Live Help - Edgemont, SD to Lusk/Cheyenne Wyoming (2 Viewers)

[Njck22]

Glad you got it figured out. The stalling and dying because of a bad alternator is one of the worst experiences ive had. Stuff starts shutting off and the battery buzzer sounds. You feel like a crippled bomber falling out of the sky.

While I agree that with a failed alternator it is wise to not use the power hungry electric brake booster, I feel like holding the rpms high would only use more power because the spark plugs are firing more often, more drain from the battery to run the coils. Seems like keeping the rpms down would be better for running purely on battery. Perhaps in your case it worked because the alternator still had a bit of life left in it.

Good luck with the new alternator!

 

[suprarx7nut]

Glad you got it figured out. The stalling and dying because of a bad alternator is one of the worst experiences ive had. Stuff starts shutting off and the battery buzzer sounds. You feel like a crippled bomber falling out of the sky.

While I agree that with a failed alternator it is wise to not use the power hungry electric brake booster, I feel like holding the rpms high would only use more power because the spark plugs are firing more often, more drain from the battery to run the coils. Seems like keeping the rpms down would be better for running purely on battery. Perhaps in your case it worked because the alternator still had a bit of life left in it.

Good luck with the new alternator!

Yes, my wife said it reminded her of flying "deadstick" in the show "Air Disasters", haha. Systems are failing, we're pulling fuses to keep systems offline, can't use windows, ac, stereo, brakes, etc... Not as dire as an airplane, but a similar feeling of helplessness, I suppose.

That's a very good point. I did notice that voltage dropped under load if I tried to pass on the highway. While braking with the e brake, I kept it around 1500-2000 rpms and that seemed to be beneficial. Even without the foot brake being applied it was still on the verge of shutting off without some extra accelerator applied to keep rpms up. I'm thinking the alternator had some life at a certain RPM and just none at idle.

 

[97 AZ LC]

Nice adventure story. It sounds like the bluetooth OBDII was incredibly helpful. And they're cheap too, right?

 

[suprarx7nut]

Nice adventure story. It sounds like the bluetooth OBDII was incredibly helpful. And they're cheap too, right?

I consider that little adapter an absolute must for every household with a modern vehicle. $23 and a $5 "Torque" app for Android.

This is what I have. https://amzn.to/2MWIJss

 

[FxFormat]

Jesus, what a suspenseful ordeal. I read through all of that, glad you guys made it home safe, but yeah that alternator working normally the day after you get home is just a slap in the face, lol.

 

[hoser]

I had a similar experience. Fortunately, I was able to limp home 3.5 hrs, running off my trailer batteries (two group 31's). I didn't even relocate them... they powered the vehicle through the 7-pin, 10 gauge charge cable. Phew.

I'd be curious to know if the screeching noise you heard was the alternator brushes totally worn to the metal or the bearings.

 

[neilsen100]

@suprarx7nut Your experience is one of my biggest concerns. Based on service records I believe I'm still on the stock alternator. Lexes dealership tested alternator at 137k (I'm at 210k) and it passed. In the same service they replaced the D light so I don't think they skimped on anything.

I've been looking at options and want the same thing as you, a known long lasting option. Cost is less important than avoiding the gamble. Did you look at anything from the domestic made aftermarket options like the DC Power?

I too am curious about how the old alternator failed.

 

[FxFormat]

Without a doubt a bad starter is the worst thing to happen on a road trip, next would be a bad alternator

 

[neilsen100]

If I had easy access to buy 100% new Toyota alternators that last for 10 years for $500-$1000 I would buy them.

@suprarx7nut Thought you might find this interesting.

I was clicking through partsouq.com and noticed that for my '99 LX they list an alternative alternator with the same part number and made by Toyota Forklift. Steep price but under $830 shipped. I don't have enough experience ordering from here to say for sure but my understanding is they only sell new items.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I had a similar experience. Fortunately, I was able to limp home 3.5 hrs, running off my trailer batteries (two group 31's). I didn't even relocate them... they powered the vehicle through the 7-pin, 10 gauge charge cable. Phew.

I'd be curious to know if the screeching noise you heard was the alternator brushes totally worn to the metal or the bearings.

Got it all swapped out tonight. The bearing seems ok, not terrible. I wonder if the brushes are to blame. I'll try to dive in if time allows before I return it as a core.

@suprarx7nut Your experience is one of my biggest concerns. Based on service records I believe I'm still on the stock alternator. Lexes dealership tested alternator at 137k (I'm at 210k) and it passed. In the same service they replaced the D light so I don't think they skimped on anything.

I've been looking at options and want the same thing as you, a known long lasting option. Cost is less important than avoiding the gamble. Did you look at anything from the domestic made aftermarket options like the DC Power?

I too am curious about how the old alternator failed.

I did consider the dcpower option, but I was unsure of it's long term durability. It makes tons of power... But I'm not sure if it's more reliable than a typical reman unit. It also wasn't available as fast so I went with the duralast option.

Without a doubt a bad starter is the worst thing to happen on a road trip, next would be a bad alternator

Yup. I'm tempted to dive in there and replace the contacts.

@suprarx7nut Thought you might find this interesting.

I was clicking through partsouq.com and noticed that for my '99 LX they list an alternative alternator with the same part number and made by Toyota Forklift. Steep price but under $830 shipped. I don't have enough experience ordering from here to say for sure but my understanding is they only sell new items.

View attachment 2076646

Good find. I'm looking at an 06-07 lx in the near future and I might just buy one of those as a preventative item. The hardest part about those Japan exporters is lead time. Sometimes it's quick, sometimes it's weeks. You gotta plan ahead with those purchases.

I just looked up an 06-07 LX alternator and amayama has them. Pricing ranges from $994 to $1600 + shipping. That seems really painful, but my $200 reman 3 years ago has now cost me:

-$200 reman alternator in 2016
-$200 Duralast Gold alternator in 2019
-$200 Group 31 battery to try to get home
-$80 roadside assistance fee
-$100 hotel stay
=~$780 + the inconvenience of being stranded. If given the opportunity to replace that before being rushed with a failure, I'd go for broke and get the genuine new OEM.

 

[94SRUNNER]

I'm not sure if there is a difference, but ToyotaPartsDeal.com has 27060-50360 for 334.59+shipping. May be worth a closer look.

 

[savirc]

Andy, glad you made it home. My recommendation is that you buy a Toyota rebuild kit ($35 last time I checked) along with your remanufactured alternator. That alternator may still be good and would make for a good spare. FYI, it's really easy to rebuild the alternator some steel wool, and small screw driver kit will do. It's also really easy to get debris in and prevent it from charging. We rebuilt @kelly saad alternator with the original parts after it died in HIH8. You can rebuild it or refresh the alternator in 30 mins + the time it takes to take it off and on the truck.

Cheers,

 

[suprarx7nut]

I'm not sure if there is a difference, but ToyotaPartsDeal.com has 27060-50360 for 334.59+shipping. May be worth a closer look.

I'm pretty positive thats a reman. Thats the same price as I've seen from other online vendors for the rebuilds. One way to check is to append "-84" to the part number. If the price comes up the same, you know the original was a reman.

Andy, glad you made it home. My recommendation is that you buy a Toyota rebuild kit ($35 last time I checked) along with your remanufactured alternator. That alternator may still be good and would make for a good spare. FYI, it's really easy to rebuild the alternator some steel wool, and small screw driver kit will do. It's also really easy to get debris in and prevent it from charging. We rebuilt @kelly saad alternator with the original parts after it died in HIH8. You can rebuild it or refresh the alternator in 30 mins + the time it takes to take it off and on the truck.

Cheers,

Good point I might do that. If I can clearly see where the failure lies in my current one, I would be comfortable doing that. My hesitation is that if the problem is intermittent and I replace some parts, is there a chance I do not catch the failure point and I just end up carrying around an intermittent alternator.

The only thing worse than losing an alternator mid-road-trip would be replacing it roadside only to realize your replacement was bad as well....

I'm also thrown off because my previous bad one in 2016 tested good multiple times. My trust in alternator testing has been tarnished, haha.

 

[trdcorolla]

I have alternator brushes in my garage, is that all you need in the rebuild or is there more? Should I leave the alternator brushes in the 100 with my spare coil pack/fuses/lug studs/lug nuts?

 

[kelly saad]

Andy, glad you made it home. My recommendation is that you buy a Toyota rebuild kit ($35 last time I checked) along with your remanufactured alternator. That alternator may still be good and would make for a good spare. FYI, it's really easy to rebuild the alternator some steel wool, and small screw driver kit will do. It's also really easy to get debris in and prevent it from charging. We rebuilt @kelly saad alternator with the original parts after it died in HIH8. You can rebuild it or refresh the alternator in 30 mins + the time it takes to take it off and on the truck.

Cheers,

Yea, without you my friend, I would have been in trouble for a few days. Mine worked for months after we cleaned it up. Eventually the bearings started making noise, so I replaced it. It’s my spare though.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Update yet again: I tested my OBD adapter against my Fluke multimeter. The OBD2 reader is 1.1V lower than the actual battery voltage. I'll update my posts to reflect both the adapter readings and estimated actual battery voltage.

That makes more sense now why it was still able to run at an indicated 9.6V. It was probably closer to 10.7V with the OBD adapter's offset corrected.

 

[MountaineerLC]

@savirc do you have a part # or link for that rebuild kit? That's definitely something worth doing or at least adding to the parts box for trips.