So I have had this camry for awhile now since my mom ran it out of oil and threw the rod out the side of the block. but that is all fixed and it runs great besides 2 issues that i have not been able to make any progress on at it is getting really old since im trying to sell it now.

So issue number 1 is that almost everytime i start the car and then shift from park to drive (automatic obviously) when i pass through neutral the 10a guage fuse blows killing my guages, windows, alternator and whatever else is all running on that stupid circuit. It does not do it everytime but if i try a few things to fix it then put in a new fuse and shift it from park to drive and back and forth to test the issue it usually blows after a few times. The check engine light is not always on when the car starts but comes on eventually. Autozone gave me the codes and they are shift solenoid a and b malfunction, IAC issue and vehicle speed sensor failure. I used the chilton and did the diagnostic test for all three of those issues and they are all working. I then suspected the neutral saftey switch so i looked in the chilton and tested all the connections with my multimeter and it is working also. my temporary fix for this so i could still drive my car with guages and a working alternator is i just put a little jump wire in with the fuse to keep the connection. i know thats usually bad but the wire does not get hot and the car runs fine. I also suspected the overdrive sensor but the overdrive works fine also. I am so lost on this stupid issue. Please help.

Issue 2 which just started about a week ago is that my indicator light that is a little orange car with the lights on the back meaning one of your tail lights is out comes on when i hit the brake pedal. Then if i hit the breaks again it goes off for a second then comes back. I spent hours today trying to fix a bad bulb but all of my lights are working fine. I have checked all fuses and they are good also. I thought that this might have been related to issue one so i replaced the brake light switch that is under the dash where the arm for the pedal is that tells the lights to come on when you push the brakes but it didnt help. I also checked the wiring in the trunk lid since i have heard that the wiring from being open and closed gets worn but i didnt find any bad or shorted wires.

So now i have 2 issues I have not clue where to even begin now. I have tried everything i can think of. Please Help. Thanks a ton!!!

 

Suggest the first item to fix is the blown fuse.

As to the the trouble code issues:

How does the engine run? Idle OK, not too or high?

How does the trans shift? At the right speed, does it slip, any other problems?

How does the speedometer gauge work? Always at the right MPH, needle jumps around, sometimes gauge does not work?

Typically this would be a wiring short issue but you stated you checked this out.

Are you sure the fuse blows in Neutral and not Reverse? What happens when you shift to Neutral with the brake pedal is not pushed?

Issue No 2 may be related to the fuse blowing.

The brake and taillight wiring have a bulb failure indicator box wired into them. If a bulb burns out, the dash indicator will come on. The box can fail resulting in strange electrical issues. The Gauge and Brake fuses power the box.

Send a Private Message with email address, will send a wiring diagram for you car.

If the the engine and trans are working normally, wondering if all these issues are related to a wiring problem.

 

Ok so now that you mentioned it the camry seems to have trouble engaging gears sometimes when i put it into reverse or drive and when i slow down it feels like it does not down shift properly but not all the time. the up shift when accelerating seems to be fine. The gauges always works and dont jump around or anything. And yes i am positive that the fuse blows when going through neutral. I have tried many times to make sure and it blows mostly when going from drive to neutral. As for shifting to drive without the brake being pressed you cant unless you push the neutral safety switch button but it still blows doing it that way also. I did find the brake light failure box so i am gonna try to find one in a junk yard and swap them and maybe that will work. I also read online that the brake indicator light will come on even if a light is dim because it checks by voltage so if a light is not as bright as it should be it will trigger the sensor also. Is that true? I figured it would be either they work or they dont. semms a little overkill but thats toyota i guess. And today i noticed when i got out of the car when i grabed the top of the door to close it i got a little shock which i think usually means that there is a short somehwere. I did diagnos all of the error codes coming form the check engine but i guess i could still have something wired wrong somehow. hopefully this helps. I will send a private message with my email for that diagram. Thanks a bunch.

 

Info sent to you via PM.

 

So I noticed a few days ago that when I am in stop and go traffic that if i push on the gas lightly the tranny slips then pops into gear. It only does it from a stop. One time i was on a steep hill and i hit the gas and it actually died. Thats the first time that has happend. And also when this is happening the clock is really dim and you cant really read it. But this does not happen all the time so it does not make it very easy to figure out. so there might actually be something mechanically wrong in the tranny or a sensor or something. Im kind of lost on where to start now that i know that there is actually something wrong besides the fuse blowing. And also I have noticed that sometimes when i slow down usually when im going about 50 or above that the tranny might not be downshifting properly because the car kind of jerks a little. Also when i am using cruise control and I am going down a hill it kind of jerks forward a bit then lets of then does it again until i turn the cruise off then it coasts fine. Ideas? thanks

 

I suggest you start with finding the problem causing the fuse to blow. If it happens when you go through neutral examine the trans gear indicator and neutral switch on mounted on the trans behind the shift lever.

The wiring diagram shows how the switch is wired up.

Trans shifting is in part is controlled by electronic operated shift solenoids that control the trans hydraulics. It might be possible the short is causing one of the shift solenoids not to operate properly.

Make sure the trans fluid level is OK.

The car jerks, what is happening to the engine RPM. Once the jerking stops, does the RPM increase?