Flickering Headlights/Lights

Has anyone had this problem, it is not just the headlights, it is the dash and dome light as well, they all flicker.. I have checked the battery cables and they are both tight, any help would be appreciated before I take it to the dealer.

Thanks

You need to check all of the electrical connections, also make sure that no wires are broken and grounding out on the body of the car.

Take the battery connectors off of the battery and wire brush the battery lugs and the inside of the connectors real good. Reattach and give that a try. Terminals might look clean but aren't making good connection.

JJ

Sounds like a grounding problem. Check to make sure your chassis ground from the battery is making a good connection with the car body.

This is because your alternator. There is a voltage regulator in it, mostly IC type. Looks like it doesn't function well. I believe you can replace it only without replacing the whole alternator.

If your car starts, your battery terminals are good.

Hi,
I just took my car to the dealer; they said it is normal for camry from 97-2001 models. The master technician told me that it's caused by the Mass Air Sensor. To make the long story short, he said in order to keep the Mass Air Sensor working properly the Exhaust Manifold has to be at 1500 degrees. Now, in order to keep the Exhaust Manifold at that temperature, there is a heating coil that does that job. Every time the heating coil kicks-in it draws about 20amps from the alternator. As the result of that, it shows the flickering electrical system. If this is the truth, why would Toyota release this vehicle at the first place back in 1998? There is got to be a solution to this damn ignoring problem!

If that's the case, your lights should dim, not flickering.

That is a strange story. The MAS has nothing to do with the exhaust manifold. He must have been thinking of the heated O2 sensor. They don't draw 20 amps either. They are a small device that needs an amp at most. Many cars have such a system and I have never seen such flickering or dimming of the lights from this cause. Not likely.

Also, there is no heater on the exhaust manifold - other than the engine itself.

Hi,
I don't know what else to do. I even email to the Toyota Headquarter office yesterday, still no response yet.

Hi,
Here is another person that is having the same problem too.

http://www.complaintcenter.com/Complaints_Auto/page6.htm#lights%20flicker

Why do my Camry's lights flicker?:

1998 Camry XLE: a year after buying the car, we went on vacation for 3 weeks and when we came back the car battery had discharged. Jump started the car and took it to the dealer who changer the battery. Six months later the battery discharged again. On jump starting the car, all the interior lights started flickering to the rhythm of the engine. The dealer replaced the alternator. The flickering continued. The dealer replaced the alternator once more claiming that that the prior alternator was defective. The flickering continued. Toyota customer service advised the dealer to replace the oxygen sensors. The flickering still continues. When the engine is switched off the lights become steady.

Now the dealer claims that there is no problem. The next step is to go to arbitration.

Has anyone had this problem? Can any one advise me as to what recourse I have?

J.R. Rao, [email protected]