User Tag List

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 09-12-2021, 03:21 PM #1
dharma707 dharma707 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Sonoma County, Ca
Posts: 14
dharma707 is on a distinguished road
dharma707 dharma707 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Sonoma County, Ca
Posts: 14
dharma707 is on a distinguished road
Alternator…maybe?

Hey y’all, sorry for such a lame first thread topic but after using the search tool as best I can, I’m still not any closer to an answer.

I’ve got a 2000 Limited with a 6 month old battery. Yesterday morning, all was well. Later in the day I go to run some errands and the engine turns over a bit slower than normal prior to starting (you tend to notice little stuff in a daily driver). Realizing I had forgotten something at my house I turned around and as I’m pulling into the parking lot, the power to my stereo head unit goes blank and my ABS light came on. Also noticed my Ultragauge light had gone dark. Deciding I’d better park it for a minute I turned it off, ran into my house and when I went to start it again, it half turned over once followed by the rapid clicking I’m sure most have heard at one time or another. I still have full power to the interior stuff like lights, doors, windows etc. but that’s it. Any ideas? Just my luck that the mechanic I take it to isn’t open until Tuesday so I’ve gotta arrange a ride to work with the girlfriend in the morning (should prove fun) and so I was just hoping for any guesses you knowledgeable folks might have before I bring it in Tuesday after work. There hasn’t been any other warning signs leading up to this. I’ve sunk about 10k into this thing over the past year (tranny, rear diff and the list goes on) but I love it nonetheless and it’s given me years of otherwise dependability. Appreciate any help or opinions you might have!

PS: please be easy on me. I promise I used the search tool. Scout’s honor ;-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
dharma707 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-12-2021, 03:44 PM #2
Skulking Skulking is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 522
Skulking is a jewel in the rough Skulking is a jewel in the rough Skulking is a jewel in the rough
Skulking Skulking is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 522
Skulking is a jewel in the rough Skulking is a jewel in the rough Skulking is a jewel in the rough
Quote:
Originally Posted by dharma707 View Post
Hey y’all, sorry for such a lame first thread topic but after using the search tool as best I can, I’m still not any closer to an answer.

I’ve got a 2000 Limited with a 6 month old battery. Yesterday morning, all was well. Later in the day I go to run some errands and the engine turns over a bit slower than normal prior to starting (you tend to notice little stuff in a daily driver). Realizing I had forgotten something at my house I turned around and as I’m pulling into the parking lot, the power to my stereo head unit goes blank and my ABS light came on. Also noticed my Ultragauge light had gone dark. Deciding I’d better park it for a minute I turned it off, ran into my house and when I went to start it again, it half turned over once followed by the rapid clicking I’m sure most have heard at one time or another. I still have full power to the interior stuff like lights, doors, windows etc. but that’s it. Any ideas? Just my luck that the mechanic I take it to isn’t open until Tuesday so I’ve gotta arrange a ride to work with the girlfriend in the morning (should prove fun) and so I was just hoping for any guesses you knowledgeable folks might have before I bring it in Tuesday after work. There hasn’t been any other warning signs leading up to this. I’ve sunk about 10k into this thing over the past year (tranny, rear diff and the list goes on) but I love it nonetheless and it’s given me years of otherwise dependability. Appreciate any help or opinions you might have!

PS: please be easy on me. I promise I used the search tool. Scout’s honor ;-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It sounds like a weak battery to me. You could have an alternator issue which has led to it, or you could just be unlucky. To do some initial diagnosis, hopefully you have a multimeter and either a jump box, or jumper cables and access to another vehicle. Some alligator clips or another set of hands will also be helpful.

First, open your hood and check you battery voltage and let us know what it is with the car off. It should be around 12.6V, if it's below 12V that's a sign that your battery isn't charged.

Once you've done that, have another person hold the multimeter on the battery terminals and try to start the car and make note of what the voltage drops to when the starter is trying to crank the engine.

Now try to jump start the car. Once the car is running remove the jumper cables from the battery and check the voltage again. You should see something around 14V if the alternator is working properly.

Alternatively, if you can get the car jumped and it is safe to drive it somewhere, most autoparts store offer battery and alternator testing.
Skulking is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-12-2021, 07:36 PM #3
RotaryDreamz's Avatar
RotaryDreamz RotaryDreamz is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 193
Real Name: Sean
RotaryDreamz will become famous soon enough
RotaryDreamz RotaryDreamz is offline
Member
RotaryDreamz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 193
Real Name: Sean
RotaryDreamz will become famous soon enough
After some unlucky times out on the road in the past, i always keep a multimeter with me as stated above, its a life saver. I ended up pulling out my clock and swapped it with a voltage reader to always monitor. Once you can find out what your voltage readings are, you can divide and conquer from there.
Attached Images
-20200809_101304_resize_50-jpg 
__________________

Last edited by RotaryDreamz; 09-12-2021 at 07:41 PM.
RotaryDreamz is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-12-2021, 08:29 PM #4
brillo_76's Avatar
brillo_76 brillo_76 is offline
Elite Member
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Western PA
Posts: 6,012
Real Name: Jon
brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute
brillo_76 brillo_76 is offline
Elite Member
brillo_76's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Western PA
Posts: 6,012
Real Name: Jon
brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute brillo_76 has a reputation beyond repute
The life of the alternator brushes average are between 180k to 200k. So if the oem alt has that on it. It's possible the brushes are gone. If aftermarket alt, the die randomly.

Verify voltage at battery. Make sure your terminals are clean and your grounds are clean and good as well..

Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk
__________________
7 3rd gens listed in the build thread (2 are parts mobiles)
Build Thread: https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...os-builds.html
Brillo's Bucket Fluid Ex changer: https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...ml#post3358086
Sparks Plugs Wire and Coil Information: https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...on-5vz-fe.html
brillo_76 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-12-2021, 08:35 PM #5
ryandc ryandc is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpine, UT
Posts: 31
ryandc is on a distinguished road
ryandc ryandc is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpine, UT
Posts: 31
ryandc is on a distinguished road
Gonna only be one of a handful of things, in order of probability:

1) Bad alternator. Meter across the top of your battery or the alternator when the car is running; you should get 14.2-14.6 volts. If lower than this, your alternator (or one of its subsystems, see below) is bad.

2) Bad battery. I always thought Optoma was the best, but my last battery of theirs was a dud. Your local autozone can check this. This is actually super-difficult to troubleshoot at times, as you'll still get 14v on it when the alternator is running, and might even have mid-13's when not being charged.

3) Bad alternator belt. Belts slipping are fairly noisy.

4) Bad ground. The ground for a 4Runner battery is tiny and corrodes easily. See where the ground from the battery goes into the frame and that it's affixed properly.

5) Bad starter contacts. This is a known issue on the 4Runner, and can cause hard starts and consume considerable amperage. But it doesn't explain the other faults in your electric system.

I'd recommend checking the battery (drive to Autozon with a wrench, pull it, bench test it). If the battery tests good, new alternator and belt; if bad, new battery.
ryandc is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-12-2021, 09:21 PM #6
calimobber's Avatar
calimobber calimobber is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Death Valley
Posts: 591
calimobber will become famous soon enough
calimobber calimobber is offline
Member
calimobber's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Death Valley
Posts: 591
calimobber will become famous soon enough
Your car was running and it slowly lost voltage and things stopped working so its pretty much 100% your alternator.


All the battery does it start the car, then the alternator takes over and powers everything and charges back the power it pulled from the battery.
__________________
My 2002 4runner Build : http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...r-project.html
calimobber is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-13-2021, 08:46 AM #7
dharma707 dharma707 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Sonoma County, Ca
Posts: 14
dharma707 is on a distinguished road
dharma707 dharma707 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Sonoma County, Ca
Posts: 14
dharma707 is on a distinguished road
Thanks for all of the replies! I don’t have a multimeter but I do have AAA so I’ll give them a ring after work and have them come check the battery first. I’ll need them either way because if it ain’t that, they’ll be towin’ me lol. Appreciate you all!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
dharma707 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-13-2021, 05:27 PM #8
gamefreakgc's Avatar
gamefreakgc gamefreakgc is offline
Elite Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Citrus Heights, California
Age: 36
Posts: 7,330
Real Name: Jerod
gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future
gamefreakgc gamefreakgc is offline
Elite Member
gamefreakgc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Citrus Heights, California
Age: 36
Posts: 7,330
Real Name: Jerod
gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future gamefreakgc has a brilliant future
My alternator failed at about 210K miles. They go bad more often than people think, especially if you run accessories often like I do.

The only time I had a vehicle die while the engine was on that wasn't the alternator was years ago on my old Pickup. I installed a new battery at night to replace the old battery that was one start away from failing and was so proud of myself that I fixed it before it left me stranded. Drove to work the next morning and it died in the parking lot. Opened the hood to see that in the dark, I failed to remove the black post cap on the negative terminal. Oops.
__________________
'98 4Runner SR5 - 4x4 JDM 5VZ-FE Supercharged - 249K miles.
326WHP 347TQ

AEM F/IC 6, 11 PSI, 3" Intake and 3" Exhaust
Jerod's Supercharged T[u]RD Build
gamefreakgc is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-13-2021, 09:13 PM #9
repo repo is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Omaha
Posts: 1,252
repo is a glorious beacon of light repo is a glorious beacon of light repo is a glorious beacon of light repo is a glorious beacon of light repo is a glorious beacon of light
repo repo is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Omaha
Posts: 1,252
repo is a glorious beacon of light repo is a glorious beacon of light repo is a glorious beacon of light repo is a glorious beacon of light repo is a glorious beacon of light
If you have a bluetooth OBD2 reader and an app like Torque Pro you can check the voltage that way, and see it drop as you're driving. It's probably the alternator, I had the same kind of symptoms when mine went (on theb5th gen, the 3rd gen is still original at 250k miles!)
__________________
99 SR5 v6 4WD
11 SR5 v6 4WD
repo is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-13-2021, 11:54 PM #10
wcjeep's Avatar
wcjeep wcjeep is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Earth
Posts: 912
wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about
wcjeep wcjeep is offline
Member
wcjeep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Earth
Posts: 912
wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about
Multi meters are cheap. Buy one.
__________________
2018 Offroad Premium w/KDSS

1993 Jeep YJ w/stuff
wcjeep is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Reply

Tags
i’m , i’ve , power , stuff , turned

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
HELP! Is my alternator going bad? Muskoka4runner 4th Gen T4Rs 6 11-18-2019 10:20 AM
160 A alternator.... nissanh 3rd gen T4Rs 6 01-17-2013 12:59 PM
Alternator pic Please athlon450 General Discussions 0 03-11-2011 02:28 PM
95 alternator kit? kobrak Classic T4Rs 1 01-28-2011 10:48 PM
alternator help riceandpho 3rd gen T4Rs 1 10-05-2006 09:26 PM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.2

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:48 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
***This site is an unofficial Toyota site, and is not officially endorsed, supported, authorized by or affiliated with Toyota. All company, product, or service names references in this web site are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Toyota name, marks, designs and logos, as well as Toyota model names, are registered trademarks of Toyota Motor Corporation***Ad Management plugin by RedTyger
 
Copyright © 2020