Saturday, Dec 27, 2014 at 21:43
Hardly anyone reconditions alternators today, the Chinese alternator suppliers have destroyed the repair business with cheap alternators. eBay is full of them.
These alternators are usually O.K., but they often use a non-genuine plug that needs an adaptor to fit the Toyota plug into it.
You can buy a genuine (usually Denso brand) alternator, but you'll pay a lot more for it.
If the alternator supplied to you was noisy, then it had a fault from the word go, and you should have taken it back.
I doubt whether water alone would have destroyed it. Alternators can resist a fair bit of water.
A reconditoned alternator, repaired "on the cheap" may have had a used bearing reinstalled.
There's a large bearing at the front and a much smaller one at the rear.
Usually the rear bearing fails first, because the front bearing is "overbuilt".
An el-cheapo repairer could have re-used the front bearing, they are expensive.
An alternator should put out around 13.8V-14.3V when in good working order.
If an alternator is only putting out 9 volts, it most likely has a failed voltage regulator.
If it is putting out a voltage of around 11-12 volts and the alternator light is glowing with a dull glow, then it's likely there's a diode failed in the alternator.
You should also
check the voltage drop between alternator and battery to
check for faulty or dirty connections.
Grab a multimeter and select a voltage
check range of around 20V maximum, and with your engine idling, place one of the multimeter
test leads on the BAT (B+) terminal on the alternator and the other
test lead on the positive terminal (+) of the battery.
There should be a voltage drop of less than 0.02V between these two terminals.
Any more than 0.02V reading shows that there is high resistance in the alternator to battery circuit somewhere, caused by a damaged connection, or a corroded or loose connection.
Always
check on the condition of the earth strap that connects the engine to the body and chassis, and make sure it has good, clean, tight connections.
Cheers, Ron.
AnswerID:
543427
Follow Up By: Ron N - Saturday, Dec 27, 2014 at 21:45
Saturday, Dec 27, 2014 at 21:45
In answer to question 2. No, you won't make it. Charge the battery overnight so it's fully charged by morning, and you will then make it O.K.
Cheers, Ron.
FollowupID:
830386