Alternator died at 136k miles

[tbisaacs]

So I noticed that the voltage dial on the dashboard is almost touching the 14v now whereas before it was a few mm before it. Maybe that was an indicator that the alternator was becoming less effective due to age ?

Hard to say. The alternator is "smart" and changes output depending on state of charge and engine temp. Mine is not always at 14v.

 

[swiss200]

So I noticed that the voltage dial on the dashboard is almost touching the 14v now whereas before it was a few mm before it. Maybe that was an indicator that the alternator was becoming less effective due to age ?

So thanks everyone! I have great input on what preventive maintenance to do and I'm just going to ask my dealer what it will cost me.

I have to admit that I didn't think such proactive work would be necessary when I bought my LC. I guess I took the 25 year durability to optimistically.

I also had to replace the two front brake calipers and decided to replace the battery as well since it was getting old.

 

[kcjaz]

So thanks everyone! I have great input on what preventive maintenance to do and I'm just going to ask my dealer what it will cost me.

I have to admit that I didn't think such proactive work would be necessary when I bought my LC. I guess I took the 25 year durability to optimistically.

I also had to replace the two front brake calipers and decided to replace the battery as well since it was getting old.

Please don’t take what I have done as “necessary”. I am being OCD about what I am replacing for probably no solid rational reason. My alt was and is fine but I replaced it anyway because it is a pain to do and my rig now is in “long trip only” service. I do not want to deal with a dead alt on a trip out in the boonies. My PS pump was fine and didn’t need to be replaced, I just did it anyway. The only thing that I needed to do was fix my radiator hose leaks. The radiator had already been done. The other thing is I wanted to do the work myself to learn and be more familiar with my rig mechanically should I have problems when just calling the dealer isn’t an option. What I’m saying is, what I am doing is more related to hobby/entertainment/fun than mechanical need. Most of the original components, with proper care and normal maintenance will get you to 250k miles or more. Radiator and alt, maybe not but the question is really how inconvenient will it be if they go bad vs. cost and effort of preemptive replacement.

 

[swiss200]

Please don’t take what I have done as “necessary”. I am being OCD about what I am replacing for probably no solid rational reason. My alt was and is fine but I replaced it anyway because it is a pain to do and my rig now is in “long trip only” service. I do not want to deal with a dead alt on a trip out in the boonies. My PS pump was fine and didn’t need to be replaced, I just did it anyway. The only thing that I needed to do was fix my radiator hose leaks. The radiator had already been done. The other thing is I wanted to do the work myself to learn and be more familiar with my rig mechanically should I have problems when just calling the dealer isn’t an option. What I’m saying is, what I am doing is more related to hobby/entertainment/fun than mechanical need. Most of the original components, with proper care and normal maintenance will get you to 250k miles or more. Radiator and alt, maybe not but the question is really how inconvenient will it be if they go bad vs. cost and effort of preemptive replacement.

Thanks for the clarification. I live in Switzerland and it's basically impossible to be remote enough to not have any road assistance. From that point of view I can just wait for things to break.

But.. we had to tow the car twice in the past 4 weeks and that hurts my trust in the car.. so from that perspective I'm going to consider to do a few things proactively. However, it depends on the costs which are probably a lot higher here in Switzerland (compared to other countries).

Funny enough, while labor costs are high here, car prices are average for Europe so: relatively cheap.

It's therefore that instead of doing a lot of proactive work it could be beneficial to just buy a newer land cruiser.

Anyway, a lot to consider and I'll be thinking about all of this in the coming weeks.

Btw I plan on sharing my invoice for recent work. Would be fun to compare. I think I'm capable of wrenching on the car but I can't because my back is very messed up (I have a disability status) so I need to rely on dealers.

 

[highfructose]

A thought, though this isn’t for everyone:

purchase a used starter, alternator, and cv from wrecked vehicles with low mileage. Place those items in the back of your vehicle when you’re going on a long trip. I also picked up some of those plastic pinching hose clamps that are supposedly useful if you’re doing the starter job...all told I think I’m around $200 deep and, interestingly, the salvage yard I used gives lifetime warranties on their parts.

gives some peace of mind

can anyone else think of any other smart parts to keep spares of for road trips?

 

[CharlieS]

I assume they jump-started it because my wife told me she could get the car running. But why does it keep running when the alternator is dead. My wife made this video as I wasn't at home so we'll never know.

Many vehicles can run off the remaining charge left in the battery for some period of time when the alternator is inoperative.

 

[RT Cruiser]

can anyone else think of any other smart parts to keep spares of for road trips?

Serpentine belt.