Alternator battery stem failure

I'm sure you pros know about this by now, but don't buy an alternator for your taco from CarQuest! Only two months down the road from the replacement the battery light started flickering and when I looked under the hood the metal step that takes the connector had completely failed - it was flakey and snapped in half when I touched it.

Has anyone had something like this happen? Any recommendations on a decent replacement alternator?

 

I have learned the hard way that things like alternators and a/c compressors should be bought from Toyota and not use aftermarkets, yes it costs more but the better quality and long life span are worth the extra costs.

 

Absolutely, I agree. I had no idea the alternator was going (only had the truck for 5 months) and I had to change it in Moab, UT to get back home. The only place open was a CarQuest. I just wish I could hold them to their warranty - I'm sure they'll just replace it with another defective problem.

 

Almost everything from carquest is rebranded junk or poor re manufactures. I only go there because my boss owns the store in town and i get "sketchy" deals. Stock alternator is a denso. I would buy somewhere online other than through toyota where youl pay more

 

If the nuts holding the cable aren't tight enough all the current will go through a small area of metal causing it to overheat and burn up. I don't know if that happening in your case, but I've read about it happening to others.

My recommendation is to fix the original alternator. There's only a few parts that usually go bad. If you don't have the original, then grab a Denso from the junkyard, but check/replace the brushes before installing it. You could also check the diodes in the rectifier. The internal parts are shared with other models too even if the outer casing is different, so replacement parts should be easy to find.

If you have to go aftermarket, then just be prepared to use the warranty if it goes bad.

 

Loose connection on the B terminal caused that to happen.

Maybe it was the rebuilder perhaps you who can say.

I have bought a few Denso Alternators used that were rusted so bad inside impossible to rebuild cost wise.

I think it is the liquid brine getting inside .

 

I agree, I think this has to be the number one overlooked maint item on all vehicles. it should be a standard recommendation to rebuild your alternator on every 100k miles so they don't go out on you. (your starter too)

both items have friction contact brushes that wear out over time just like your brake pads do but no one ever shows a schedule when they should be rebuilt. mainly I think that's because most average guys don't know how to and would be too afraid to try to rebuild them so the just replace them.