taikowaza

Got the Boyle's Future Tech rebuilt 2nd gen alternator back today. looks clean Here's some pics...
what do you think about the new specs? I think it's kind of cheesy that they wrote the new power rating in black marker right on the alt, would have been better to have put another sticker on there with it typed...looks not professional but not too big of a deal. the insides look like some beefy coils in there, very heavy too, the price was more than I thought, has gone up to $165 plus shipping, total of 175.64

taikowaza

more pics of the boyle 2nd gen alt! hope to hear an opinion about how good the rating is, 65 idle 124 max

shoes138

well damn its a good thing i live right next to them. cuz im in need of a new alt.

mt_goat

I had them beef up my 3.4 alt.


It came back with a little damage though, the pulley was bent:


Also the back cover was a little dented up. I sent it back to them and they put a new pulley on it. Only thing about it was the new pulley was not a stock pulley and was bigger diameter (which means a little less output).

I had very carefully boxed it up when I sent it, using 2 boxes with bubble wrap in BOTH boxes. They sent it back in one box and some paper wrap for padding (don't ever use paper for padding, it sucks at padding) , that box was round when I got it from them. So on the 2nd trip to them I used 3 boxes with padding in each and requested that they double box it for the return trip which they did. So it all worked out ok I guess, it just took 2 trips to California and back.

just a 22re

wow thats some power output there guys mine i had mine rebuilt when it farted on me and it pushes 115 max output but its on a 1sr gen to though and thet told me thats all they can fit inside the little casing and it was only 125$$ and a new one was 137.99 at autozone pushing about 85 max amps so i got the more output power i could get!!

taikowaza

mt goat- I was also unimpressed with the return packaging by Boyle's. It came in a flimsy box, poorly packed and there wasn't enough tape on the edges, so one of the flaps had come open. I thought this was just a random incident but it seems that you had the same experience.

that said, it seems that they know their stuff about beefing up these alternators. So you got 96/166! Wow! Is this because the 3.4 alts are a larger casing? Although my 2nd gen alt is less powerful at 65/124, I doubt I'll have any problems with it

mt_goat

Not sure what the difference is, mine was an 80 amp to begin with.

taikowaza

so I got the Boyle beefed alternator in today thanks to deathcougar's help! I have a potential issue however and wanted some advice.

when the boyle's was put in, and 4runner was started, the "alternator not charging" lights came on (bat/brake lights), then went off. When RPMs went over 2000 the lights would go off (charging fine) but at idle the lights would go back on again. I took it for a test drive and the lights all went off, seemingly everything great.

I got home no problems, took a break for 2 hours, then went driving again, on the highway, traffic as usual, idling, and the alternator lights come on again. it was bumper to bumper traffic so every time I would idle the alternator lights would come on, when I would get the RPMs up again the lights would go off. all this time the battery needle was dropping when the lights came on (no alt charge) and then RPMs would increase and needle would charge again.

needless to say I was very *(&^%R off!!!
After arriving at destination, spent some time, and then on the drive home, all was fine, even at idle, did not see the lights.

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so- I am wondering- is there a break-in period for this alt when it needs to get some juice flowing through it first? is it 'learning' the vehicle? OR, did these Boyle's guys give me a bung alternator that does not deliver at idle? That would REALLY REALLY SUCK so I am going to try it out for a while first and see what happens. Just wanted to get some opinions. thanks

apalmer1

sounds like these guys kinda suck at what they do from the previous posts...
Ive never really had a break in period after rebuilding my alt, if i do have any abnormalities its only after i replace both top and bottom stator bearings because the fresh ones can be a tad sticky for a few minutes.

Does this company just claim to increase the output or do they actually alter the amount of windings in the field coil? most reman outfits reuse the coils and stator just replace brush's, bearings and slip rings, and check the rectifier and voltage regulator but dont replace them.

just from my experience all remanufactured alternators for the 3.4L come back as 120amp units when the stock is only 70amp, but i have never been able to find an aftermarket coil pack with enough windings to provide more output than that.

taikowaza

thanks apalmer1, well these rebuilt alts have everything replaced inside, I mean everything. It's only the casing that is retained. So they actually do alter the windings and replace all bearings etc. (as to my knowledge!)
So you have had the fresh starter bearings be a tad 'sticky' for a few minutes, I am hoping that this was the case, that the alt was getting used to it's new home. I will continue to drive and see how it performs, and will call Boyle today. Got to say it was a shock seeing that light come on at idle. hope it never happens again.

taikowaza

well I called Boyle's today and hung up the phone feeling thoroughly put out. I told them about the alternator light coming on at idle and they asked if the wire was on properly. Definitely yes, and it is a gauge 4 wire. Tightened down very well. Well, maybe it got damaged in shipping they say.
I say hell yes, especially considering the very shoddy packaging and poorly taped box I say! Immediately they got defensive and say that this has never happened before. I hate excuses like that!
Just because nothing has happened before is no excuse for shoddy packaging. Mokatsuku! (Japanese for ^%&*^) So they advise me to drive it for a while, if it doesn't work to pull it, send it back, and they 'will make it right'. what a waste of time and money. unbelievable, when you look forward to a mod for a long time to have something like this happen. Well I would advise against Boyle's Future Tech for guys wanting to rebuild their alternators. I would look into another vendor, perhaps we can find someone else. In the meantime I know that this is wreaking havoc on my battery having it charge/not charge all the time. I hope that the issue fixes itself. Did I mention that there was a dent on the alternator when I received it?

mt_goat

Well that's too bad, at least mine is working fine. I always try to shift the blame to the shipping company for damage, helps keep them from getting defensive and lets them save face, even if its obvious the packaging was piss poor. Some people have no clue what it takes to properly package something so it doesn't get damaged. They did fix mine and they sent me a shipping label for the return trip so I didn't have to pay the shipping. Request that they double box it for the return trip. Good luck

taikowaza

thanks dale, I just got back in the runner and here is what I saw.
I gotta say I am really, really upset about all this. I am going to TRY to just take it with a grain of salt and send it back to them. All I can say is that it fires me up when people shift the blame and avoid responsibility. I'll call them for a shipping label tomorrow. The whole purpose of me putting this rebuilt alternator in was to avoid problems like this ever happening again. thanks for the advice dale.

Luvmeye22re

That sucks man, I hope they straighten it out. If you bought it on your card you should just send it back and call your credit card company and file a dispute telling them the product was defective, they wouldn't replace it, and that your truck has been sitting on the side of the road for two days. I'm pretty sure Downey, NWOR, and several other companies offer high output alts. that might be a little more pricey, but reliable.

tc

Wow, neither molly nor myself had ANY issues with ours.

Mine came with a "certification" showing the output at various RPM's and was packaged very well.

GenXr

Dude I know you were expecting fabulous results out of the box but really these things sometimes happen. Just ask all the guys who've bought alts from Autozone or Advance Auto for nearly the same price as you paid. I think the fact that they said they would do whatever it takes to make it right should be enough for you not to bash them so hard. How many small shops will even go out on a limb and offer to make you happy unconditionally? Not many, and only the confident ones.

I'm glad you posted up though because now I know they put out a great product and will stand behind it no matter what! They won't even try to stick you on the shipping. I say more folks should send them business. Ever priced out a Mean Green HO Alternator? You'll be begging for a Boyles.

apalmer1

Was the dent in the housing itself near the windings? If that is the case one of the windings could have worn off its lining and may be shorting to the case or to one of the other wires in the winding. This would result in a much lower output which you might not notice unless its at idle because it could be low enough to trip the battery light.

I would recomend buying any generic reman. alternator from your local autoparts store, and just learn to rebuild it yourself. If you wheel frequently you will thank yourself for saving the money. Alternators are very simple to work with, and 90% of the time if you fry yours in the mud its simply a mater of taking it apart and replacing the brush's. Often times i have friends that will pull their alternators out because they are bad and are about ready to turn them in for deposit for a new one, and i take them apart and find that the brush's are simply stuck back in their holders because of mud or small rocks, and that after simply washing htem out with hot water they function normally. When a new unit costs $150 and a new set of brush's costs $3 you will thank yourself for learning to fix your own. If you want to experiment with upping the output even more you may consider getting the center housing from a different toyota vehicle. Almost all of the toyota nippondenso alternators that i have seen use the same center section of coils, though some are delta and some are wye so be carefull what rectifier you use.

taikowaza

genxr, maybe I should relax about this some more. You are right, the fact that they helped mt. goat before and will fix mine is a good point for sure. I must say, though, that it's the worst to wait on something for weeks and make all arrangements, finally get it installed, and then have issues. Part of trusting a company is not getting lemons right out of the box. I value my time! I don't appreciate having to box it up, ship it out, have to tell them to double box it, and then hope that the next one is better. Anyway I am going to sleep on it before posting again, usually I am a very positive person, this kind of thing just gets my goat. (no offense dale)

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

We'll get the old one in there on Thursday, just to be sure its the alt. Then when they send the new one back, it should be right as rain.

taikowaza

thanks you guys for the advice. I am feeling much better today and Boyle's is emailing me out a return label. They're going to go over it with a fine tooth comb until they find what's wrong and make it better. This time I'm going to ask them to double box it and use protective padding etc. Hopefully the second time around will be much better! thnx again.