I had the alternator along with a few other items installed a few weeks back before I took the kids (well two of them) to Moab camping / wheeling. Unfortunately it wasn't a direct fit. My guy had to grind a little metal off of the power steering pump bracket in order to shoehorn the bigger alternator in there. While he was installing it and doing the 100k pm plus a bunch of other parts, he ran some of my 2/0 gauge welding cable from the output on the alternator to the firewall to a 300 amp fuse then from there to the starting group 31m. He also ran some of the 2/0 from the starting battery to the body. (I still need to run another cable from the starting battery to the factory engine / frame ground location. (Anyone know where that is?)
So I was right and my original unit was not up to the task and was on it's way out. I am getting a near constant 13.9 volts at the odb I I port. No matter what I do electrical usage wise, or how slow or fast i am driving, I never see below 13.8. The kids ran my inverter dang near the whole trip, day, night didn't matter. One day they ran down the aux battery via inverter usage. An afternoon worth of wheeling at low speeds and rpm, and the battery was fully charged when returning to camp at night. This thing puts out so many amps at idle that I kinda don't need the hand throttle kit.
Very happy with the results. Now if only I would have replaced the TPS sensor along with the ApSS while the 100k pm plus pulleys, and tensioners, plugs, fan bracket, FF, plugs, pcv, trans pan drop, coolant replacement, fan clutch, all hoses except the throttle body's and oil cooler ones as well as an attempt at a new radiator that ended poorly. ( some slightly overzealous shipping employee seems to have dropped the radiator on the neck of the plastic tank.) Cruiser Dan went above and beyond to take care of it for me. Back to Cruiser Dan, one hell of a good guy and happy to help out in a pinch.
Yes, this story relates to the TPS sensor part earlier, I had made it 30 mins from Moab after 14 hours of driving due to a detour through Zion National Park. I decided I needed a nap and would sleep till morning at a rest stop along the I 70 E. After a four hour nap, I got up and got the kids up so we could finish our venture to Moab. (Little did I know that I was a mile from the exit for Moab.) So off we went, merged back onto the freeway no problem, up to 75, no problem, get off at the exit drive to the stop sign, still all good. I give it gas to head down the 191 to get into Moab and I have no pedal for the first 75% and then past that I can go up to 2000 rpm and no more. I look down and see my dash doing a Christmas tree impression. I cb to my friend who was following along behind me in his 99 4 runner that I needed to stop and pull codes. So I stopped and pulled codes, came here to Mud, and searched for a cause. TPS related. Damn it, I knew I should have had that and the ApSS swapped when all the other PM work was done. (TPS moment #1) So I limp into Moab and we find the only pet friendly hotel with vacancies for that night which was a Friday. (We had planned to camp, but I wanted to make it easier by having the kids in the room while I dealt with the truck.) So once I am checked in and have the kids in the room I go outside, to deal with the 100. I call all of the auto parts stores in town, no TPS in stock. So next I call Cruiser Dan who assured me that he had the part in Stock and recommended the ApSS just in case it wasn't the TPS. Perfect I'm saved, "Hey Dan, please have those overnighter for Saturday delivery to my Hotel in Moab." Sorry neither FedEx or UPS do overnight Saturday delivery to Moab... I called all dealers within two hours of Moab, and nobody had either part in stock. I told the last dealer I called, that they were available at American Toyota in Albq, NM. And could I please have them shipped from Albq, to their dealership and pick them up 100 ish miles away in Grand Junction CO? They said yes and I got a name and number then called Cruiser Dan back. He did the rest from there, He called the other dealer, got a parts managers name and arranged to overnight the parts to them and for me to pick them up in CO. A few hours later he called back with all info and the contact info. We woke up the next morning, checked out of the Hotel and unloaded my friends 4 runner into my 100, The phone rang againa and it was Cruiser Dan, telling me the package had been delivered. Woo woo, so we drove to Grand Junction, picked up the parts then back to Moab. We decided to stay at an in town campground due to the issue with the 100. Before we left the Hotel parking lot, I replaced the ApSS and started the truck. It ran perfect. So we drove over, checked into the campground and setup camp. About that time I get another call from Dan checking how things are going. I thanked him for all his help and told him we were good. I let the truck run the whole time we setup camp and everything was great. I got elected to go get lunch for us and right after I pulled out of the campground the CELs were back on and I had no throttle. Crap, and of course the engine is too hot to work on now. I knew I should have replaced the TPS (TPS moment #2) when I did the ApSS, really again? Yup again. We cooked steaks and Brats over the fire while the truck was cooling off. Then we saw T showers were expected that night so we buttoned up camp, put on the rain fly and headed to bed. I Woke up, replaced the TPS sensor and away we went to an awesome trail called Onion Creek off of the 129 NE of Moab.
The moral of this story is that Cruiser Dan saved my trip. He is the man. For everybody else, replace your TPS sensor with every TB change or at least carry a spare with you.
