Naz Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 My 98 I4 camry has about 156K on it and its running into some minor cosmetic issues I've never encountered before. When stopped at red lights i notice that my interior lights are slightly dim as if there not getting enough power. So I put the car in neutral and rev up to maybe 1500RPM and the interior lights/headlights get slightly brighter. Is this just a sign of my electrical system/alternator wearing out? I just replaced the battery 3 months ago. I found this DIY page for something called "The Big 3" where it changes the cables running from the battery-alternator-ground/chassis. Think its worth the investment?, note: this problem just started occurring after the temperature dropped below 40-30 degrees, in the heat its fine but in cold seems to make this cosmetic problem occur, and I do one day hope to install a more powerful sound system and I'd assume fixing my electrical system would be the first step. http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t89855.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Sounds to me like your alternator is on the way out...unfortunately... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naz Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Sounds to me like your alternator is on the way out...unfortunately... That costs around 500+ I assume right? with price of the new alternator and labor? jeees if my alternator goes idk whats going to happen. right now i'm in school so its going to be a struggle to afford to fix the problem and i dont use the car much anymore except weekends. anything i can do to prevent it going soon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 perhaps a used or reconditioned would be cheaper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFBonnett Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 OP, First thing is to verify that the battery is good. A new battery exhibiting signs of failure, or even being DOA out of the box, is not unheard of. Verify that all of the connections are clean and tight. Verify that, if the battery is not maintenance free, that it does not need water. With the engine off, test the voltage across the battery terminals. It should read about 12.5 volts. If less consider a bad battery. With the engine running, again test across the terminals. The reading should be about 13.5 volts or more. If less post back with the result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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