Thanks Mark.
Message sent to you.

I learned something about this car over my recent visit.....It has an aftermarket alarm system.
I believe this system is the battery drain causing issues.
Unfortunately I was unable to remove the system during my stay due to limited time, limited tools, and even more limited space to do any type of work beyone airing up tires and cleaning windows......aaah the limitations of apartment living.

I installed a battery disconnect switch my kid can operate and understand and created a new problem.....The need to reset the alarm prior to starting the car.
Super Fun.

This reset is where I learned the car had an aftermarket alarm because when I installed the fully charged, load tested battery, there was nothing while turning the ignition switch.

As I was poking around checking various relays, connections and other simple "start" things I found the horn/alarm tucked neatly under the hood.....hmmmmm, this looks like an alarm system.

Sure enough.......Okay, where is the box, or reset?

Pretty soon I found the reset and was able to reset the system with the key in the run position.

The horn had been disabled so the alarm did not "alarm" but the four way flashers flashed and the ignition kill function still works.

This alarm will be fully removed at some point, but I am hesitant to have my kid take the car to a shop for this removal because I don't want a shop simply cutting wires to "remove" the alarm....I want that thing out of the electrical system 100% and done neatly so as not to cause issues.

If anyone knows of a chop with such skills and enough give a shit to actually do a good job I would greatly appreciate the help.
Arlington, VA area is where my kid lives.

I'm going to post this elsewhere on the forum to see what help I can find.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Thanks for the reply.
Part of the problem is no usable electrical outlets near where the car is parked, which means no battery tender/charger type devices....and underground parking so no solar either.

I am wondering which battery cut off system I should use for a car that gets little use.
This is a 45,000 mile 1999 Toyota Camry LE, V6 my daughter is using.
Where she lives she seldom drive the car, often leaving it sit for two months at a time...and the battery goes dead.

I am thinking a battery shut off that she can easily manipulate might be of good service in this situation.

What do you suggest I use for this application.
Thanks for any and all help.

Mark, a couple things to think about.
1) MSD basically copied the duraspark distributor to come up with their design.

2) The duraspark distributors were first released when small caps were the norm. This means you can install a small cap for the correct appearance if you desire, just be sure to get the accompanying rotor that goes with the small cap.

3) If you will alter the advance plate slot it is 0.026" per each 2 degrees of advance. (.013" per degree). This means you measure the slot as is, then weld and file to the desired advance limit slot dimension based on your measured needs.

4) Adding bushings to the slot limiter post is another way to modify advance plate movement. If you have the plate out for work it is a good idea to modify the post to be highly consistent in measurements, this way you can then make any desired limiter bushing to drop over the post...They are stamped from the factory and not terribly accurate from a machined part perspective, but they work just fine as-is so you don't NEED to true them up.

5) Bending the advance spring mounting post (tighter for later/higher rpm limit) will be that final adjustment to get things exactly where you want them, but it is a great place to start if your advance limits are close already....and easy too because you don't have to take things apart much to get at them.

Good luck. Timing events may be one of the most commonly misadjusted portion of an engine as well as the couse of many problems that seem to be coming from someplace else.

Whenever I get asked to help tune a carb I always start my process by verifying the timing events and getting that squared away first....the rest of the tuning depends on that being correct.

Thanks for the replys so far.
I have tried the heat gun.
I have tried the solvent (a few different types)
I have tried the putty knife.

I tried some dry ice and shocking the panel.

I have not tried the pressure washer, although I don't have access to a 4500psi unit.....that is a lot of pressure.
Mine gets close to that so I will give it a go, thanks.

The undercoating on this particular trunk is still flexible, and REALLY thick.
This is probably why the trunk floor is basically primer perfect underneath it all after all these years.

I was hoping there might be a less messy, less involved method for removal but I guess I'm in for the long haul, and getting this stuff everywhere is likely as I remove it.


Hey, at least it is not a 3/8" think layer of anti-seize.

From memory most of the expansion tank radiator systems were equipped with 13lb radiator caps.

When choosing the cap pressure be certain to include the heater core in the equation.....I've seen a few of the heater cores get blown open after installing an aftermarket aluminum radiator supplied with 18 lb caps.