I was cruisin on some steep back roads when my brake light and charge light started flickering. I figured I would just get it home and check it out. On the way I noticed that the lights only came on when the gas pedal was pushed. The lights were off while I was coasting.

I had a similar problem previously with the lights but the other way around, with the lights coming on only while coasting and going off when the gas pedal was down and charging the battery. That was the alternator but this is different.

As soon as I got home and turned the engine off, everything electrical died.

Whats the deal? The battery is not old. Was I just running off my alternator the whole way home?

Thanks yall

 

Take a volt meter and test the voltage at the battery. Start there, then move onto the running voltage.

 

It sounds like tha alternator died and you were running on the battery all the way home.

 

ayuh! I agree, dead alt, killed the batt.

 

Yep sound like the alternator, take it off and have it tested for free at a autoparts store if you want to be sure.

 

$9.00 bucks will fix that issue , replace the brushes real easy to do I have had two with the same issue and soon as I swapped them brushes out no more problem.

Check here

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/mainte...nator_brushes/

It's really not as hard as it makes it out to be in the wright up mine took about 30-45 mins start to finish and the parts store parts required no soldering just drop in and go , the hardest part is remove and install the alternator but still a one man job and only less then an hour to do.

 

I took my battery in and its fine. I'll take the alternator in tomorrow, which sucks cause its only a year old. Lifetime warranteeeeee!!!

 

 

It was not my alternator. Autozone test said it was ok. I'v tried to charge the battery, the battery seems charged but the engine won't draw any power from it.

I figure it might have to be the wiring somewhere...but where? Where would be a good place to start if there is nothing obvious?

 

check the wires at the connector to the alternator , I had one do this and those wires were bad ,actually one wire was only attached by 1 or 2 strands.

 

I'm heading out to check the wires now.

 

Solved! The wires were horrible. 12 bucks worth of battery cables and she runs like a dream