Need Help with Strange Alternator Issue

[burninator]

I had great luck with the AC thread on my truck here, so going to try another.


Wife has a 2006 SR5 V6 4Runner with 150K. We just got it about 4 months ago from the original owner, with very little maintenance history.


Today after church the battery light comes on. Starts fine. Drive to auto parts store. Battery is good, bit low but good. Alternator gives no voltage (in car, not bench test). Run the diagnostic once more to be sure. Battery dips another couple CCA; still no voltage on alternator.


So, I decide this thing needs a new alternator and make plans to get it in the shop Monday. Wife runs one errand this afternoon and calls saying as she was pulling into a parking lot, the whole dash lit up. She parked, and then couldn't restart. We let the truck sit an hour while she shopped. Then it turned right over, and she drove it 15 mins home no problems.


Now it's in the garage and I've got the battery charged up. Belt is good. Went to check fuses and found this. I don't know what's going on. It almost looks like half an old fuse is wedged under the existing one. I pulled hard as hell and can't get it out except by breaking pieces off. The existing fuse is not blown.


Is it still a bad alternator? I know I can drop it and get it bench tested, but maybe my problem is at the fuse box instead?


Here are some pics.

 

[riceandpho]

I think the fuse box needs to be remove to change that alternator fuse out, ask @ blackworksinc

 

[rcdeppen]

The symptoms are A typical for a bad alternator. Your battery rebuilt some surface charge after she sucked it dead by continuing to drive on a dead alternator. Stop making more work for yourself (tearing up your fuse box) and go buy a new (not reman) alternator.

Problem solved. Well almost anyway as you know have to deal with the fuse box to

 

[Gatafly]

The symptoms are A typical for a bad alternator. Your battery rebuilt some surface charge after she sucked it dead by continuing to drive on a dead alternator. Stop making more work for yourself (tearing up your fuse box) and go buy a new (not reman) alternator.

Problem solved. Well almost anyway as you know have to deal with the fuse box to

Agreed!!

 

[burninator]

The symptoms are A typical for a bad alternator. Your battery rebuilt some surface charge after she sucked it dead by continuing to drive on a dead alternator. Stop making more work for yourself (tearing up your fuse box) and go buy a new (not reman) alternator.

Problem solved. Well almost anyway as you know have to deal with the fuse box to

Thanks for the help. Do you know that atypical means "not typical"?

 

[burninator]

[MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] (is that how you tag someone?), would love your thoughts on the fuse replacement. Gonna have to do that either way, even if I need a new alternator.

 

[BCfish]

Did you really need to post 2 threads dealing with the same subject one thread would of done I'm sure don't be so impatient.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

You need to unbolt the fuse from the fuse block, if you look at your picture you can see it has holes for a bolt to go through; a lot of manufacturers do this with higher amp fuses. I don't remember if you need to remove the entire fuse block to get access to the bolt. I would see if there's a door/panel on the side of the fuse block that has a bolt for it.

Do remember to disconnect the battery when you're messing around with the fuse box, you don't want to short anything else out and/or injure yourself.

 

[riceandpho]

Check the alt-s fuse too, I think it's a 7.5 amp.

 

[earthrealm]

start with the fuses first

 

[burninator]

Thanks all. Mechanic replaced the fuse after removing fuse block and accessing two hex nuts, one 10mm and one 8mm.

Alternator turned out to be bad, so sending it off to be rebuilt. Should have it all back together tomorrow.