erkinne

Ok, so here is the deal with my ?96 4Runner Limited

I?ve had the battery and the alternator checked several times at Napa and Checker and both check out fine. I?ve even installed a new alternator to see if that would do anything and it didn?t. Now, with all the original hardware back in the 4Runner I?m back to square one. I?ve cleaned the terminals so that are nice and clean.

This leads me to believe that the issue lies somewhere in the wiring, but I don?t know what extent this could be the problem. I?ve checked continuity on a few of the wires coming from the battery and going to the alternator, but I suppose that isn?t a fantastic check. I?ve pulled a bunch of fuses in the block under the dash and next to the battery, but they all looked ok.

Anyone have any suggestions on what to check in the wiring? Or maybe there is something else I have missed. I?m going to stare at the wirinig diagram for a bit and maybe go fiddle around, but if anyone has ideas I would be very pleased to hear them!

Thanks in advance!

OSU4Runner

So what exactly is your problem? Is your battery always dieing?

erkinne

Hehe, I knew I wouldn't include something...

Ya, it is discharging when I drive it. I can charge the battery fully, but if I drive it around the volts drop continuously until I charge it with my charger.

CJM

Bad cell in the battery betcha..

erkinne

I suppose that I should also add that when I was at Napa and had the new alternator in I also used one of their new batteries to test with. With both a new alternator and a new battery the little battery light on the dash lit up. Strangely enough, with all the original equipment back in the car, the battery light on the dash isn't lit. I suppose I could just go get a new battery, but I'm a little wary of doing that if both Napa and Checker tested it and said it was good. Maybe their tests wouldn't see a dead cell though?

MTL_4runner

What voltage are you seeing at the battery with the engine running?
How about with the engine off?

If you don't have a multimeter, get one and check those values and post back.

erkinne

Well, it seems that Napa and Checker where right. There where no problems with my battery or alternator. Plus, it seems that my heating fan and charging problem where related (my interior fan wasn't working).

As you can see below, a small rodent like animal decided to spend the night at Casa del 4Runner. It also seems that this rodent likes wires as a late night snack. See the results below....



Bad rodent...bad...

I think I still should spruce up my alternator though. It was looking a bit worn....

Thanks!

MTL_4runner

Wow, what a mess the little bastard(s) made.