Dash lights / warning lights / alternator (1 Viewer)

[Bohus]

This past month I have had a few incidents which made me feel
uncomfortable with my year 2000 built HDJ100 (272.000 KM).

I commute on a weekly basis from Gothenburg to Norway where I work. Hence, I need a reliable vehicle.

Mid January my batteries (the original ones) gave up in Norway. Freezing temperatures and using diesel heater frequently. Nothing to complain about. Bought two new ones.

Three weeks later the alternator quit working in Norway. Made it to a workshop close to my work. Via Toyota in Norway, the local mechanics got an exchange alternator (not an original new one) which was mounted.

Now to the prevailing problem, intermitently the warning lights (battery, drain water diesel filter, oil lamp, hand break, T-belt) have begun to flicker, sometimes brightly. This happends after a whiles driving at highway speed. Never, so far, in the city.

At idle rpm, the alternator is charging 13 to 14 V.

Toyota in Gothenburg tells me with those warning lights lit it should indicate a major breakdown. I have not noticed anything malfunctioning while driving with the warning lights lit. Toyota says they need to see the car in their shop and bring out the cable drawings. This, to me, sounds like an open check scenario.

I sincerely hope your aggregate expertise will come up with bright ideas and/or theories to ease my predicament?

Mats / Gothenburg

 

[Japan4X4]

Mats, when I have seen this in the past it has always been a sign that the alternator was failing. I have seen it three times only though so not a 100% sure diagnosis.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I've read numerous posts here of people not having good luck with remanufactured alternators. Don't know if the trucks just don't like them or what.

 

[WooshNI]

My Amazon did exactly the same thing I fitted a used genuine alternator. Just one thing did they fit new belts to the unit mine stretched a bit and had to be adjusted after two weeks.

 

[Bohus]

Yes, new belts have been fitted. They had to be adjusted a week after the "new" alternator was put in place.

 

[Bohus]

Well Cory, one can become superstitious for less. Since I'm not a technician/electrician faults like this becomes rocket science to me.

 

[100 TD]

Battery/alternator connection some where, bad ground strap, most likely someting that has been touched when batteries and alternator were replaced.

 

[trackmur]

You still have a very reliable vehicle. Living in Canada, I got a huge kick out of showing my friends that a webasto heater is listed as one of few options on a new 200 series. Hello Ford, Chrysler, GM? As for your charging system, the alternator and battery failure at almost the same time is pretty common. Fleet maintenance folks I know tend to replace both batteries and alternator at the same time, and any battery post clamp or cable or ground cable that looks suspiscious.

Has the dash light phenomena occurred in extreme cold, like minus 30 C or colder. I have had a similar incident a few times, I've read about it happening to someone else on another thread here.

 

[Bohus]

It has been cold here during the past month, i.e. minus 10 - 20 degrees C.
This week I'm on a buiz trip to the continent so I'm not using my LC. Monday morning I will use it to
drive up to my job in Norway. It will be sort of make it or break it. One way or the other I have top get the car to the mechanic who did the job of changing the alternator. Once there I will have a discussion with him which pretty much will be based on the inputs I have received here on the forum and the trip up. I'll be back.

 

[Bohus]

So I'm back in Norway and back to my mechanic. He checked the charging of the alternator which he found OK. I furthermore described to him my experience with the flickering dashlight. His qualified guess was "earthing problem located to the fuses". He himself did not want to try to help me out here since he did not have and cannot get his fingers on Toyota cable drawings. Toyot will not assist here. Before giving in to the Toyota dealer solution,I wonder if my friends here have any suggestions as to how to proceed from here on in the quest for a solution to an earthing probelm.

 

[campoj2]

There is a guy on eBay selling an electrical wiring diagram book for 2000 LC for $34, that might be a start. It sort of spooked me when I upgraded from the 80 into the 100 and I saw that 3/4 of Volume 1 of the OEM repair manual was dedicated to DTC codes and other electrical issues. Electrical issues are always challenging, has your truck ever been in an accident?

John

 

[Bohus]

There is a guy on eBay selling an electrical wiring diagram book for 2000 LC for $34, that might be a start. It sort of spooked me when I upgraded from the 80 into the 100 and I saw that 3/4 of Volume 1 of the OEM repair manual was dedicated to DTC codes and other electrical issues. Electrical issues are always challenging, has your truck ever been in an accident?

John

Hi John,

Thank's for your tip. I will have a look at it. The thing is, I will not be able use/understand it myself but
maybe it is a good thing to hand over to an auto electrician.

My truck has not been involved in any accident. Hence, wiring should be pretty much intact.

Mats

 

[Bohus]

I have now come to the end of this experience.
Today I picked up my rig from the local mechanic here in Kongsberg.
I had insisted on having the "new" alternator" taken away and to be replaced with another "new" one.
This last one has been ordered from Toyota's central warehouse in Brussels. The previous one was
found here in Norway. Anyhow, I will today drive home to Gothenburg and we'll se if everything is working allright during the trip.

Mats

 

[Liam]

I have now come to the end of this experience.
Today I picked up my rig from the local mechanic here in Kongsberg.
I had insisted on having the "new" alternator" taken away and to be replaced with another "new" one.
This last one has been ordered from Toyota's central warehouse in Brussels. The previous one was
found here in Norway. Anyhow, I will today drive home to Gothenburg and we'll se if everything is working allright during the trip.

Mats

good luck!

if you are still having trouble just send the truck to me and i will keep it for you...

 

[YvesNL]

I know this is an old thread, but when looking for this fault this is the only one that had similar symptoms.
I'll post my fix for anyone who also has this problem.

I had a similar problem in my truck, but I bought my truck with the lights on and they stayed on.
The lights that were on: Battery/charging, Diesel filter water, A/T oil temp, Engine oil, T-belt and (Hand)brake.
When pulling the handbrake the "(Hand)brake" light got slightly brighter.

At first I thought all these problems were present. But when I was looking for an AHC/alternator issue I found a "L/Lamp" signal that was 0V.
When 12V was applied to the "L/Lamp" signal all of the warning lights went off.

After some troubleshooting I found a broken "S/Sense" wire close to the alternator connector.
After stripping the cable and creating a good solder connection, the lights went off.

More info in my AHC thread (page 3 post #44 - #47): Hi From The Netherlands & AHC Issues