Dead on side of road

[mmendelscfi]

Son and a buddy took the 4runner to FL for the week and enroute back it had an issue.

Symptoms as relayed by him

No Tach
No Radio
Battery Light on
VSC light on
No cruise control

Car finally dropped dead on I-95 just into GA.

I am having him check the battery voltage as it kind of sounds like an alternator failure?

Any thoughts appreciated. They are stuck as of now.

Thanks



UPDATE: Battery voltage reads 8 volts with engine not running. I'm assuming a bad alternator as the battery is fairly new. Would an Autozone or other auto parts place typically have an alternative in stock?

 

[StreetCreeper]

Son and a buddy took the 4runner to FL for the week and enroute back it had an issue.

Symptoms as relayed by him

No Tach
No Radio
Battery Light on
VSC light on
No cruise control

Car finally dropped dead on I-95 just into GA.

I am having him check the battery voltage as it kind of sounds like an alternator failure?

Any thoughts appreciated. They are stuck as of now.

Thanks



UPDATE: Battery voltage reads 8 volts with engine not running. I'm assuming a bad alternator as the battery is fairly new. Would an Autozone or other auto parts place typically have an alternative in stock?

Yeah that sounds similar to what happened to me when my alternator went out (again) a few months back. I lost the tach and the clock and all that too. Hit 8.9v while pulling into Costco.

Any auto parts store should have a good chance of having the alternator they need. If they don't have one for whatever year his truck is, be sure to have the store check for any of the years (1996 thru 02) as they are all the same but the 99-02 alternators put out 80 amps instead of 75 IIRC.

 

[mmendelscfi]

Yeah that sounds similar to what happened to me when my alternator went out (again) a few months back. I lost the tach and the clock and all that too. Hit 8.9v while pulling into Costco.

Any auto parts store should have a good chance of having the alternator they need. If they don't have one for whatever year his truck is, be sure to have the store check for any of the years (1996 thru 02) as they are all the same but the 99-02 alternators put out 80 amps instead of 75 IIRC.

Thanks much !

They are in the process of getting it towed. One thing I will say is the truck never seems to break down where I can get at it.

It always seems to be 500 - 1000 miles away.

I'll post an update when it's resolved.

I appreciate the quick response.

 

[nissanh]

It could be a bad brush kit. $23 at the dealer. Any toyota brush kit will fit (Corolla, camry, land Cruiser etc). It is easy to install too. MTBTIM has a great video about installing the brush kit. Is your son mechanically inclined? Remove the alternator, remove the rear cover with 8 mm wrench and take the brush kit out by removing two phillips screws. That's it.

The only time my runner gave me a trouble is right at my garage. The ignition key got stuck when I turned off the ignition. Guess I am lucky that day.

 

[mmendelscfi]

It could be a bad brush kit. $23 at the dealer. Any toyota brush kit will fit (Corolla, camry, land Cruiser etc). It is easy to install too. MTBTIM has a great video about installing the brush kit. Is your son mechanically inclined? Remove the alternator, remove the rear cover with 8 mm wrench and take the brush kit out by removing two phillips screws. That's it.

The only time my runner gave me a trouble is right at my garage. The ignition key got stuck when I turned off the ignition. Guess I am lucky that day.

He is pretty good with a wrench. But the problem is that he doesn't have much time to tinker. They pretty much have to be back to Delaware tonight or early morning.

And then press on to NY tomorrow.

It always seems to break when there is a timeline involved without flexibility.

I appreciate the advice and I'm going to pull the alternator out of my parts truck which I know is bad and see if I can resurrect that one as a future spare.

Thanks again


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[soupkitchen]

def alt...you can swap out a new one in less then 20 mins. Make sure he didn't lose his belt. Good luck!

 

[mmendelscfi]

Alternator replaced.

They are back on the road. At least there are 3 of them to share driving.

I appreciate all the advice.

I think I'll pack a set of Alt brushes in the truck just in case.

Or maybe I should just tow my parts truck behind me everywhere I go........

Thanks again

 

[Jubsz]

Sorry to derail thread from OP or bring back one from the dead. I cannot start a new thread because of the newbie rule.... (25 posts).

Today, driving my 2000 limited 4WD v6 home from work, I experienced nearly the same symptoms. No VSC light because I do not have it. Oddly, my battery light did not come on. I replaced an alternator a few months ago because the battery light was on and voltage was low while running (<12V). It still illuminates before starting the car so I assume it works. My Dash dimmed slowly over the ride home, radio eventually died, etc. I pulled into the local Salvo's right before making it home to check the voltage and read 8.5v at the battery terminals. At that point, the tach did not work at idle at all, ABS light was on as well.

I do have oil leaking from the valve covers onto the alternator and strongly expect it to be an alternator. The last one I put on was a few months ago and 4kish miles. I bought it off ebay sold as OEM but it was a re-man. Once I drove the truck home, I shut it off. Turning the key would light up the dash lights but the truck would not turn over (didn't even sound like it tried). I went inside for about a half hour and went back out. At that point, the truck started up on first try. I shut it down and tried again and it ticked from presumably low battery voltage.

Do all of these signs point to a bad alternator or wiring? I would be sure it was alternator if not for the lack of a battery light and inconsistent starting. Any thoughts as to wiring vs. alternator? Where does the battery light get its signal? is it pre-battery terminal or should the voltage at the batter terminal and alternator be the same?

 

[nissanh]

If your alternator gives less than 12 V at idle, then you found the issue. Do you still have your OEM alternator? If so, get a brush kit from the dealer and install it.

OEM alternators can be submerged in water and it will still run fine. Any aftermarket alternator just needs a drop of water to die.