i decided to test the voltage between the battery terminals today since my last battery decided to stop working. when the truck is idling, the voltage is a little above 17 volts. anyone else have this? i know that my other cars are always around 13.5 - 14.25 volts. 17 just seem too high and i'm afraid of burning out this battery. would this be caused by a bad voltage regulator? that would mean an alternator replacement, since the 22re has an internal regulator, right? thanks for the help.

 

Sounds like your voltage regulator is shot. At idle it should be between 12-14 volts MAX. Are your brake and charge light on?

At 17 volts its boiling your battery acid and killing it fast.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely be replacing the alternator out this week. any tips on the removal/install?

 

yeah sounds like your voltage reg. at 17 volts thats not good, id be gettin a new battery as well as a new volt. reg. just in case any damage has been done to it. sometimes mine does that, sometimes it doesnt. i think im ready for a new one, haha.

 

i just bought the battery last week as part of only getting the 4runner last week. do you think i might have damaged the battery enough to get a replacement? i'll run some tests on it when i get the new alternator in, hopefully today.

 

UPDATE: well, i wanted to make sure that it was the alternator and I checked it with a buddy's voltmeter. his has a 14.3 rating; i checked again with another voltmeter and it read the same thing. i guess my voltmeter was the culprit in this ordeal. it's served me well for 10 years, but i guess it needs to be replaced or at least checked out.

 

if your meter is digital check the battery. most digital multi meters read high when the battery is low. I've seen people that work for the power company freak out when they were reading almost 200 volts on a 120 circuit. they called someone else out to check and it was fine. it was their battery in their meter. I've had it happen with other meters of mine also.

 

hah yeah its funny when that happens. there faces light up like, 'what the hell? ' and cant figure it out... its funny

 

thanks for the tip...i don't remember ever changing the battery, so that'll probably be it.