I am going to rebuild the alternator (bearings are noisy) and was trying to find out bearing sizes so I could go and get them from an industrial place for a few $ as opposed to paying over $100 for the OEM ones. Found a website where they provide bearing sizes based on OEM part number so I thought I'll call the dealer and get numbers from them. Well, that worked...somewhat...but they were really reluctant to give me part numbers and questioned why would I need them - wtf? Is there a website where I can go and search for the part to get its number?

 

I am also interested

 

I actually tried to help you, but I really couldn't find a way for part numbers without being a dealer :/ Maybe one day...

Until then, you could try the following with the dealer:

"My wife is in labor and they need a new bearing for the bed so they can get her to OR"

"I am inventing Muffler Bearings."

"Wedding Ring."

 

Went to the bearing company and got the front bearing 4 times cheaper than from the dealer (the bearing is original Denso) - all I needed is Toyota part number and the site to match them up: http://www.transpo.de/cgi-win/product.exe?1030414W

Still - question remains the same - where do we get part numbers when needed apart from a dealer??

 

If you cant find them on the internet. Go to the parts department or call them and ask for the part number. They aren't going to charge your for your question...

 

Some toyota part sites on the net do sometimes have part numbers. What I usually do is use the images provided on sites like 1sttoyotaparts, and bring the image to my dealership and get them to look up the part number. I find this expediates things quickly.

 

Go here. Select your vehicle year, make & model in the Search Parts Catalog section in the middle of the page, then click the dropdown menus to find your specific part. For most parts on that site, it will show the part number as well as the price.

The only drawback is that there are no schematics showing the parts on that site. To see schematics, I go here.

 

Do a search for Toyota EPC. I posted the link where you can download it.

HTH.

 

Find an industrial store that deals specifically in bearings. If you bring in the old one they can usually match it without a problem and they're really cheap. They'll often give you a choice of different quality levels as well. I get all the hub and pivot bearings for my bikes this way for much cheaper than the dealer. I'm not sure its an option though since your truck won't be running to go to the store if you take your alternator apart!