1st gen left me stranded turned off while running

So seem like im back again with a new problem.. On my way! Home on xmas in the mountains 30 min from payson az my truck started loosing power while going up hill and the battery light started flicking and all on the way it would turn off turn on it threw the abs light then a check engine light code p2238, then everything went dimmed the lights dimmed out and it like slowley died i pulled over and cranked it and it started but only to die again, long story short someone stopped after a hr broken down and gave me a jump it starter on the first crank but less then 1000ft i broke down again i ended up leaving the truck out there n had to get a ride w my fam to phx. Im mad idk what it can be im thinking on selling the damm thing seems like everything is going out. Its at 286k but still i had more faith in these trucks. My guess is the alternator went out and there for the whole way it would throw the battery sign on and off not to mention that the battery sign had been coning on in the past week or so but it would go away im guessing after it had been charged by the alternator and the only thing that i think could of messed my alternator is brake fuild bc i recently had my booster n master changed and i saw white residue like of se liquid. Or its just old and it happen to go out On my way! Home on Christmas. If anyone has any thoughts plz lmk i like to know why things fail not just whats wrong.

 

Check for loose battery terminals or corrosion on wire leads ...same thing with alternator check the connections ... see if your headlights work while truck is off .no lights no battery ... but you could have lights and no start not enough cold crank amps /not holding charge/being charged

 

I mean what can cause your tacoma to shut off while running? I done plugs spark plugs brakes oil change and air filter with oil filter every 3k miles the truck has no issues but the steering thats going out so i really dont know about this one.

thankyou and yes i noticed that i could turn all lights in the cab on and headlights no issuse but when going to crank it sounded like it was completely dead

 

Sounds like the alternator went bad.

 

It takes about 300-350 amps to crank a 6 cyl engine at 80 degree.
You aren’t pulling anywhere near that amperage with the truck off.

 

mmmm sounds like you might be right. Bc as soon as i got a jump i got full power but it makes sense i was probably running on the battery until i drained it thats when it started shutting off while running. Im going back tm morning hopefully its that stock oem denso alternator that went out after almost 20 years

 

Alternater belt tension..... idk it's a toyota ..IT WILL START eventually ...lol

 

Sounds like an alternator. A 20 year old one will do that.

 

The alternator is what turns on the battery light.
Not the battery.

So, that makes the chances it’s the alternator even more likely

But it’s always good to test and confirm, before condemning.

 

Yeah, Toyota alternators have always been good for about 175k, after that you are on borrowed time.

I have 5 various 1st gens, and when the alternator goes bad, it goes within miles.

I always use reman Denso’s from a local mom and pops. On my rigs with volt gauges, I replace the alternator as soon as it doesn’t stay locked in the center. Once they start bouncing it’s time to go.

My Tacoma doesn’t have a gauge though.

 

Ugh... @ ~160k on my truck, and I know this is on my near future. If I didn't have so many house projects, I'd be all over it

 

SO IT WAS THE ALTERNATOR I JUST REPLACED IT WITH A AUTOZONE ONE 350+ for a toyota denso was way outa pocket atm but atleaste thats all it was and it got lifetime warranty im amazed that the damm thing broke at 286k thats a really good alternator

 

Nice. You got 80k more than I did.

 

So you didn't sell it?

 

From experience. Keep a spare alternator handy. The autozone ones i put in my truck religiously failed every 6 months lol

 

Would be nice if we could rebuild our stock ones with quality higher amperage parts.

 

yea.. the suzuki alternator for the 3.4 is the only reliable swap i've seen. if i ever get around to it im going to play around with finding other options.. but my mr2s keep me busy.. and well rebuilding the 01

 

I went with the Suzuki upgrade myself. Would be nice to have a spare for the trails.

 

i just wish we had the easy upgrade like my tundra. i can just get a 150 amp alternator from a sequoia bolt it on and go.. tacos a bit more effort

 

Yeah, but besides drilling the tensioner hole bigger, it isn't that much work for the Suzuki upgrade. They sell higher amp aftermarket "bolt on" alternator upgrades for the Tacoma but I don't know anyone using them. I think up to 300amp