1983 FJ60 Battery Died - Not Charging and Lights Off (1 Viewer)

[FJake6080]

if you have a bench vice and the correct sockets its not so bad. the hard part is holding the pulley securely without damaging the pulley. My old alternator used one size nut and the new alternator used another one...dont worry the shaft diameters were the same....just different nuts. Worst case you probably can go to a shop near you and half them swap it. Air impact or electric impact would make it a lot easier than by hand with sockets.

Okay cool - doesn’t sound too bad at all. Definitely willing to give it a shot for $50 as well. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Seth S]

Before you order an alternator I'd just verify its not charging and that you dont have a wiring problem...like a fried fusible link or a battery cable issue.

 

[cruisermatt]

why did you replace the battery in the first place?

 

[FJake6080]

Before you order an alternator I'd just verify its not charging and that you dont have a wiring problem...like a fried fusible link or a battery cable issue.

That sounds good - I’ll do some work with that first. Sorry to bother but what’s the best way to test the fusible links?

 

[FJake6080]

why did you replace the battery in the first place?

I had dropped the truck off to be painted and when I went to pick it up the battery was drained. I jumped it and ran it all the way to work. Got out for lunch and it was dead again. Brought the battery to be tested at Autozone and they said it was dead. Had to replace in the parking lot in order to get home. Seems to be all related at this point.

 

[cruisermatt]

how long did the truck sit at the paint shop and how old was that battery?

 

[Seth S]

So it looks like this:

You can pull it off and use your new multimeter to test the continuity between all the connectors to make sure there are no shorts in the wiring. Also visually inspect the condition of the wires and the connectors, look for signs of embrittlement or flaking insulation. Make sure the connectors look clean and not corroded. Also make sure the plastic in the connectors is not falling apart. There is someone on MUD who rebuilds the links I believe. I'm not sure if they are available from Toyota anymore. I'd bet @OSS has that info readily available

 

[FJake6080]

how long did the truck sit at the paint shop and how old was that battery?

Truck was new to me but when I pulled the battery to replace it wasn’t old at all. Had been replaced the year prior from PO come to find out. Truck was at the paint shop for about 5-6 weeks. I don’t think they started it very often while it was there. Just to get it in the booth and back out.

 

[Seth S]

I had dropped the truck off to be painted and when I went to pick it up the battery was drained. I jumped it and ran it all the way to work. Got out for lunch and it was dead again. Brought the battery to be tested at Autozone and they said it was dead. Had to replace in the parking lot in order to get home. Seems to be all related at this point.

Did they do any paint work under the hood?

 

[FJake6080]

Did they do any paint work under the hood?

Nothing under the hood - just body, doors, and jambs.

 

[g-man]

That sounds good - I’ll do some work with that first. Sorry to bother but what’s the best way to test the fusible links?

fusible links will be found at the positive post of the battery or within a couple inches of it. Unless someone removed them. They are the main feed to different circuits in your truck. You can still find new fusible links at Toyota, but also Cruisercorp (1) OEM Fusible Link - FJ60, 1980-1987 – Cruiser Corps, and check with ToyotaMatt for clean used one for less.

 

[FJake6080]

So it looks like this:

View attachment 2567856

You can pull it off and use your new multimeter to test the continuity between all the connectors to make sure there are no shorts in the wiring. Also visually inspect the condition of the wires and the connectors, look for signs of embrittlement or flaking insulation. Make sure the connectors look clean and not corroded. Also make sure the plastic in the connectors is not falling apart. There is someone on MUD who rebuilds the links I believe. I'm not sure if they are available from Toyota anymore. I'd bet @OSS has that info readily available

Nice! I’ll put that multimeter to good use. It gets in today. I’ll also take a look at what you said with the condition of the wires.

 

[g-man]

Don't forget to load test your battery too. Sometimes they show 12v but fail the load test. Also if you put a 12v low voltage tester or multi meter between the positive post and the positive cable and turn off all lights and accessories you should not see the test light. If you do, you may have an open circuit..ie short somewhere that is slowly draining your battery.

One other point...not sure if this has been covered but if you're driving...ie rpms are up, your voltage on the volt meter should show around 13.5 if your alt is working properly. If you are surviving only on battery power it will show whatever your battery voltage is ...usually less, maybe around 12 to 12.5

 

[FJake6080]

Don't forget to load test your battery too. Sometimes they show 12v but fail the load test. Also if you put a 12v low voltage tester or multi meter between the positive post and the positive cable and turn off all lights and accessories you should not see the test light. If you do, you may have an open circuit..ie short somewhere that is slowly draining your battery.

One other point...not sure if this has been covered but if you're driving...ie rpms are up, your voltage on the volt meter should show around 13.5 if your alt is working properly. If you are surviving only on battery power it will show whatever your battery voltage is ...usually less, maybe around 12 to 12.5

Yeah right now the voltage meter while driving is showing only around 12. So that would definitely make sense that the alternator is doing it’s job.

 

[g-man]

Yeah right now the voltage meter while driving is showing only around 12. So that would definitely make sense that the alternator is doing it’s job.

uhh..you mean NOT working? only 12v would be battery voltage, alternator voltage should be around 13.5.

 

[FJake6080]

uhh..you mean NOT working? only 12v would be battery voltage, alternator voltage should be around 13.5.

Dumb phone I meant is not doing it’s job.. sorry about that!

 

[cruisermatt]

just get your battery and alternator tested at the local auto parts store

 

[FJake6080]

just get your battery and alternator tested at the local auto parts store

Yeah that’s a good call just to be sure. Based on what we’ve talked about I’m betting that’s the issue or at least a part of it.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

OEM Japan Land Cruiser Propper Size Spec. Pulleys , WIDE Cogg Belt style

comes with a OEM Hex update flange NUT too .......


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VintageTEqParts.com

vintageteqparts.com

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[FJake6080]

Update - Got the battery all charged up. Tested the battery with the truck off and then after turning on - no voltage increase.

Also tested the continuity of the fusible links and they seem good. (Although I tested the voltage circuit through the links and the flat prong had less voltage making its way through at 10.5 versus 12.5 on the other two ports) not sure what’s going on there.

When I checked the alternator with the multimeter. It was showing no voltage increase at all. I’m thinking alternator at this point. Thanks everyone for their help! Ordered an alternator from @ToyotaMatt - should be on its way soon! Thanks again!