any ideas for electrical problem?

My mom was having a hard time believeing that the alternator was not working so when I needed to go to band practice I still had to take my truck. It was dark on the way home so I had to use my lights. The lights were too much for my near dead battery so my truck kept turning off and I had to pull over and get a ride home. Mom had it towed to a shop and they confirmed that the alternator was broke and replaced it. They only charged me for 1 hour of labor so most of the bill was parts but it still nearly hit $400 with the tow. Voltage went to about 12 volts and stayed there. So I was really happy with my truck working and thought I was done with repair issues for awhile. The next day I took the dogs to the vet to get them weighed and when I tried to start my car to go home the dash idiot lights(normal ones) flicked on for a brief second and then EVERYTHING died. Before, I still had power getting to my electrical system but the car wouldn`t start. Now everything like lights, power locks, windows, ac, etc. is dead. When the dash light comes on for a second it still is telling me that the battery has plenty of power. So my truck is going back to the shop and they`re going to try to fix it. Unlike the other shop these guys were really nice so we`re going to give them a chance to fix it. I`m entering a complaint with the Better Business Burea(sp?) about that other shop. They were asked to check the electrical/charging system twice and were specifically asked to test the alternator the second time and they didn`t. :mad:
 
CathyG said:
My mom was having a hard time believeing that the alternator was not working so when I needed to go to band practice I still had to take my truck. It was dark on the way home so I had to use my lights. The lights were too much for my near dead battery so my truck kept turning off and I had to pull over and get a ride home. Mom had it towed to a shop and they confirmed that the alternator was broke and replaced it. They only charged me for 1 hour of labor so most of the bill was parts but it still nearly hit $400 with the tow. Voltage went to about 12 volts and stayed there. So I was really happy with my truck working and thought I was done with repair issues for awhile. The next day I took the dogs to the vet to get them weighed and when I tried to start my car to go home the dash idiot lights(normal ones) flicked on for a brief second and then EVERYTHING died. Before, I still had power getting to my electrical system but the car wouldn`t start. Now everything like lights, power locks, windows, ac, etc. is dead. When the dash light comes on for a second it still is telling me that the battery has plenty of power. So my truck is going back to the shop and they`re going to try to fix it. Unlike the other shop these guys were really nice so we`re going to give them a chance to fix it. I`m entering a complaint with the Better Business Burea(sp?) about that other shop. They were asked to check the electrical/charging system twice and were specifically asked to test the alternator the second time and they didn`t. :mad:


It may be the voltage regulator that gave out. The voltage regulator is usually attached to the alternator, so if the alternator was replaced, the voltage regulator may have been replaced along with it. However, there are some cases where the voltage regulator is separate from the alternator and usually around the fuse box area. It looks some what like a heat sink. Check your repair bill and see if the voltage regulator was replaced.
 
Just got a call from the shop. My starter solenoid wasn`t just sticking because of the alternator like they thought. The starter got heat sensitive as it aged and they had to completely replace it. Now my truck is fixed. I love this shop. The truck started right up when it got off the tow truck but rather than call and say there isn`t a problem they tried to replicate how I normally drive my truck. So they ran it for about 10 minutes, shut it off, and then waited about 10 minutes before starting it again. They did that 3 times before the truck refused to start again. They didn`t charge us for the labor involved in that. Just the actual repair time and parts. :)
 
Cathy, it sounds like the long drawn out battle is finally over (knock on wood) Congratulations. You've learned a ton about your truck, and you've found what sounds like a great shop for future problems, and best of all, you got to keep your 4runner!!! Wow, what an experience you've gone through

:beer: To many years of trouble-free Toyota goodness!
 
Glad things worked out for you. That means you get to stick around this forum. This is a good lesson for others who may come across the same electrical problems. Finding a shop you can trust is half the battle. Life's lessons learned in how to research items and not get taken.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
278,306
Messages
3,554,045
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Trending content

Back
Top