LC or LX470 Alternator replacement how to

[KillerBox]

For anyone that has an alternator overcharging, try this first.

1.) Turn the engine and all accessories off.
2.) Remove the Alt-S 7.5a fuse at the battery (use the little plastic fork fuse remover tool that is stored in the top of the main fuse block under the hood)
3.) Put the same Alt-S fuse back into the fuse holder.
4.) Restart the engine and check voltage.

Doing the above steps, my voltage would go instantly from 16 volts to 14 volts.


I replaced the alternator on my 2001 LX twice before out of frustration I tried this. I have also tried spraying electrical cleaner on the fuse and fuse holder but, my problem has reappeared. So I have a small new fuse block in hand but, I waiting to see if my overvoltage problem reappears first.

 

[skipdup]

So, my replacement went much like everyone else's. Just a pain, but not really difficult.
Unfortunately, the alternator I got off Amazon has started squeaking once it's warmed up (get's louder with RPMs). I assume that means it's bad and I get to do it over again. Lucky me...

 

[PabloCruise]

I don't have a manual. Anybody know what the torque specs are for the bolts on the PS pump and alternator?

Torque to yield, then back off ~1/4 turn...

 

[TennisThomas]

Can some kind person illustrate a little better on #4 above? For the life of me I have no idea where this 10" triangle piece is with the 6 grommets. Not really sure it is necessary to remove in order to complete but willing to do so if it makes it easier.

It also seems helpful to remove the exhaust hose along with the radiator hose to get things out of the way.

2002 with 180K+ miles on it. Dies after remove the cables from the battery. Figured I'd fix whilst awaiting what is going to happen during the hurricane.

 

[dogdaysindurham]

I believe #4 is referring to the piece with the arrow and letters FR in the upper right hand corner.

It would be part 27 (left) in the image below.

 

[TennisThomas]

the connector crumbled while trying to disassemble. does anyone have a diagram or photo of how the wiring is to go into the replacement that I bought (wire color sequence)? 2002 lx470

Thanks this has been a journey.

 

[MDJ]

Just completed this on my 2000 LX. Good write up...couple things to add that may make this easier for some folks.

1. The radiator does NOT need to be drained for this and I don't believe anything is routed differently on later models (I owned an
06 as well). It's a tight squeeze. If you go slow and don't force anything, you should be able to move/gently pry the lower radiator hose and transmission cooler lines out of the way to clear the alternator.
2. Unbolt the transmission cooler lines from the frame and bracket behind radiator to allow them to move more easily.
3. Airbox doesn't have to be removed. All work can be done from beneath vehicle with exception of loosening uppermost P/S pump bolt.
4. Piece in wheel well does not need to be removed except if you feel you need more light. It doesn't provide any worthwhile access (at least nothing better than working from below) and the plastic rivets will break if you aren't careful.
5. Once lower bolt, upper nut and + lead removed from alternator, I recommend disconnecting the plug in the rear once free from upper stud. As long as you move slow, there's no reason not to do this. Just don't stretch the wiring. You'll have a much better purchase on the connector without having to try from the top (very crampy).

Also, don't do this the day after you get your Covid vaccination shot. Holy s*** my shoulder hurts.

 

[XRayFish]

Just completed this on my 2000 LX. Good write up...couple things to add that may make this easier for some folks.

1. The radiator does NOT need to be drained for this and I don't believe anything is routed differently on later models (I owned an
06 as well). It's a tight squeeze. If you go slow and don't force anything, you should be able to move/gently pry the lower radiator hose and transmission cooler lines out of the way to clear the alternator.
2. Unbolt the transmission cooler lines from the frame and bracket behind radiator to allow them to move more easily.
3. Airbox doesn't have to be removed. All work can be done from beneath vehicle with exception of loosening uppermost P/S pump bolt.
4. Piece in wheel well does not need to be removed except if you feel you need more light. It doesn't provide any worthwhile access (at least nothing better than working from below) and the plastic rivets will break if you aren't careful.
5. Once lower bolt, upper nut and + lead removed from alternator, I recommend disconnecting the plug in the rear once free from upper stud. As long as you move slow, there's no reason not to do this. Just don't stretch the wiring. You'll have a much better purchase on the connector without having to try from the top (very crampy).

Also, don't do this the day after you get your Covid vaccination shot. Holy s*** my shoulder hurts.

Thankyou, appreciated.

 

[XRayFish]

Thought I'd post this because I couldn't find anything on it BEFORE I did it...
Just replaced the alternator on a 2001 LX470
searched the net and found zero help... that was a first...
simple steps I'll assume you all know how to be safe so I'll skip that...
1. put truck on ramps... most work will be from below
2. disconnect battery (10mm )
3. remover plastic engine cover and the air box (10mm)
4. in the right fender well there is a small triangle filler piece about 10" long toward the front that connects the inner fender to the frame...has about 6 plastic rivets that hold it on.. you can squeeze most of these from the engine compartment to remove them or pry them out you will need to reuse them, you are removing this piece so you can see what you are doing...
5. remove the front skid pan from below you'll need 1/2" or 13mm socket with short extension
6. remove the serpentine belt you;ll need 9/16 or 14mm socket
7. you'll need to unbolt the power steering pump it has 3 long bolts 14mm you will need a deep well socket that will go through access holes in the pulley, once bolts are removed you need a piece of rope or wire to pull the pump up and out of your way... I tied it through a hole in the pulley... you might need to move where you tie it off to a couple times up and back or up and front depending on what you want to see or do...
8. the alternator has one top nut on the top mounting stud and a long bolt on the bottom both 14mm it also has the rear wire harness plug top and to the side a 4ga wire on a stud with a 10mm nut and a side bracket with a 13mm bolt... unbolt the 14mm top nut and bottom bolt the alternator will be hanging on the top stud... pull forward on the alternator leaving it on the stud for now... you will need lots of light so you can see the rear wire harness... from the top (oh yeah I needed a 4ft ladder to be able to reach in from the top) pull back the rubber boot squeeze the clip and pull the connection from the rear of the alternator... from below 13mm socket on a 1/4 drive ratchet by feel you need to remover the 13mm bolt the holds some bracket to the side of the alternator... yes they used the alternator as a mounting point for some wires or lines... you have to MAKE room to get the socket on... now pull the alternator as far forward as you can get it and move back to the top... the 4ga wire on the stud is under a plastic cover... pop that cover off... under that cover is a 10mm nut a LONG extension with a 10mm socket will help here... now your alternator is FREE back under the truck to get it out... you will need to push/bend several lines and hoses around down and out of the way i used a small 1x2 wood stick to kinda pry a few of them to open up a hole to get the alternator out... mounting brackets of the alternator toward the engine worked for me... this should take less than 1 hr to remove... i did use a small cheater bar to break the bolts loose on the pump and alternator... I took mine to a local rebuilder and they charged $125 to rebuild it and that took 1 day... while it was there I took the time to replace the spark plugs and changed the oil... I also got a new serpentine belt...
replacement was far faster and easier that I thought it would be... pushed alternator up from below... with it off the mounting stud and held in place with a rope around the pulley to hold it in place I connected the rear harness and the 4ga wire to the side stud... then slid it onto the top mounting stud... this all from the top... then from below I bolted on the bracket to the side with the 13mm bolt... from there it's just a reverse of what you have done...
everything I found on the net and the manuals say you have to remove the radiator NOT SO one guy said at the least remove the lower radiator hose NOT SO... you need the ladder because the truck is up on the ramps a foot off the ground... and a lot of light helps drop light and flash light I used a 1/4 drive ratchet with a couple different extensions and a 10mm and a 13mm socket, a 3/8 ratchet with a deep well 14mm socket and a 14" long piece of 3/4" metal conduit as a cheater bar to break bolts loose and i used a 1/2" drive with a deep 14mm putting it back together... this was maybe a 5 on a 10 scale on hard to do...it'd be a 3 if you had done it before... hope this helps someone
pony

Thankyou so much for this post. Super helpful . Going to be a great help when I do mine. At 280k kms now and just lost the serpentine belt today. Fun!

 

[LP01]

Just found this thread yesterday. All is rolling along smoothly until I get to the rear connector, and it won't come loose. Any suggestions?

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Just found this thread yesterday. All is rolling along smoothly until I get to the rear connector, and it won't come loose. Any suggestions?

You mean the (+) positive connector on the alternator with the bolt or you may be referring to the pig tail harness?

 

[LP01]

You mean the (+) positive connector on the alternator with the bolt or you may be referring to the pig tail harness?

Pig tail harness. I've tried everything to pull it out, but can't get it.

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Pig tail harness. I've tried everything to pull it out, but can't get it.

There is a tab on that pig tail harness that you need to press and that will unlatch the plastic lock so you can pull it away from the alternator.

 

[LP01]

There is a tab on that pig tail harness that you need to press and that will unlatch the plastic lock so you can pull it away from the alternator. View attachment 2627101

Thanks for the tip. After lots of cussing and over an hour, I got it.

 

[LP01]

Appreciate all the help on this thread. It was a life saver. The only thing different I had to do was loosen the fan shroud enough to get some purchase and squeeze the alternator through.

 

[KFunk740]

Just to add on here, since it's one of first threads I found earlier.

Just got done, took mine out the top on my '99LC without removing much of anything besides the air intake piping. I think later 100s may have a bigger alt, so not sure if you can do that with every one of them. I just disconnected everything, which is the bigger pain, then just rolled it forward between the fan blades, and spun fan to bring it upward and just barely pull the shroud and rad hose out of the way.
I didn't feel like breaking every bolt on the skid plate and having to drill them out, that's why. Plus, lazy.
Getting wiring connector off was a bitch, had to roll it forward so I could push it some with a screwdriver on each end. Took forever.
The wiring bracket bolt was a bitch as well. Be sure to remove it before unbolting alternator itself, so you can get a good hold of it.

I just rebuilt the alternator myself with a kit from Maniac EM, including bearings, VR, and brushes. It wasn't too bad at all, no need for soldering or pullers, just used a hammer and some sockets. Rear bearing stayed in the housing and knocked it out with hammer. Had to mangle one retaining washer and then bend it back into place myself, as one wasn't included.
This link shows most of the process. He had to use a puller because his rear bearing stayed on the shaft.:

Toyota-4Runner.org

The Largest 4Runner Community in the World

www.toyota-4runner.org

Anybody ever get lazy and leave the wiring bracket bolt off? I can't get the damn thing to line up and thread in, gave up for the night and just put belt back on and intake and fired it up, just to see if my rebuild worked. Seems to charge just fine, no issues for a test drive, and no more flashing battery light. Now to take a break and make another attempt at that stupid bracket bolt later.

 

[Alibaster]

When I was diagnosing my overcharging alternator and then subsequent ruined pigtail I took the alternator off and on my 99 LC about ten times. It honestly is a 20 minute job if you know what you’re doing. Very easy.

 

[dealmaker]

Dang it. Alternator #2 is starting to go out (Installed 6/2012 at 62k miles, I'm at about 139k miles now).
And I just had one replaced on my '06 4Runner last week by by my new indy Toy/Lexus mechanic as I was out of town.
I am going to replace on my other 4Runners as PM.
The forums make it sound like replacing on a V8 4Runner is much easier than on an LX.
Im assuming the alternator from the matching year LC will be a match model for my 4Runner? EDIT: No, it is not.
Are they all remanufactured now?

TIA

 

[planomateo]

Are they all remanufactured now?

Yup

 

[dealmaker]

Dang it. Alternator #2 is starting to go out (Installed 6/2012 at 62k miles, I'm at about 139k miles now).
And I just had one replaced on my '06 4Runner last week. Had a shop do it as I was out of town.
I am going to replace on my other 4Runners as PM.
The forums make it sound like replacing on a V8 4Runner is much easier than on an LX.
Im assuming the alternator from the matching year LC will be a match model?
Are they all remanufactured now?

TIA

Completed this yesterday (on 2006 LX) mostly following original post.

Did everything mostly by accessing from below and side after removing the PS front wheel and the forward fender-liner as per the OP.

Took about 2 hours with help from My Awesome Neighbor, including a snack break and a couple trips to his garage to get extensions, ratcheting wrenches, etc. Our LX is a garaged So Cal Mall Cruiser and pretty clean underneath so all hardware and wires came off w/o drama considering the tight working conditions. For sure removing the PS front tire and front fender liner cover was a big helped. We also unclipped some of the hoses and tubes at the bottom of the engine bay and removed one clip mount so we could make room to push/pull the hoses out of the way to remove it from below. In hindsight, if I were to do it again I'd strongly consider also doing "3. remover plastic engine cover and the air box (10mm)" along with removing radiator overflow tank and removing the alternator from the top instead of the bottom, as damaging any of tubes/hoses at the bottom of the bay while trying to work out the alternator from below would suck.

My cost for a Toyota rem. part #27060-50360-84 was $257 + $75 core for a total of $332 before tax from my local Toyota dealer, after I asked them "is that the best price you can do?".

Now to see if Toyota will accept the Denso 210-0607 that came out as a core exchange. In 2012 my "trusty" local independent Lexus mechanic in Hermosa Beach represented to me that he replaced the alternator with "factory alternator part #27060-50360-84", yet when I got it out it says Denso 210-0607