I have been having quite a problem trying to figure out why my charging system in my 1982 toyota pickup is not working correctly.


I've already had a problem with my battery slowly discharging and having it die on me twice. After running my truck in idle and even revving it a bit when i test it with a meter the battery is at most gotten to 11.97 volts and will slowly drain over time. Thus not getting to the 13.8-14.8 criteria


I have replaced my external regulator today and still no help dissappointingly. I also replaced my alternator probably a good 3 months ago and quite hesitant in pulling that stupid thing off till its the last resort and i try all my other solutions. All my fuses are good, and i know my battery is fine since i have taken it out and checked it with a meter over time to see if it was bad or not.


Im just about to make sure all my connections are solid and not corroded and figure i would hopefully get some advice from a more experienced person then myself (first yota i've owned). I can some pictures of any certain area if you feel it will help.


BTW i have the 22r engine if that matters at all. Thanks again for your time and looking forward to any possible help

 

Did the charging system work after installing the new alt and then quit again ? Did you have a load test done on the battery or just check it with a volt/ohm meter ?

 

Yes the charging system had worked fine on up to about 3 days ago so a good solid 3 months. I was using my truck to drive to work in the snow and it would sit generally for a solid 8 hours and countless nights without being checked on and would start right up when i needed it. As far as a load test do you mean if i would run accessories while running the truck? i just checked my volts before i did a 5 minute drive and it was 12.23 and i went out, used my lights, turned on my radio, and put brights on for a couple minutes and came back and checked it and it lowered to 12.03. Definitely not fixed since i had changed out the old regulator today. Any better things i could do for a load test or is that what you meant? Thanks for your reply

Also, is there a way to check my alternator output without actually taking it off? I'm sure this has already been asked but i can't seem to find a direct answer and it would save me a great deal amount of effort.

 

Take your battery to AutoZone or similar auto parts store and get it "load tested". It sounds fried to me.

 

Is it possible for my battery to be fried even if it will stay at the exact voltage it was since the last time i had driven it? for example it is staying at 12.03 since my last post, so its not charging, but i can also get it fully charged off a wall charger and slap it back in and it will, over time, be drained the more i drive it. Thanks for your input aswell

 

sounds like a "sticky" brush holder in the alt ..


.

 

Ah well seems ive checked out pretty much everything else it seems i will have to end up checking out the alternator as much as i didnt want to. haha. Will let you guys know the outcome tomorrow and post some pics up of my truck.

 

So it resulted in being the alternator, what do ya know! the good thing is it was quite fast taking it out and running it on a bench test at the nearest napa store, picked up a new one with a lifetime warranty for 45 bucks, and put it in within the hour it was running like a champ! thanks again for all your guys input. Now its time for my small projects, new paintjob, power steering, and some minor enterior work. other than that i am very satisfied. was going to take pictures today but im in oregon and it is straight downpouring so ill save that for another day. Also glad i found this forum and its great wealth of knowledge.

 

As i promised. not to bad for my first yota, although the antique eggshell white paint is the hardest to find in any hardware store anywhere for some reason . grrr

 

is "enterior" both interior and exterior?

nice truck!

 

haha, yeah thanks for the ensight. I have had no luck finding the paint to touch up the outside, and cannot even have a place order the kind i need, so im figuring on renting an electric sander, and repainting the truck. Only to find out when is the best time since afterall it seems to rain 4 days outta the week here.