Prado 120 GR V6

If you use your VIN number you should be able to find the exact part number for you specific vehicle.

If you cant find part online ring a toyota dealer and get them to look up the part number for you.

You can find the VIN on either the chassis or one of the plates under the bonnet or in the door jam. It will most likely start with the letters JTEEV (or something like that atleast on the toyotas ive seen).

Cheers Jed

Hello

I have a 2003 Prado GX diesel - no "smart" alternator. I am the smartest thing in the car and that is not saying much :)

Cheers
Greg

If by smart you mean temperature compensated, have a look in the fuse box. If it has an Alt S fuse it is temperature compensated.

If your vehicle is fitted with a "smart alternator" (i.e. - "variable voltage alternator", or "computer-controlled alternator"), it has a highly visible voltage sensor fitted to one of the battery poles.

REDARC - How do I know if my vehicle has a Variable Voltage Alternator?

This VVA technology did not start to appear until about 2012 on a number of vehicles.

I have a 2013 diesel Hilux and it does not have a VVA.

However, you may find your alternator has an "overrunning", or "alternator decoupler" pulley, or a one-way clutch pulley.

These new design pulleys have an inbuilt mechanism that allows the alternator to keep spinning at high speed, if the engine RPM is pulled back rapidly.

The idea behind the design is to reduce vibration, reduce power losses, reduce electrical charging fluctuations, and reduce drive belt wear.

It's critical that when alternator pulleys are replaced, they are replaced with the correct pulley that is an identical design to the original - an overrunning pulley, a one-way clutch pulley, or a solid pulley.

Replacing, say, an overrunning pulley with a solid pulley (or swapping alternators, so that a solid pulley alternator replaces an alternator with an overrunning pulley), will compromise the performance of the entire accessory drive system, and result in substantially increased drive belt wear, and power losses.

Alternator Decoupler Pulleys

Cheers, Ron.

,
Hi Rob,

Now that it is clear that you wish to employ a dc-dc charger I suggest that there is a solution. In fact it suits both controlled and regular alternators.

The simple solution is to fit a Redarc BCDC1220-IGN charger.
This charger operates from an ignition trigger to allow operation in vehicles with Variable Voltage or Smart Alternators. It will cut-in from as low as 12v if the ignition is on therefore it will begin to charge from the starter battery without alternator assistance. Then, as the 'Vehicle Smarts' detect the current draw, the alternator will begin to contribute, which is exactly what you want to happen. From that point everything proceeds as if it was a regular charging system. The charger will immediately disconnect if the ignition is turned off to protect the starter battery from discharge.

Now, it does not even matter if your vehicle has a conventional alternator. This charger will work just as well.

You may detect that I am a fan of Redarc products. Unashamedly, I am, and for good reason. They are Australian-made excellent products with very accessable technical backup. Unfortunately, they do not pay me to say this.

Another question for the brains trust,

I have connected to Projecta DC-Dc charger as per the instructions, do I leave the auxiliary battery still connected to the cranking battery via the cable as well or do I just rely on the charger.

thanks

I’m not having a loan of anybody, the instuction make no mention of what to do with the old cable wired via the isolator, leave it connected or not.