83 FJ60 Charge Light dash lights on after alternator swap (1 Viewer)

[John Staton]

Long story short, I had a bad alternator when I got the truck years ago and a mechanic switched it for an aftermarket alternator. He changed out the bracket and connector to make it work. I had ordered a brand new denso OEM alternator and finally got around to switching it out today. All went well and the truck started fine when we were all done and buttoned up. Took it for a test drive and noticed the charge light is now on. One hiccup when doing the install....the white wire was arcing when I hooked up the battery and started to smoke. I immediately disconnected the battery and covered with electrical tape and bent it so it wouldn't touch metal again. You can see how much voltage I'm getting now. I'm wondering if it is too high or what else could be wrong.

Old alternator that was doing fine. After it was installed it had to be swapped out twice. Had a lifetime guarantee but who wants to keep swapping out a s***ty part.

I bought the denzo alternator from a vendor off of mud along with the bracket and connectors to go back to OEM.

The voltage now....is it too much?? Or could I have messed something up when I arced the white wire when I initially hooked up the battery. Was maybe 5 seconds... Enough for the rubber to start to melt and smoke on that wire.

 

[Beams37]

14.3 is just about perfect. Wondering if the arc issue you had just fried something going to the light.

 

[John Staton]

14.3 is just about perfect. Wondering if the arc issue you had just fried something going to the light.

that was my thought...seems to run fine and I dont see the large swings I would see with the old alternator when I turn on air and lights so I am sure this one performs better and all is fine, just need to track down why my charge dash light is on.

 

[Beams37]

Yeah. That's not my forte. Someone will chime in and have some simple ideas to troubleshoot.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Yeah. That's not my forte. Someone will chime in and have some simple ideas to troubleshoot.

14.3 charging volts is fine. Usually an alternator is regulated to just shy of 14.7V, but 14.3 isn't terrible.

Where was the white wire arcing? At the stud on the back of the alt, at the battery, or somewhere in the middle?

 

[John Staton]

14.3 charging volts is fine. Usually an alternator is regulated to just shy of 14.7V, but 14.3 isn't terrible.

Where was the white wire arcing? At the stud on the back of the alt, at the battery, or somewhere in the middle?

It was the ring connected that goes on the stud on the back of the alternator. It did not have heat shrink on it and was touching the back of the alternator. I checked the fuses and they seem to be good so I'm still at a loss.

 

[gsprenge]

Long story short, I had a bad alternator when I got the truck years ago and a mechanic switched it for an aftermarket alternator. He changed out the bracket and connector to make it work. I had ordered a brand new denso OEM alternator and finally got around to switching it out today. All went well and the truck started fine when we were all done and buttoned up. Took it for a test drive and noticed the charge light is now on. One hiccup when doing the install....the white wire was arcing when I hooked up the battery and started to smoke. I immediately disconnected the battery and covered with electrical tape and bent it so it wouldn't touch metal again. You can see how much voltage I'm getting now. I'm wondering if it is too high or what else could be wrong.
View attachment 3830596

Old alternator that was doing fine. After it was installed it had to be swapped out twice. Had a lifetime guarantee but who wants to keep swapping out a s***ty part.
View attachment 3830020
I bought the denzo alternator from a vendor off of mud along with the bracket and connectors to go back to OEM.
View attachment 3830028
The voltage now....is it too much?? Or could I have messed something up when I arced the white wire when I initially hooked up the battery. Was maybe 5 seconds... Enough for the rubber to start to melt and smoke on that wire.

View attachment 3830033

Hey, have also a charging issue. Have those Lamps on at the dash and no higher Voltage than 24,1..ish at the Alternator. Regulator seems to be also wired with wrong Ohms.
Brushes are good i would say! Any conclusion?
Thx a lot

 

[yotadude520]

It was the ring connected that goes on the stud on the back of the alternator. It did not have heat shrink on it and was touching the back of the alternator. I checked the fuses and they seem to be good so I'm still at a loss.

Knowing that it was arcing I would check the continuity on the fusible links, I'm sure you blew or damaged one of them.

 

[John Staton]

Knowing that it was arcing I would check the continuity on the fusible links, I'm sure you blew or damaged one of them.

UHG...that is another issue I didn't mention on this post only because all was well before the alternator swap so I was hoping the fusible link was not tied in to this most recent issue.

A couple of years ago I was having some intermittent electrical problems that ended up having me dead on the side of the road. The mechanic I took it to got me going again and told me it was my fusible link and he changed it/byapassed it/???? not sure what....all I know is my truck was back up and running and frankly has been for years since. I have looked at the fusible link upgrade kit from cruiser trash parts. I have purchased other things from them and know them to sell quality, but I would not know where to begin and not sure if I even have the plug under the hood that would plug into it based on what was done with it before. Electrical is just not my thing. I do work with a shop that specializes in Toyotas here in Houston that is awesome, TEQ Auto Solutions. Besides my 60 we have 4 other 4Runners in the family, including my daily and they seem to be able to figure out anything and their labor is incredibly reasonable. I will spend a little more time on this before having him address it.

 

[CruiserTrash]

@John Staton Thought I recognized your name - thanks for buying stuff from me! Yotadude is right - if a bare part of the wire touched the alternator case is was creating a dead short from positive voltage to ground. Fusible link may or may not have suffered as a result.

I will say this though: you should take a look and see what the previous mechanic did to “fix” your fusible link. If it’s bypassed or removed, that’s a big fire & safety hazard. Post some pictures and let’s see what’s going on.

And yes, I have the Fusible Link Replacement Kits. Happy to talk through those with you if you want. For now, let’s see what you’re working with though.

 

[yotadude520]

x2 we definitely need to see some pictures of how the OG fusible link was bypassed.

I'm running @CruiserTrash's fusible link kit and liked it so much I kept it when I did my LS Swap. It's a really nice product.

 

[gsprenge]

Gey Folks [4-Revive Shed] needs - please advise with my alternator issue. After heavy rain the charging went out.
24V/1989 2H Engine.
Got strange Ohms at the Regulator. And the B+ is putting out just 24,..ish Volts. must read at least 27-29 at the Multimeter ?! Right?! The dashboard light are consi. On
Brushes seems to be good anf long enough

 

[John Staton]

Update: so I went up to Autozone and had them test the battery and it was bad. I was excited thinking that might fix my problem but no luck. Below is a pic of the fusible link "fix" I had done a few years ago. It is the blue wires and one green wire section. I dont think this has anything to do with my problem as it showed up after I swapped back to the Toyota Alternator. I also included the write up with more details that I have for my mechanic (TEQ solutions in Houston) who is a 2-3 weeks out for a spot for me unless something opens up. They guy is a Toyota guru and very reasonable so of course is always booked.

Problem: charge light is on after swapping out an aftermarket alternator for an OEM Denso alternator

Things I have tried:

• Had the battery tested and told it was bad so bought a new one. The old battery was bought in 2018.
• Checked the charge fuse under the dash and found that it was melted- see below. For some reason there was a small piece of paperclip in with the fuse. I have no idea how it got there and when the fuse melted. Despite being melted it still tests good. I put a new charge fuse in. The gauge fuse also was melted and I replaced it.

The alternator is showing 14.3V and doesn’t have the larger swings when you turn on lights/AC as the aftermarket alternator did so it seems to be working better, but I don’t know why the charge light is on. I have limited how much I ran the truck since I replaced the battery and found the melted fuse.

History

Alternator- Was bad when I got the truck in ’17. The shop that did initial work on it swapped it with an aftermarket alternator and swapped the connectors and the bracket to make it work. It had a lifetime warranty and over the years I had to exchange it twice. Because of this I sourced a Denso OEM alternator, the original brackets and new wire connector so I could swap back to a Toyota alternator. The truck was actually running fine when I swapped it a few days ago (2/1). The swap went fine, but when I hooked the battery up the ring connector on the back of the alternator was touching the metal on the back of the alternator and immediately started to smoke where it was touching. I immediately (maybe 3 seconds) removed the battery terminal and bent and taped the ring connector so it would not make contact. Noticed the charge light was on after we started it and took it for a test drive.

Fusible Link- May have nothing to do with current problem, but in March of ’22 the truck died and I was stuck on the side of the road. I had the truck towed to my mechanic and he found that the fusible link was bad and replaced it with a “fusible link wire connector ETC kit” as listed on the shop receipt.

30Amp jumper in fuse box- years ago my 30 amp circuit breaker kept tripping when my AC was on high. I replaced it a couple of times with new ones and even changed out a resistor that can go bad. I put that inline 30 fuse jumper in there and it has worked fine.

 

[John Staton]

Pulled the charge indicator relay that is located behind the kick panel on the passenger side. Of course the light is off when the relay is pulled, but I cannot tell if the relay is bad. I pulled it open and it looks fine but I guess there is probably a way to test it to confirm with a multimeter....anyone know? Would like to rule it out if possible.

 

[Beams37]

Pulled the charge indicator relay that is located behind the kick panel on the passenger side. Of course the light is off when the relay is pulled, but I cannot tell if the relay is bad. I pulled it open and it looks fine but I guess there is probably a way to test it to confirm with a multimeter....anyone know? Would like to rule it out if possible.

How To Test A Relay

If something goes sideways with your vehicle’s electrical system, there’s a good chance a relay is to blame.

www.thedrive.com

 

[gsprenge]

Pulled the charge indicator relay that is located behind the kick panel on the passenger side. Of course the light is off when the relay is pulled, but I cannot tell if the relay is bad. I pulled it open and it looks fine but I guess there is probably a way to test it to confirm with a multimeter....anyone know? Would like to rule it out if possible.

Do you have picture of the relay and its location? Still have no idea of my charging issues

 

[John Staton]

Do you have picture of the relay and its location? Still have no idea of my charging issues

Its behind the kick panel on the passenger side. It is the second relay from the bottom. You have to remove a bolt before you unplug it. I saw a thread where they guy popped the back out and slide it out of the plastic casing to inspect it and that is what I did. Anyway, Didnt help as my charge light is still on. I will keep looking.

 

[gsprenge]

Its behind the kick panel on the passenger side. It is the second relay from the bottom. You have to remove a bolt before you unplug it. I saw a thread where they guy popped the back out and slide it out of the plastic casing to inspect it and that is what I did. Anyway, Didnt help as my charge light is still on. I will keep looking.

Thx

 

[John Staton]

no progress on getting my charge light out...my emergency brake light is on as well. I did have someone test everything to make sure battery and alternator were all good and I was safe to drive without messing anything up. All checks out and the feedback is that it is probably a bad ground somewhere. When inspecting the charge relay in the kick panel it appears I can unplug that relay with not impact on the truck other than turning those two lights off. Does that sound correct?? I mean, I want to chase down the actual problem, but the light being out until I find it would be nice. My son also notice by tail lights flickering off and on when I was driving down the road when I was not touching the brakes....maybe related, I dont know but need to chase some bad wiring.

 

[Wheezengeezer]

no progress on getting my charge light out...my emergency brake light is on as well. I did have someone test everything to make sure battery and alternator were all good and I was safe to drive without messing anything up. All checks out and the feedback is that it is probably a bad ground somewhere. When inspecting the charge relay in the kick panel it appears I can unplug that relay with not impact on the truck other than turning those two lights off. Does that sound correct?? I mean, I want to chase down the actual problem, but the light being out until I find it would be nice. My son also notice by tail lights flickering off and on when I was driving down the road when I was not touching the brakes....maybe related, I dont know but need to chase some bad wiring.

The brake light is independent of the charge lite. Low brake fluid or e-brake turns it on. Fluid level switch is in master cyl cap.. E-brake switch is under the boot. Brake light problem is often a round rubber pad that pushes in ypur light switch located on the brake pedal arm up under the dash.