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My truck eats alternators
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ismith17
New User
Feb 18, 2014, 9:35 PM
Post #1 of 5
(1811 views)
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My truck eats alternators
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I bought a 1992 toyota pickup 22re last march, and I am now on my third alternator, which is currently on it's way out. Looking at the past receipts from the truck, this is the fifth alternator that my truck has eaten in less than 2 years. When the engine is completely cold, It seems to work perfectly fine, but as soon as I drive it for a while and the engine warms up, It quits charging and I have to leave it for several hours before it will start to work again. I can tell when it is and isn't charging by the battery voltage meter on the dash. Also, as soon as it stops charging, it starts to do this surging idle thing where the engine revs up slightly, then the rpms drop rapidly. I have checked all the connections to the alternator, and they are all normal, regardless of whether the engine is hot or cold. The first alternator that died just straight up quit working, but the second one did this exact same thing for about two weeks before I finally got around to changing it. Both times, as soon as I put in a new alternator, it worked normally, but a few months later this problem came up.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 19, 2014, 1:05 AM
Post #2 of 5
(1789 views)
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Re: My truck eats alternators
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A whole bad run of them over a couple years possible. Possible but no so likely. I've never heard of one that comes back after a wait and works again later like you mentioned. I guess brushes could get hot and might work again when cooled off? Rebuilt should have new but who really knows how much was really done and tested out with rebuilt things of the sort?
Does this start up again now AFTER this current wait for a while deal? I would bet not and you are boosting it.
Either way this seems to point to a bad battery or excessive load on the alternator from anything which could be a bad battery that just doesn't totally quit and might test OK but I would again anyway. Charge it first but if older and you expect more out of this old truck it's time for a new one.
Alternators do NOT like working hard and getting hot from doing so. The way it runs when losing charge is not surprising.
So, if you are constantly over this couple years boost starting this thing from low charge with alternator gone out then it points to the battery as said,
T
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 19, 2014, 5:34 AM
Post #3 of 5
(1778 views)
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Re: My truck eats alternators
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Are you running any aftermarket equipment such as amplifiers? Have you found out what fails on the alternator itself?
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
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ismith17
New User
Feb 19, 2014, 8:36 PM
Post #4 of 5
(1752 views)
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Re: My truck eats alternators
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I do know that there is nothing wrong with my battery, and I do not have anything installed that would be drawing a lot of current.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 19, 2014, 10:28 PM
Post #5 of 5
(1748 views)
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Re: My truck eats alternators
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How old is battery - exactly and how many times has it been low or dead? No chance you "know" it's good if that has happened tested or not,
T
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