Charging light on - but everything working fine (3 Viewers)

[t00manyuserz]

Looking for some advice on what to do with my alternator. My car just crossed 150K kms, which does not seem like a lot. The charging light is constantly on; but there is no problem with charging, the battery is always properly charged, and other than that the car works just fine. I am trying to figure out what I should do about it, and I'd appreciate any advice. I haven't confirmed my alternator model yet, but ToyoDIY says I have either the 27060-66060 (55A) or 27060-66070 (80A); I have a GCC spec FJZ80 with the 1FZ-F engine. It would seem like my options are:

- get brushes for $15 or so and see if this fixes the issue
- get a rebuilt 27060-66070 for around $200 or so and call it a day
- get a rebuilt 27060-66040 (100A) and get the bracket 16381-66040 for it so it fits
- take the lamp out (but then my speedo backlight seems to turn off, so I think it completes a circuit of some kind? might not be an option)

What should I do?

 

[Dusten]

If you've verified that the alternator is charging why replace it or the brushes?

There is a relay that turns that light on. Verify the 7.5 amp fuse is good. If it's good test the relays operation.

 

[t00manyuserz]

If you've verified that the alternator is charging why replace it or the brushes?

There is a relay that turns that light on. Verify the 7.5 amp fuse is good. If it's good test the relays operation.

Because I was looking for exactly this kind of knowledge, considering how little I know about the car still

Thanks - which fuse is it, and is it in the dash or in the engine compartment? And where is the relay?

 

[TurbodreamZ]

You might be over or under charging. Check the voltage while it’s running to see if it’s in spec. The light is on for a reason so don’t ignore it.

 

[Dusten]

Because I was looking for exactly this kind of knowledge, considering how little I know about the car still

Thanks - which fuse is it, and is it in the dash or in the engine compartment? And where is the relay?

What year is the rig?

 

[t00manyuserz]

What year is the rig?

1994, pre-facelift.

 

[Dusten]

1994, pre-facelift.

The fuse is in the box under the hood.

From the wiring diagram the yellow wire off the alternator feeds that fuse. You can verify signal on that wire.

 

[t00manyuserz]

Excellent. Thank you very much - I will do this tomorrow. Hopefully it's just the fuse, that would really be awesome.

By the way - if I do end up needing a new alternator - any idea whether 1FZ-F and 1FZ-FE alternators are the same?