5vzfe battery not charging

Hey folks, before I go out and buy a new alternator, I wanted to run this by you guys. My battery is only 6 months old and it's one of the more expensive ones, so I know that's not the problem. I noticed the issue when I was driving back home and the truck was running rough. It was about a mile or two down the road when it was almost undriveable and lights were dimming. I shut it off and restarted, just clicking... obviously dead battery. Had to get a jump and lasted maybe another couple miles before I had to get it towed. So I trickle charged the battery at home, and that didn't last but maybe a couple days. One of the things I think may have contributed to the problem is a small gauge wire that comes off the negative battery cable and then grounds straight to the right of the battery where the hood comes down - that broke off around the time that I replaced the battery. I've just fixed that tonight, but I'm really hoping to avoid paying for an entirely new alternator. In the meantime I got the battery trickle charging for a couple days. I'm reading that certain things on the alternator may just need to be replaced rather than getting a whole new one. I'm not great with voltmeters, but if I had to with time, I could figure it out. What does this sound like to you guys? Maybe I can get a head start.

 

I don't think you can get rebuild kits for them anymore.. I know years ago they used to rebuild everything, including the alternators. Maybe check some local junk yards for one? That's probably your best bet!!

 

Called up a couple major local junkyards, Tacomas are mighty rare. I think I'll simply order the new one tomorrow, they aren't "too" expensive looking at RockAuto.

 

You can get some pretty sweet deals on Rock. Too bad shipping to Canada is like getting reamed in the butt.

It's probably your best bet!

 

Check out this heavy duty alternator available from a TW member:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ma...coming-2nd-gen-electrical-system-upgrade.html

 

before you go and buy stuff, check the volts coming to the battery with a simple and cheap circuit/voltmeter tester (Harbor Freight comes to mind), it will at least tell you whether the alternator is bad or not...you could also drop by any major auto parts store and get a free load test of the battery and charging system without having to take the battery out at all..

it would not be the first time a new battery has gone wanker, my 72 month battery I got 36 months ago went bellyup all of a sudden just last week, so I went and warranty exchanged for a new one, on the cheap...it only had a 24 month free replacement, so they nicked me for a small amount...

 

Most auto parts stores will also test your charging system for free. If the charging system and battery test good, the problem is in the wiring or connectors/terminals. The battery and charging system are co-dependent on each other and must be healthy for both to work properly.