Five alternators? Really??

So yeah, I just installed the 5th alternator that this truck has had (that I know of). It's a 2003 Tacoma V6 TRD Off-Road manual with 190,000 miles. The way I understand it, I should be on no more than the second one by now, and I've read that a lot of you have had the original well beyond 200,000. So what's going on here? I'm very curious if anybody else has had this issue. I'm pretty sure that at least once the alternator failure was my fault. I red-lined it a bit much fooling around and after that everything got really bright if the rpms got above 3500 or so. So that ONE is on me, but all the others are really getting me concerned, especially this last one and the one before it 6 months ago. I do drive a lot more now than I ever did. I drive an hour to and from work everyday. But it's a lot of highway miles and I'm usually not getting the rpms beyond 3K or 4K. Even still, the alternator shouldn't fail just because I'm going to work. So what's going on??? I feel like maybe there's another electrical issue somewhere else. Possibly drawing too much power from the alt and killing it before its time? Or maybe I should stop getting re-manufactured alts from Advance Auto and Auto Zone? The last one came from Pep Boys. Should I just get a brand new one from the dealer (or maybe Rock Auto or some place cheaper than the dealer)? I really want to figure this out because it's really the only serious issue I have right now and I wanted to go one more year with this truck before I go buying a new one. If I have to buy something new now I'm not gonna get what I really want.

So yeah, has anybody ever gone through way too many alternators and then found another issue that related to the alts?

 

Get a Denso, problem solved.

Alternators from Autozone, OReilly's, Advanced Auto, etc. are all pretty much garbage and low quality. That life-time warranty they tempt you with is there for a reason.

 

Sorry no issues here. I'm still on my orginal alternator 143k - 2003 double cab. Then again I only use the truck on the weekends and camping/ off-roading treks.

Good Luck on getting this fixed. Maybe taking it to a electrical guy so they can take a look at it, maybe expensive but worth it (IMO).

 

But only 6 months???? Seriously? Their products are really that bad that an alternator will only last 6 months????

There's got to be something else going on. I'm certain their products aren't good but I'd like to rule out other issues before I spend money on a new one. Plus, one of the first times the alt was replaced it was done at a Toyota dealership...

 

Thanks. Yeah I'll end up bringing it to an expert if I have another problem but I'd like to get a little more insight on the situation before I just hand it off to someone else

 

It's really the diode going out in them. Cheap crap from China. The best thing is back into a stealership, or order on-line dealer a Denso OEM. There is nothing "You" are doing wrong .

 

First, the original Denso was the best alternator you could have. In general, unless the bearings go out, you should be able to solder in new brushes and be good to go. At this point you can either get a new one from the dealer or find one from the junk yard and check the brushes to see if they need to be replaced. If you don't want to do it yourself see if there's a local auto electrical rebuild shop near you. They may even be able to source a Denso at a better price than the dealer.

Are you using the same voltage regulator in each alternator? Even solid state VRs can get our of whack. See if you can get that tested as well.

Charging systems are a triad. If one component, Alt, VR or battery aren't doing their job it can take out the other two. Good luck!

 

I keep this on my bookmarks in case I need in alternator http://www.mean-green.com/ ....OP if your burning these out, maybe there is something else wrong....Good Luck

 

I don't think that I'm doing anything wrong (anymore) but I wonder if maybe there's a bad ground somewhere or a short or something that is putting too much electrical stress on the alternator and thereby causing the diode to fail? Is that even a possibly? Could it really be that every alternator that went in this truck has just been a Chinese piece of junk?

 

You have a electrical issue somewhere. You also get your battery checked. Stop buying "bargain" alternators. Go to a good rebuild shop, they can get you (build) a quality alt. with a higher output (you did say lights get brighter at higher rpm) and may be able to point you in the right direction for troubleshooting.
Check and clean your ground connections.

 

I agree theres something thats killing your alternator trace all wires coming from the battery and alternator and look for any bad connections rodent damage and corrosion any of these will make the alternator work harder and shorten its life

 

Uhhh... I need to learn more about the voltage regulator... I thought that was something built into the alternator? I just replace the whole thing when it fails. Is there a separate voltage regulator somewhere else in the truck that I should check?

Also, I think I'm still on the original battery, Interstate. No more than the second one. Every time I replace the alt it seems like the battery is doing fine. Should I replace the battery too just to eliminate that point of failure?

 

What makes you think the alternators are going bad?

Battery light?

 

When the truck stops working in the middle of the road that's usually a good sign...

Battery light comes on, then the radio cuts out, then the gauges all go to zero, then the battery light goes away as well as every other light, then dead... jump the truck and it runs for about 2 minutes and then repeat. brought the alt to advance auto and the bench tested it for me and confirmed the alt was dead. didn't find out exactly which part was dead...

 

IMO something else is slowly killing your alternator.

 

I've seen batteries that have a bad cell and/or internal short cause alternator issues.

 

The VR on your truck is tucked inside the alternator, but can be replaced separately. Some alternators are sold with VRs, others are not. Sounds like you're getting one with your rebuilt models, so it would be strange if all of there were bad.

You can get your battery load tested. That should tell you if it's bad. Like some above, I'm leaning toward a bad connection or an electrical load you've yet to discover. First thing is to clean the ground strap. Then check connections for corrosion and wiring for worn insulation. Have you installed any accessories that might be pulling a load or have a potential for a wiring problem? Check those as well.

 

It probably is time to replace the battery. I don't really think it's bad but given the frequency of the alternators failing and the fact that the battery has dealt with multiple alternator failures I should probably just go ahead and replace it.

 

I did a bit of spot testing with a volt meter after this last replacement. mostly just checking the alt to a ground and seeing that the voltage was good. I also checked a few grounds and saw consistent readings. but that was just a bit under the hood. didn't do anything beyond that. I did install a new radio in january but i used new wiring harnesses and I had the issues before the radio was replaced. where else would there be good places to look for electrical issues?

Edit: I also don't have any other accessories that would draw an electrical load

 

Redlining engine shouldn't kill an alt by the way.