Alternator died this morning

The OEM unit lasted 13 years and 116,000 miles so I guess that's not too bad. I am getting a reman from the Toyota dealer. I don't trust the crap from the usual suspects. Replacement doesn't look too difficult although it is crammed in down there. Probably get some skinned knuckles but that's life.

 

Just remember to disconnect the Negative battery terminal first.

 

Pics aren't there anymore but still some good info in this thread.

 

Goes without saying... But I am going to remove the entire battery to make more room to work.

 

Just an aside... I did the diode mod back in January 2021 to boost charging voltage to my AGM battery. Not sure but it is possible that the higher voltage stressed the voltage regulator and led to or accelerated the failure. Anyone else with the diode mod have an alternator issue down the road?

 

been running a voltage booster for the last 2 years. 150k miles on my oem alternator and it’s still doing fine.

 

I've seen many people forget to do it and get remembered when they see sparks and/or blow a couple fuses.

 

Almost 140K miles on my truck, running a lot of non-OEM accessories (stereo with subwoofer and amp, LED lights), and my alternator is working fine!

 

Out with the old, in with the new. Not too difficult a job except for this pisser of a little bracket on the bottom that attaches the big bundles of wires to the alternator. Getting it off was tough enough. I was able to rotate the alternator after the mounting bolts were out and get it. But putting that bolt back in was much harder. Just no degree of freedom with those cables. Finally got it through the wheel well. Charging system warning light is out and system voltage (running full time on my ScanGauge) is back to normal.

 

Looks like you already got it changed but I made a video changing the alternator on a 2011 4.0L.

 

you'll need to remove the battery if you try to get it out from the top. its a tight fit but you can do it. you can also get it out by removing the splash guards too. i did mine by removing the battery

 

I didn't watch your video since I am already finished. I removed the battery and pulled mine out the top. No problem with that. But one thing I will say is that I hope you included some footage dealing with the wiring brackets on the side and bottom which for me were the toughest part of the job. I mean anyone can see the main alternator mounting bolts and electrical connections but that bottom wiring bracket is invisible and a real bear to deal with the way they have the cables wrapped together and tied up. That's the sort of thing you need to focus on, not the obvious stuff. Too many youtubers shoot for a short simple video that omits the "small" stuff that you really need to know. I did watch one video before I did the work and IIRC the guy showed removing the main mounting bolts and electrical connections and then wiggling the alternator out.... and he made a passing comment that he also has to remove a couple of little brackets. LOL. Waste of time watching that one.