Random Electrical/Audio Gremlin

[Zimm]

HI All,

Admittedly, i am a know nothing about audio and electrical systems. you guys know way more than i ever will.

background: 85ish k miles. 100% stock 2010 base model (except a hitch with wiring system installed about 5 years ago). no previous electrical issues. no accidents, incidents, floods etc. recent conditions have been a mix of wet and completely dry. no correlation to outdoor weather.

in the past week or so, when driving, my stereo's audio will occasionally cut out for a short time (2-10 seconds) but then come back on with no changes. usually, the stereo display stays on, but 2x it has also gone out. i can predict that the audio cut out will happen because the display with the odometer/gear etc will have a slight flicker to it beginning at startup and continuing until shut down. the odometer display never fades or goes out, so far as i can tell. when i start the car and there is no flicker, the stereo does not cut out. the cut out happens while driving. slow or high speed, not related to stopping, starting, etc.

i have not had a chance to test of the audio also cuts out when playing cds. so far, it's only happened when listening to the radio.

any ideas?

[BenWA]

I'd start with checking the wire harness connector on the back of the unit to be sure it's not loose. It might be a long shot but who knows?

[vibrologist]

Certainly check the cheap stuff first like wire harness etc.

What you describe reminds me of the Ford Windstar I used to own. It had and "Info" display that showed outside temp, average fuel consumption and such. It started to fade and come back and so on. It kept doing that for years. Then the Alternator conked out and I replaced it. With the new alternator the info center was fully functional again.
At least make sure all the connections and ground of the alternator and battery are clean. Better yet have the alternator and battery tested.

[Zimm]

thanks for the tips guys. it's been doing it even more of late and it's getting annoying. i suspect that some connection has giggled loose a bit.

[Zimm]

so, big update here.

the flickering of the odometer LED has been continuing, as has the intermittent cut out of the radio. this afternoon, i was at the dentist and with no prior symptoms, i now have a non starting car.

i was able to get some signs of electrical activity (door chime, a pass by the windshield wipers, some gauge activity. but not even a click of the starter. after 30+ minutes of trying to get a jump, the best i was able to get was 1 single click of the starter about 4 times.

my presumption is a dead battery (it's an interstate from costco, less than 18 months old.) maybe a dead cell in it?

i really hope it's not a bigger electrical issue.

any thoughts?

i'm going to start tomorrow evening with a fresh battery and cross my fingers. meanwhile, i'm out $100 for 3 days of a rental car.

[Derf]

Agree on checking the cheap stuff. Had a number of vehicles were the issue was nothing more than a bad contact at the battery terminal post, bad ground on the engine block, corroded main cable etc. A voltmeter will help a lot, you should not see more than about .5 volt loss between the battery and starter terminal. A bad battery terminal or cable could contribute to the flickering if the alternator was constantly spiking as the feed to the battery was being interrupted by a faulty connection. Prior to the issue in the parking lot, where their any signs of slow cranking?

[Zimm]

Agree on checking the cheap stuff. Had a number of vehicles were the issue was nothing more than a bad contact at the battery terminal post, bad ground on the engine block, corroded main cable etc. A voltmeter will help a lot, you should not see more than about .5 volt loss between the battery and starter terminal. A bad battery terminal or cable could contribute to the flickering if the alternator was constantly spiking as the feed to the battery was being interrupted by a faulty connection. Prior to the issue in the parking lot, where their any signs of slow cranking?

fwiw, there was a fair amount of corrosion on the battery terminals. i gave it a good rinse with water (all i had) and they're pretty clean now.

re: slow cranking. i don't remember anything noticeable. if i did get a slow crank, it was only 1 or 2 starts. not slow enough or frequent enough to get my attention.

i have an identical costco-purchased interstate battery to put in it tomorrow. crossing my fingers!

[Zimm]

well, it wasn't the battery. it's getting towed to a nearby shop and getting checked out. he suspects a loose electrical connection. i suspect it's the electronics in the alternator. crap.

[Zimm]

problem solved!

well, you guys were certainly in the right neighborhood with your suggestions. i ended up having a nearby shop take care of it and the problem turned out to be corrosion related. the main culprit was apparently the main ground to the frame off the negative terminal of the battery. the guy gleaned off what he could, re-attached it, and then ran a sheet metal screw through it into the frame to keep it secure. hard to believe that a relatively young, fairly well maintained car would have such corrosion issues, but i'm finding that toyota uses a lot of cheap metals and plastics in their builds so stuff just does not hold up like it should.

everything works like new now. no flickering. no starting issues. thanks for the ideas guys! now go check your ground wires.