

Ok so GET THIS. I am thinking I may have found the solution. The 30AMP fuse which is in the ABS1 slot is fine. But the BLADES that slide INTO the fuse are loose. Well, one of them is. So I am thinking that is it! I pulled up the blade with a pair of needle nose pliers, and slid the fuse back in. Turn key to IGN on, and ABS/Brake lights go out after 2 seconds! This is all without even turning the engine on. So! Think I may have found it. Let's see what happens when I go and pick up the new plates tomorrow! Did I mention I bought this a week ago?

 

ALSO, something i learned through trial and error myself once. Just cause the fuse is whole and doesn't look burnt, does not mean its always working.. 99.9% of the time a complete fuse means its working. You know the two small metal contacts on the head of the fuse where it should say the amps? I've had a fuse tester before on both contacts and found a fuse that 1 side worked and 1 side didn't show up. Still don't know why it looked in perfect condition, musta been a factory fail but its caused me a lot of headache on my old S10 till i found it.

 

Awesome man. Hope it works out for you.

Anything electrical - Check the fuses first. IF the fuses look good and you are still having the problem - check the fuses again.

 

Agreed. Too many electronic nannies make people forget how to drive.