Total long shot here, but I'm stuck with the family in Edgemont with a dying alternator, apparently. I've noticed the car starting slowly in the last couple days, but no battery light until today when voltage dropped to 9.6v while idling, 10.0 when driving at high rpm.
Anyone in these desolate parts? I seem to get some voltage from the alternator since I held steady at 10.1v for quite a while. I think with a couple charge ups along the way I can it home.
Any help is appreciated!
Andy
720-335-5991
Update with resolution (and a WALL of text):
We made it home. The alternator was still faulty an hour or two into our drive, but seems to have started working again enough to maintain voltage - sort of. Here's the chronology of what happened. Perhaps it will help someone else facing a similar situation.
Background:
My wife and 2 year old daughter decided to take a road trip up to Mt Rushmore on Labor Day weekend. I always advocate for taking the 99 Cruiser with 275k miles because it's "reliable", comfortable, safe and more miles aren't detracting from any valuation on the car. Reliable is in quotes because on two road trips in the last 3 years we've had an alternator die in that vehicle many hours from home. Those familiar with the area surrounding Mt Rushmore will know there's not much between that area and Colorado. South Dakota and Wyoming are desolate and empty places. Not a big deal if you're a dude traveling by yourself or with friends or another vehicle, but solo with your wife and young daughter on a hot day, it's not territory where you want to be broken down on the roadside. As we drove to South Dakota I remarked how there's just nothing out there. For miles and miles and miles. Multiple legs of 50-85 miles have little or nothing in terms of civilization. No gas station, no market, no parking lot, little/no cell service. Nothing.
Alternator Failure: idle 9.6V OBD2 - (~10.7V at the battery)
We had completed our visit of Custer/Rapid City, SD and were headed home on Monday, September 2. Labor Day. For major cities this means hardly anything for daily life. In rural towns, Labor Day is a day where people don't work. Shops close. Stores close. Aside from gas stations, tourist shops and restaurants, nothing is open. This will be important soon.
During the trip we drove hundreds of miles while in South Dakota without issue. On our trek home just outside Rapid City, trouble starts. While idling waiting for my wife to grab some road snacks in a parking lot for about 15 minutes my stereo amp turned off and music stopped. That's odd. The head unit still worked, all lights were OK. A few seconds later the battery light came on in the gauge cluster. I looked at the voltage gauge and it was at 9V. s***.
She got in and I hurried over to the nearby gas station a few hundred feet away that had shade over the pumps. I popped the hood, hoping to see a simple battery cable loose or some other obvious issue. Everything looked normal. I have a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter and started that to monitor voltage. 9.7V at the adapter with the car running. It should be 13-13.5V.
Decision time. What do we do? The car runs and all I know at this point is that the alternator isn't working well at an idle. Perhaps I just need more RPMs? Perhaps once we get going she'll have some life. Optimistic thinking.
I decide to try to travel on. If we stay put, parts are at least a couple days away between Labor Day and typical small town parts availability for a 20 year old niche vehicle. We have about 30 minutes before we pass through Custer and head out into less populated areas. After 30 minutes voltage was steady at 9.7-10.1V. A slight improvement over the initial 9.7, but still terrible. Let's continue on since voltage is climbing as we drive.
Decisions Were Made - They Were Wrong: 10.1 -> 9.6V cruising (~11.2 ->10.7V at the battery)
As we travel towards the Wyoming border panic sets in. Voltage starts dropping. 9.8. 9.7. Finally we hit 9.6V while cruising as we approach Edgemont and I called it. I have to pull over. It's 70 miles to Lusk, Wyoming and there is NOTHING in between. Nothing as in I'm pretty confident there is not a single man-made structure other than the highway.
We pull into the gas station and shut her down in the shade of the pump canopy of Conoco. I walk in and tell the young cashier I'm stuck with my family with a dead alternator. She didn't say anything, but turned to her coworker with wide eyes. She looked back at me with uncomfortable smile that basically told me, "Yeah, you chose the wrong town to break down in." She immediately asks her coworker for Randy's cell number. Randy, as it turns out, is the one mechanic within any reasonable number of miles. I called Randy, left a message and never heard back. Onto roadside assistance. I called AllState roadside assistance. Out of pocket charge of $80 and a 90-120 minute wait time. Ok, sure. Hopefully they can charge me up and advise me on which direction to travel to get to a shop with parts (big battery, charger, alternator, etc...).
We made it ~25 miles and lost about .2V. I'm thinking... well that's about 100-125 miles/volt.
Roadside Charging: 11.2V idle (~12.3V at the battery)
Roadside shows up. Up until their arrival they just thought it was a simple jump start. I explain, "Actually, my alternator is dead and I'm hoping you can sit here for a while and charge my huge battery with your jumper cables and tell me what options are around." They hook up their boost pack to get an initial voltage reading. It was higher than my OBD2 adapter, but still low. Around 10.5V, I think. They hook up jumpers and we watch voltage and wait. I say how I was hoping to make it to Cheyenne. They basically tell me, "Absolutely not, you're an idiot because that's over 200 miles with almost nothing in between." They suggest we go back to Hot Springs, South Dakota and get a mechanic to fix it before we depart. Back to Hot Springs we go to stay the night.
Parts Store Options: 11.0V cruising (~12.1V at the battery)
As we parked in Hot Springs, we had 11.0V. That means I was still maintaining about 100-125 miles /volt. So.... if I can charge up to 12+V and get ANOTHER Group 31 marine battery with an enormous Reserve Capacity, maybe we'll make it.
Tuesday morning rolls around and I call the parts stores as they open for the day. Nobody has the alternator and it's 1-2 days away. I don't want to wait in a tiny town in a cheap hotel with my family for another day. Onto other options. They parts store, Sturdevant's Auto Parts, confirmed they have a battery charger and confirmed they have plenty of car batteries. I drive to the store and start unhooking the battery so they can charge it. As they charge it, I explore battery options with the clerk. They have a group 31 Marine battery from Interstate. Perfect. I'll take it. 220 minutes Reserve Capacity.
Departing Hot Springs, SD: 12.9V idle (~14.0V at the battery)
With my new fully charged Interstate Group 31 battery installed and my old, but recharged Die Hard AGM Group 31 battery strapped down under my SS1 platform in the back, we head out. Headlight fuses are pulled. No daytime running lights. A/C is off. HVAC fans off. Stereo and amps disconnected. Windows cracked and not allowed to move. I debated pulling a couple brake light bulbs since there are a few more than the legal minimum in the LC, but figured that wasn't worth the risk that a cop would notice some were out.
Voltage started at 12.9V. That's a good sign. Not great, since it should be above 13 while running, but better than the last 24 hours.
As we approached our first complete stop the car stumbles and stalls. s***. s***. s***. My grand plan to run on batteries alone appears dead in the water only 5 minutes into the drive. I cranked it back to life and revved the engine in neutral while I held the car steady with the E-brake. That tricky little symphony of footwork and handwork was successful. When we needed to move I let off the accelerator and e-brake and slammed into drive without letting RPMs settle. Sorry transmission, it's going to be a rough day for you.
10 Miles into the 300+ Mile Journey: 12.6V cruising (~13.7V at the battery)
Yikes. This is not good. I'm not looking at a rate of 30 miles per volt now. That will barely get us to Lusk and not even close to Cheyenne.
30 miles in: 12.65V (~13.75 at the battery)
60 miles in: 12.70V (13.8V at the battery)
This is when I knew we were ok. The bleeding had stopped. I don't know how or what changed, but our voltage leveled off at 12.6-12.7V. Still below what it should be and stalls seemed likely at stops, but I had a new stopping procedure that minimized current draw and kept it running.
Tip for others: If you're in this situation, the braking at a near stop consumes an enormous amount of electrical power in the 100 series. I think the battery booster and brake lights are to blame. If you can avoid idling with the brakes you'll be better off. That means playing with the shifter to slow yourself to ~5mph and then using the e-brake to fully stop while you accelerate in neutral. It's a bizarre arrangement, but it works. Be sure you don't rev in gear and slam into your fellow motorists ahead.
137 miles in: 12.6V (~13.7V at the battery)
Gas stop. We needed at least one and this was the time to do it. Torrington. The car nearly stalled as we pulled into the pump.
We still have the extra battery and we seemed to have stopped losing voltage below 12.5-12.6V. The alternator has some life left.
We fill up, grab snacks and head out.
The trip was uneventful from here out. I even cycled A/C on and off as we got near Colorado. I could drop voltage below 12.4V with front and rear AC on, but it would quickly recover once turned off.
309 miles. Home. 12.0V idle (~13.1V at the battery)
I tried to let the car die in the driveway, but it was holding enough voltage to run fine. We made it.
Next morning. Off to work: 13.5V at idle. You must be kidding. (~14.6V at the battery)
I had to get into work the following day and figured why not try to limp the cruiser around until the new alternator comes in. To my dismay, it fired up with 13.5V. Expletives were shouted. That normal voltage felt like a middle finger. Could this not have happened 24-48 hours earlier and saved us a day of anguish and a 5 hour drive in hot weather with no A/C? The alternator must have an intermittent flaw. I'll have it tested once I get it out and see how it comes up. I'm guessing it will pass.
The new alternator on the way is a Duralast Gold. Supposedly it's 100% new. It's got a lifetime warranty, but that means little to nothing. I don't want a free replacement, I want one that won't fail in 3 years. The inconvenience of another failure like this one will make the cost of the alternator pale in comparison. If I had easy access to buy 100% new Toyota alternators that last for 10 years for $500-$1000 I would buy them.
Final thoughts: A second battery on board and a solar trickle charger may have avoided this whole debacle because we'd have a back up battery and a means to top it off (albeit very slowly). I will prioritize that in the future build plans.
If anyone wants a barely used Group 31 Interstate Lead-Acid battery, reach out. Boy, have I got a deal for you!
Anyone in these desolate parts? I seem to get some voltage from the alternator since I held steady at 10.1v for quite a while. I think with a couple charge ups along the way I can it home.
Any help is appreciated!
Andy
720-335-5991
Update with resolution (and a WALL of text):
We made it home. The alternator was still faulty an hour or two into our drive, but seems to have started working again enough to maintain voltage - sort of. Here's the chronology of what happened. Perhaps it will help someone else facing a similar situation.
Background:
My wife and 2 year old daughter decided to take a road trip up to Mt Rushmore on Labor Day weekend. I always advocate for taking the 99 Cruiser with 275k miles because it's "reliable", comfortable, safe and more miles aren't detracting from any valuation on the car. Reliable is in quotes because on two road trips in the last 3 years we've had an alternator die in that vehicle many hours from home. Those familiar with the area surrounding Mt Rushmore will know there's not much between that area and Colorado. South Dakota and Wyoming are desolate and empty places. Not a big deal if you're a dude traveling by yourself or with friends or another vehicle, but solo with your wife and young daughter on a hot day, it's not territory where you want to be broken down on the roadside. As we drove to South Dakota I remarked how there's just nothing out there. For miles and miles and miles. Multiple legs of 50-85 miles have little or nothing in terms of civilization. No gas station, no market, no parking lot, little/no cell service. Nothing.
Alternator Failure: idle 9.6V OBD2 - (~10.7V at the battery)
We had completed our visit of Custer/Rapid City, SD and were headed home on Monday, September 2. Labor Day. For major cities this means hardly anything for daily life. In rural towns, Labor Day is a day where people don't work. Shops close. Stores close. Aside from gas stations, tourist shops and restaurants, nothing is open. This will be important soon.
During the trip we drove hundreds of miles while in South Dakota without issue. On our trek home just outside Rapid City, trouble starts. While idling waiting for my wife to grab some road snacks in a parking lot for about 15 minutes my stereo amp turned off and music stopped. That's odd. The head unit still worked, all lights were OK. A few seconds later the battery light came on in the gauge cluster. I looked at the voltage gauge and it was at 9V. s***.
She got in and I hurried over to the nearby gas station a few hundred feet away that had shade over the pumps. I popped the hood, hoping to see a simple battery cable loose or some other obvious issue. Everything looked normal. I have a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter and started that to monitor voltage. 9.7V at the adapter with the car running. It should be 13-13.5V.
Decision time. What do we do? The car runs and all I know at this point is that the alternator isn't working well at an idle. Perhaps I just need more RPMs? Perhaps once we get going she'll have some life. Optimistic thinking.
I decide to try to travel on. If we stay put, parts are at least a couple days away between Labor Day and typical small town parts availability for a 20 year old niche vehicle. We have about 30 minutes before we pass through Custer and head out into less populated areas. After 30 minutes voltage was steady at 9.7-10.1V. A slight improvement over the initial 9.7, but still terrible. Let's continue on since voltage is climbing as we drive.
Decisions Were Made - They Were Wrong: 10.1 -> 9.6V cruising (~11.2 ->10.7V at the battery)
As we travel towards the Wyoming border panic sets in. Voltage starts dropping. 9.8. 9.7. Finally we hit 9.6V while cruising as we approach Edgemont and I called it. I have to pull over. It's 70 miles to Lusk, Wyoming and there is NOTHING in between. Nothing as in I'm pretty confident there is not a single man-made structure other than the highway.
We pull into the gas station and shut her down in the shade of the pump canopy of Conoco. I walk in and tell the young cashier I'm stuck with my family with a dead alternator. She didn't say anything, but turned to her coworker with wide eyes. She looked back at me with uncomfortable smile that basically told me, "Yeah, you chose the wrong town to break down in." She immediately asks her coworker for Randy's cell number. Randy, as it turns out, is the one mechanic within any reasonable number of miles. I called Randy, left a message and never heard back. Onto roadside assistance. I called AllState roadside assistance. Out of pocket charge of $80 and a 90-120 minute wait time. Ok, sure. Hopefully they can charge me up and advise me on which direction to travel to get to a shop with parts (big battery, charger, alternator, etc...).
We made it ~25 miles and lost about .2V. I'm thinking... well that's about 100-125 miles/volt.
Roadside Charging: 11.2V idle (~12.3V at the battery)
Roadside shows up. Up until their arrival they just thought it was a simple jump start. I explain, "Actually, my alternator is dead and I'm hoping you can sit here for a while and charge my huge battery with your jumper cables and tell me what options are around." They hook up their boost pack to get an initial voltage reading. It was higher than my OBD2 adapter, but still low. Around 10.5V, I think. They hook up jumpers and we watch voltage and wait. I say how I was hoping to make it to Cheyenne. They basically tell me, "Absolutely not, you're an idiot because that's over 200 miles with almost nothing in between." They suggest we go back to Hot Springs, South Dakota and get a mechanic to fix it before we depart. Back to Hot Springs we go to stay the night.
Parts Store Options: 11.0V cruising (~12.1V at the battery)
As we parked in Hot Springs, we had 11.0V. That means I was still maintaining about 100-125 miles /volt. So.... if I can charge up to 12+V and get ANOTHER Group 31 marine battery with an enormous Reserve Capacity, maybe we'll make it.
Tuesday morning rolls around and I call the parts stores as they open for the day. Nobody has the alternator and it's 1-2 days away. I don't want to wait in a tiny town in a cheap hotel with my family for another day. Onto other options. They parts store, Sturdevant's Auto Parts, confirmed they have a battery charger and confirmed they have plenty of car batteries. I drive to the store and start unhooking the battery so they can charge it. As they charge it, I explore battery options with the clerk. They have a group 31 Marine battery from Interstate. Perfect. I'll take it. 220 minutes Reserve Capacity.
Departing Hot Springs, SD: 12.9V idle (~14.0V at the battery)
With my new fully charged Interstate Group 31 battery installed and my old, but recharged Die Hard AGM Group 31 battery strapped down under my SS1 platform in the back, we head out. Headlight fuses are pulled. No daytime running lights. A/C is off. HVAC fans off. Stereo and amps disconnected. Windows cracked and not allowed to move. I debated pulling a couple brake light bulbs since there are a few more than the legal minimum in the LC, but figured that wasn't worth the risk that a cop would notice some were out.
Voltage started at 12.9V. That's a good sign. Not great, since it should be above 13 while running, but better than the last 24 hours.
As we approached our first complete stop the car stumbles and stalls. s***. s***. s***. My grand plan to run on batteries alone appears dead in the water only 5 minutes into the drive. I cranked it back to life and revved the engine in neutral while I held the car steady with the E-brake. That tricky little symphony of footwork and handwork was successful. When we needed to move I let off the accelerator and e-brake and slammed into drive without letting RPMs settle. Sorry transmission, it's going to be a rough day for you.
10 Miles into the 300+ Mile Journey: 12.6V cruising (~13.7V at the battery)
Yikes. This is not good. I'm not looking at a rate of 30 miles per volt now. That will barely get us to Lusk and not even close to Cheyenne.
30 miles in: 12.65V (~13.75 at the battery)
60 miles in: 12.70V (13.8V at the battery)
This is when I knew we were ok. The bleeding had stopped. I don't know how or what changed, but our voltage leveled off at 12.6-12.7V. Still below what it should be and stalls seemed likely at stops, but I had a new stopping procedure that minimized current draw and kept it running.
Tip for others: If you're in this situation, the braking at a near stop consumes an enormous amount of electrical power in the 100 series. I think the battery booster and brake lights are to blame. If you can avoid idling with the brakes you'll be better off. That means playing with the shifter to slow yourself to ~5mph and then using the e-brake to fully stop while you accelerate in neutral. It's a bizarre arrangement, but it works. Be sure you don't rev in gear and slam into your fellow motorists ahead.
137 miles in: 12.6V (~13.7V at the battery)
Gas stop. We needed at least one and this was the time to do it. Torrington. The car nearly stalled as we pulled into the pump.
We still have the extra battery and we seemed to have stopped losing voltage below 12.5-12.6V. The alternator has some life left.
We fill up, grab snacks and head out.
The trip was uneventful from here out. I even cycled A/C on and off as we got near Colorado. I could drop voltage below 12.4V with front and rear AC on, but it would quickly recover once turned off.
309 miles. Home. 12.0V idle (~13.1V at the battery)
I tried to let the car die in the driveway, but it was holding enough voltage to run fine. We made it.
Next morning. Off to work: 13.5V at idle. You must be kidding. (~14.6V at the battery)
I had to get into work the following day and figured why not try to limp the cruiser around until the new alternator comes in. To my dismay, it fired up with 13.5V. Expletives were shouted. That normal voltage felt like a middle finger. Could this not have happened 24-48 hours earlier and saved us a day of anguish and a 5 hour drive in hot weather with no A/C? The alternator must have an intermittent flaw. I'll have it tested once I get it out and see how it comes up. I'm guessing it will pass.
The new alternator on the way is a Duralast Gold. Supposedly it's 100% new. It's got a lifetime warranty, but that means little to nothing. I don't want a free replacement, I want one that won't fail in 3 years. The inconvenience of another failure like this one will make the cost of the alternator pale in comparison. If I had easy access to buy 100% new Toyota alternators that last for 10 years for $500-$1000 I would buy them.
Final thoughts: A second battery on board and a solar trickle charger may have avoided this whole debacle because we'd have a back up battery and a means to top it off (albeit very slowly). I will prioritize that in the future build plans.
If anyone wants a barely used Group 31 Interstate Lead-Acid battery, reach out. Boy, have I got a deal for you!
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