4Runner alternator upgrade (gen 5)
- Thread starter rigtec
- Start date
HerT4R
New member
if this is the stock alternator there are THREE bolts IIRC. there are two going in the front and one from the drivers side... I am sorry for the late reply did you get this worked out?
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/223000-group-buy-dc-power-engineering-270amp-alternator-22.html#post2733592
nglayton
Senior Member
DC Power XP-270 Install pics & notes
Here's what I did to get this thing installed.
1) Disconnect the battery cables and REMOVE THE BATTERY and the battery tray - this just flat out gives you more room to work with. EDIT: I just remembered...also under the battery tray is a 2-3" long bracket that holds the wiring harness out with 10mm bolt to the fender well. I took this out to help the harness lay flat against the fender well that also gave me more wiggle room.
2) Release tension on tensioner pulley to let serpentine belt slip off alternator pulley. Use a 14mm wrench or socket and just pull it all the way up. It should let the belt slide right off.
3) Jack up the T4R and take the driver side front wheel off. Then remove the rubber skirt/shield, to access alternator from inside the wheel well, to the rear of the shock and spring.
4) Remove the two bolts on the front of the alternator 14mm(easily accessed from the engine bay) but leave one loosely in place to keep the alt from falling once the rear bolt is off.
5) Remove the 2 bolts on the side of the alternator holding the harnesses and wires. 10mm. One is easy get from the engine bay, the other is easier from the wheel well in front of the spring and shock.
6) Cut various other Toyota black tape (on wires) to the back of the alternator. Cut the tape to release the wire from the harness, DO NOT cut the wires! This a small bracket on the back of the OEM alternator, that does nothing but hold those wires in place. Total overkill.
7) Remove the rear bolt on the alternator bracket, accessed through the wheel well. This one that everyone struggles with. You can barely see this mother through the wheel well. It's an "L" bracket attached to the side of the engine and the bottom back mount of the alternator. It's attached directly behind the lower bolt you took out from the front. Damn near impossible to see unless you know where to look. If you have about a 2-3 foot extension on a 12mm wobbly socket this is a piece of cake and easy. Loosen the bolt and bracket from the engine and take the bracket out with the alternator because you don't need it for the new one.
8) Once you have it all loose you can pop the top cap on the positive terminal of the alternator and remove the cable from alternator. You have to take the main stud off before the control wire socket will come up and off.
9) Pull the old alternator out, sideways a bit, then forward and up. It takes a lot of wiggling. Be careful of the radiator hose and the air conditioning line. Personally I took the radiator hose off and shoved it off to the left side to make it easier. I lost about 1/2 - 2/3's of a gallon of anti-freeze in the process, but it was so much easier, it was worth it.
Then install the new alternator and reverse the steps to get it all hooked up.
Remember to drill out the OEM cable or you will never get it on the new alternator.
Now is also a good time to do the "BIG 3" upgrade if you are so inclined.
I have a few pics and a couple more notes here
Here's what I did to get this thing installed.
1) Disconnect the battery cables and REMOVE THE BATTERY and the battery tray - this just flat out gives you more room to work with. EDIT: I just remembered...also under the battery tray is a 2-3" long bracket that holds the wiring harness out with 10mm bolt to the fender well. I took this out to help the harness lay flat against the fender well that also gave me more wiggle room.
2) Release tension on tensioner pulley to let serpentine belt slip off alternator pulley. Use a 14mm wrench or socket and just pull it all the way up. It should let the belt slide right off.
3) Jack up the T4R and take the driver side front wheel off. Then remove the rubber skirt/shield, to access alternator from inside the wheel well, to the rear of the shock and spring.
4) Remove the two bolts on the front of the alternator 14mm(easily accessed from the engine bay) but leave one loosely in place to keep the alt from falling once the rear bolt is off.
5) Remove the 2 bolts on the side of the alternator holding the harnesses and wires. 10mm. One is easy get from the engine bay, the other is easier from the wheel well in front of the spring and shock.
6) Cut various other Toyota black tape (on wires) to the back of the alternator. Cut the tape to release the wire from the harness, DO NOT cut the wires! This a small bracket on the back of the OEM alternator, that does nothing but hold those wires in place. Total overkill.
7) Remove the rear bolt on the alternator bracket, accessed through the wheel well. This one that everyone struggles with. You can barely see this mother through the wheel well. It's an "L" bracket attached to the side of the engine and the bottom back mount of the alternator. It's attached directly behind the lower bolt you took out from the front. Damn near impossible to see unless you know where to look. If you have about a 2-3 foot extension on a 12mm wobbly socket this is a piece of cake and easy. Loosen the bolt and bracket from the engine and take the bracket out with the alternator because you don't need it for the new one.
8) Once you have it all loose you can pop the top cap on the positive terminal of the alternator and remove the cable from alternator. You have to take the main stud off before the control wire socket will come up and off.
9) Pull the old alternator out, sideways a bit, then forward and up. It takes a lot of wiggling. Be careful of the radiator hose and the air conditioning line. Personally I took the radiator hose off and shoved it off to the left side to make it easier. I lost about 1/2 - 2/3's of a gallon of anti-freeze in the process, but it was so much easier, it was worth it.
Then install the new alternator and reverse the steps to get it all hooked up.
Remember to drill out the OEM cable or you will never get it on the new alternator.
Now is also a good time to do the "BIG 3" upgrade if you are so inclined.
I have a few pics and a couple more notes here
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e60ral
Banned
is the DC Power the only high output alternator option available?
I started seeing some voltage fluctuations this morning that I believe are the beginning signs of my alternator failing, and since upgrading was my plan in the long term I need to go ahead and do something.
I read in this thread that the DC Power alternator takes weeks to get, and right now the XP-270 says out of stock on their website. Their XP-250 says built to order, ships within 7 days
cc: [MENTION=83083]rigtec[/MENTION] you seem knowledgeable about alternators
I started seeing some voltage fluctuations this morning that I believe are the beginning signs of my alternator failing, and since upgrading was my plan in the long term I need to go ahead and do something.
I read in this thread that the DC Power alternator takes weeks to get, and right now the XP-270 says out of stock on their website. Their XP-250 says built to order, ships within 7 days
cc: [MENTION=83083]rigtec[/MENTION] you seem knowledgeable about alternators
e60ral
Banned
Anyone know anything about Quality Power?
Toyota 4Runner High Output Alternators
Toyota 4Runner High Output Alternators
rigtec
New member
Hi [MENTION=113833]e60ral[/MENTION] ,
You don't have to get your 270-XP from DC Power Engineering, you can ask 'Nations Starter & Alternator' for a rush order (I think they're stocking a few because all of these GEN-5 4Runners have increased the demand... talk to "Adam"):
8165-270XP 270 Amp High Output Alternator
...or let's summon up [MENTION=144561]DCPower_Anthony[/MENTION] right here on site; he was a BIG help in [MENTION=55815]Okki[/MENTION] 's group buy campaign last year; I mean he got the job DONE! As far as trying to remove the stock alternator, you have the two alternator "EARS" with the bolts going through them, but there is one more bolt to be removed.
It's access is gained through the Left front wheel-well as the back of the alternator is bolted to the exhaust manifold... just one bolt and you'll see it using a drop light. You can through that bolt away cuz the 270-XP end-frame has no mounting hole for it! ...Hope this helps! 'Best to you',
rig
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DCPower_Anthony
New member
I'm really backed up right now to be honest. You'd be looking at 3-4 weeks minimum right now. You can call Nations Starter and Alternator and see if they have anything available for you, they order tons of our stuff to keep them in stock.
Cheers!
rigtec
New member
deekoi
New member
Thanks for the thread, it's been helpful. I got my alternator from DC power too and installed it a couple of weeks ago.
The install went smooth and I took my time, took about 2.5 hours or so, cleaning some stuff up too.
My problem right now is that my output while engine running is around 13.44-13.5 unloaded. When I'm fully loaded it goes down to 13.3 to 13.4.
My setup, DC 270 alternator and Odyssey PT2150T (replaced new with alternator - runs at around 12.7/12.8 cold). I replaced the serpentine belt too. I also added the Big 3 with 0 gauge.
- Alternator + to battery +
- engine to battery -
- Engine to chassis
- Battery - to chassis
I've tried fully charging up the battery but after driving it around a bit, it goes back to 13.4-13.5 running while partially loaded (headlights and radio only)
Anyone know what I can do to troubleshoot further? Anyone know how else I can test the alternator?
Thanks
The install went smooth and I took my time, took about 2.5 hours or so, cleaning some stuff up too.
My problem right now is that my output while engine running is around 13.44-13.5 unloaded. When I'm fully loaded it goes down to 13.3 to 13.4.
My setup, DC 270 alternator and Odyssey PT2150T (replaced new with alternator - runs at around 12.7/12.8 cold). I replaced the serpentine belt too. I also added the Big 3 with 0 gauge.
- Alternator + to battery +
- engine to battery -
- Engine to chassis
- Battery - to chassis
I've tried fully charging up the battery but after driving it around a bit, it goes back to 13.4-13.5 running while partially loaded (headlights and radio only)
Anyone know what I can do to troubleshoot further? Anyone know how else I can test the alternator?
Thanks
Jeffy
New member
Odd you should bring this up, because I've been having the same issue and sent an email to DC Power about it just last week. I'm even dropping to as low as 13.0 while driving in some circumstances. Here was their response:
I'm slammed right now and haven't had time to look into it, but my guess is that I have a bad ground. I'm going to redo all my grounds and check for corrosion on all the contact points. With such a high output, I think they're right in saying a poor ground can be causing this issue. I had a similar problem when installing my stereo amp, where everything sounded horrible and I couldn't figure out why. I went through several different speakers trying to troubleshoot the issue and it was nearly impossible for me to trace because it was intermittent. I finally redid all the grounds and it's been amazing ever since, for over a year now.
Let me know what you find please!
deekoi
New member
Thanks, for my situation that shouldn't be the case. I drove it during he night and it was cool. I doubt it would be grounding for me since I've added more than enough grounding with 1/0 gauge on top of the factory grounding.
By the way, it will be better to add grounding for you rather than running around searching for bad grounding.
Any recommendations?
Jeffy
New member
I also upgraded the big 3 with 1/0 cable so it's still worth looking into. These alternators shouldn't be putting out such low voltage so I'd try to troubleshoot the problem first before sticking a bandaid on it with the voltage booster, there's still a problem with something in the setup.
rigtec
New member
Hi Team,
Lately I've been seeing a few of our team members complaining of seriously low voltages e.g., 13.6, 13.4, or even 13.0V output from their DC Engineering 270-XP aftermarket alternators!
If you're seeing voltages that low from your NEW XP-270 alternator, I'd make contact with 'Nations Starter and Alternator' https://www.nationsstarteralternator.com/ and they'll direct you as to what to do about that (and I believe that they're stocking them)!
I've NEVER seen anything less than 14.1 from my electrical system since I installed my XP-270 under any circumstances. Based on my personal experience, I believe that there is a problem with that alternator; but I'm not an electrical Engineer so I'm only speculating! 'Best to you all',
rig, cheers!
Lately I've been seeing a few of our team members complaining of seriously low voltages e.g., 13.6, 13.4, or even 13.0V output from their DC Engineering 270-XP aftermarket alternators!
If you're seeing voltages that low from your NEW XP-270 alternator, I'd make contact with 'Nations Starter and Alternator' https://www.nationsstarteralternator.com/ and they'll direct you as to what to do about that (and I believe that they're stocking them)!
I've NEVER seen anything less than 14.1 from my electrical system since I installed my XP-270 under any circumstances. Based on my personal experience, I believe that there is a problem with that alternator; but I'm not an electrical Engineer so I'm only speculating! 'Best to you all',
rig, cheers!
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nglayton
Senior Member
I bought mine 2 years ago in the group buy, it sat in a box for a year and I finally installed it about 13 months ago. I'm running a dual battery set up.
The only time I see 14v+ is when it about 20 degrees outside and even then only for a couple minutes. After that it drops down to 13.9..13.8...13.7...13.6
Even running the winch with several pulls, it never seems to run near the 14v that you're suggesting.
Usually settles in for the long haul at 13.5-13.4
I think it keeps both AGM batteries fully charged with no issues (Northstar G31M and G65M) It's starts fine every morning!
So...I'm confused? 12v battery system running at 13.5 'ish and we want more?
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rigtec
New member
Hi Neal,
Normal DC Voltage rating from a STANDARD alternator is 13.5 to 14.2v; the later having the capacity for a quicker charge capability, and a higher service operating output for add-on accessories!
The Toyota factory alternator just barely can keep up with the stock accessories w/o any aftermarket amenities. Several members, including myself, have done the math, as well as physical tests on our vehicles to prove, or dis-prove the theoretical evidence!
You could be experiencing the lower voltages you've mentioned due to the dual batteries; which should translate to a lower path of resistance for the alternator to push against (remember, voltage is electrical pressure).
Try disconnecting one of the batteries, isolating the battery terminals (with electrical tape), and running the alternator into just the starting battery, then measure the alternator voltage output... my bet would be a higher voltage output reading (13.9 to 14.1V)!
Be sure to let us know what you find out cuz there are others here with dual batteries who have complained of the very same anomalies! [MENTION=96008]Engineer[/MENTION] any thoughts? 'Best to you',
rig
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Engineer
New member
I play in BTUs and Newtons not this electrical mumbo jumbo
- That said, The test makes sense, V=IR lower R for the same current and you get a lower voltage. I think if his system is charging/starting fine I would not sweat it. I have never measured mine (still on stock Battery and Cables - I know I know) but I noticed a huge improvement in starting during the winters once I upgraded the alternator. It seemed to help keep the stock battery charged during my short commutes.
rigtec
New member
"I play in BTUs and Newtons not this electrical mumbo jumbo
LOL, I gotcha!!! ...but for a guy who 'CLAIMS' not to have studied (and Mastered) electrical theory, you sure can spit out some true Gems lol! I think what you've advised as far as the operation of his truck; not really demonstrating an electrical problem is totally accurate, and the bottom line.
Now, if it were my truck, while I'm continuously exhibiting ALL of the symptoms of a severe O.C.D. condition, I'd need to test, prove, and understand just why the diminished voltage output lol! Thanks for your input and 'Best to you and yours',
rig
Jeffy
New member
That is my thought exactly, I just need to find the time to track down what's going on. Everything is working just fine right now and I'm sure it will for a long, long time. BUT I paid a lot of money for this so I want it working at its full potential, or at least understand why it's not.
rigtec
New member
I think you're right-on the nail Jeffy... we'll figure out exactly what's going on after some tests are done!
rig, cheers!
