99 Corolla Electrical problems!!! Please HELP ME!!!!

[Blue Alien]

Corolla 134,000 miles. Last week I started the car and a burn smell hit me. At the same time all hell broke loose and all this started to happen at the same time. 1. the Beam light indicator in the dash board started flashing (just the blue light indicator). 2. the automatic running lights are not turning on when i turn the car on the dark. 3. when i turn off the car, the turn signal lights are on (not flashing) just on. and finally 4. the beep you heard when you turn off car and open the door and the keys are still on the ignition or when you leave your lights on.. that alarm beep keeps beeping, but the keys are not on the ignition key nor the lights are on.. I would like to know if this could be a relay switch that i can replaced myself or if this is going to cost me an arm and a leg at the dealer. Thank you...

[KimMG]

You are going to have to look and see what burned. I would start by removing cowl from around the steering column and see if any of the wiring and components are burnt.

[ToyotaGuy23]

I tell you where I would start. Check out the DRL (daytime running lamp) relay. It's a fat probably 20 pin relay that burned up in Mom's 98 that caused the EXACT same symptoms. She found out after the dealer charged her $1200 bux =( Located under the glove box.........I THINK....(cant remember)

[highlandlake]

Originally Posted by ToyotaGuy23

She found out after the dealer charged her $1200 bux

$1,200

What else burnt? Was there a fire or just a dealer that was having a poor sales month?
Were mice chewing on wires? If not is sounds like a design flaw to cause that much damage.

[ToyotaGuy23]

Originally Posted by highlandlake

$1,200

What else burnt? Was there a fire or just a dealer that was having a poor sales month?
Were mice chewing on wires? If not is sounds like a design flaw to cause that much damage.

The part was $200.00 and the other $1000 was to pay for the sorry tech's time diagnosing it. There was a team of about three guys working on it for days, but you know what; if they don't know how to use a multimeter, things might take a while! They did things like ordered a ignition switch (electrical part not key cylinder) just to plug up and try it. The kinds of things that they would stick us with as parts customers. Try ordering and electrical part just to try and then bring back.....they'd laugh at you. We had no kind of fire, or mice, just a burned up crispy DRL relay that caused the same symptoms of the lights he's talking about. I knew a guy in parts who talked to his boss for me and we ended up getting a reimbursment check for like $450.00 because a $1200.00 relay, just aint right!

[Blue Alien]

Thank you, I will try it this comming weekend.. There are some fuses on the left side under the steering wheel. there is like a small glove compartment, for like papers, etc. I remove the cover and whala.. I found a box full of fuses and relays.. I have seen it before, back when i bought the car, but i competly forgot about those them fuses.. I check all the other ones in the hood and all tested ok. I got a friends' car (same model) and we lable all the relays with a sharpie and inter-changed them for testing, and all tested ok.. but i didn't know about the ones under the steering wheel. Will do the same this weekend.