Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hey all

Its a 100 series 4.2L (1HD-FTE) with a 4sp Auto and every time we tow the float it blows the 'Guage' fuse so we lose all instruments on the dash and the Auto trans will start dragging. If we come to stop at traffic lights the torque converter wont let go and the car stalls unless we bring it back to neutral. sometimes it will blow the fuse as soon as we connect the float, other times it will blow 30mins or 1hr into a trip. This only happens when we tow the float behind this vehicle. Have put the float on the grandparents 100 series which is the same as ours but 5sp Man, and the old mans 79 series cruiser ute without a single problem so it must be the car!!!!

Anyone got any ideas on what it could be, to me sounds like a loose wire, but where and why does it blow the 'Guage' fuse and nothing else?

Cheers in advance
Troy

check for loose /correct wiring at the trailer plug on the car

checked that, been right through the horse float and everything is A-OK, its a factory towbar and checked everything from the plug to where it connects into the factory wiring loom. Everyone we talk to shrugs there shoulder and doesnt know.

vSAHARAx wrote:Hey all

Its a 100 series 4.2L (1HD-FTE) with a 4sp Auto and every time we tow the float it blows the 'Guage' fuse so we lose all instruments on the dash and the Auto trans will start dragging. If we come to stop at traffic lights the torque converter wont let go and the car stalls unless we bring it back to neutral. sometimes it will blow the fuse as soon as we connect the float, other times it will blow 30mins or 1hr into a trip. This only happens when we tow the float behind this vehicle. Have put the float on the grandparents 100 series which is the same as ours but 5sp Man, and the old mans 79 series cruiser ute without a single problem so it must be the car!!!!

Anyone got any ideas on what it could be, to me sounds like a loose wire, but where and why does it blow the 'Guage' fuse and nothing else?

Cheers in advance
Troy

My dash lights are on the same fuse as my tail lights - could be down to your trailer wiring? (sorry just re-read that you checked it) If this is the case for yours, maybe a speed sensor isn't getting power and upsetting the auto too? I doupt toyota would do it this way....but you never know.

Does the auto still screw up with the trailer wiring off and the fuse out?

-Stu

Check the tow plug, and see if someone has wired it with a reverse light wire to the tow plug.

IIRC, the reverse lights are on the gauge fuse, and the float may have something else in that pin position which causes the fuse to blow.

i will pull the plug apart tomorrow, because the old plug got ripped off so dad put a new one on. the old one was plastic and this one is a metal plug, could it be possible there is a wire shorting out on the plug body??? will check it out tomorrow. i dont think the tail lights are on the same as the guages on the 100 i know on my 60 they are, will pull the fuse out tomorrow and see if the Auto plays up.

another quick qn when towing the float is it advised to have the power button on? 2 horses and float probably equals 1.3 ton.

My brother had this exact same problem in his 100series 1hdFET when towing a caravan. It didnt happen straight away but took quite a while to happen, and when it did he lost all dash stuff and the auto trans wouldnt shift anymore as you have said.

Turned out to be the trailer connection was not wired in correctly on the vehicle. (fited by a towbar company) Toyota fixed it and billed the towbar company.

dad had a petrol 80 series once that when towing and turned the left indicator on the motor would cut out, turned out the plug was just wired up wrong

Shadow thats exactly what is happening with ours. will pull the plug off now and have a look.

ok pulled the plug off and i disconnected the reverse/auxilary (black)wire cause none of our trailers have anything that uses that. The electric brake (blue)wire ends just before the trailer wire plugs into the factory loom so its not that one. one thing i did notice, obviously someone lost the little grub screw for the earth wire, so they have soldered the earth wire into the trailer plug and to me it looked a bit loose.

I took the gauge fuse out and took it for a drive, and i noticed the auto trans doesnt drag, it drives fine. im really confused

Might buy a new plug for the car and put it on and do process of elimination unless.

if anyone has anymore thoughts please tell me!

In my broithers car it wasnt a fuse that blew but like a major fusable link, these run before the fuses etc and if they blow take out multiple systems. Also meant that RACQ couldnt fix the car cause its a toyota special fuse sorta thing.

i blew the indicators on the 80... turned out to be loose wire behind the
fuse panel