Toyota Repair: 99 Prizm Electrical Issues, check voltage, electrical issues

Question
Hi Tim,

I think my Prizm is possessed by a demon.  It started one evening when I couldn't get it to start.  When we finally were able to start it, as soon as you turned on the headlamps, it died--as if you cut off the ignition.  That problem just seemed to go away.  Then a few days later, it did the same thing.  Except then the parking brake indicator stayed on all the time, the turn signals blinked at about twice the normal rate, the a/c compressor didn't work, and the car seemed to drag/stall when driving on the freeway.  Also the car lacked power, and shifted at much higher rpm's than normal.

So I took it to my mechanic, who diagnosed it as a burned daytime running lamp relay.  He showed the burned relay to me, and indeed, it was toasted.  So he replaced it.  That was about a week ago--and everything was fine--until now.

The car is doing all of those exact same things again.  So I'm guessing the DRL relay is a symptom, not the problem.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Greg

Answer
Greg,

Sounds like there's a short(positive wire touching ground) in the system. You must find where its at. Find the fuse for the DRL and pull it out. While the car is idling, with all accessories off put a volt/multimeter on the battery, write down the exact amount of voltage at battery,(alternator output).
While the car is idling switch on all accessories, headlights, A/C,(blower on high) rear window defogger, etc. Now check voltage at
battery and write it down. Have someone in the vehicle switch of each
accessory one at a time while you observe the volt meter at the
battery, watch for any significant changes.

Let me know.

Tim