bout 3 years ago - the 80 series 1HD-T cruiser alternator started to play up - there was a lil red LED light on the face of the tacho that started to flash on and off intermittently.
Took it too an auto sparky - who said the original alternator was no good - and replaced it for some $1300, (original Toyota new part).
Now here we are 3 years later, a good battery on the twin battery system seems to be going flat, as tho it had dropped a cell, so we put in a new battery of the same kind yesterday.
Next day - when you start her up - all the dash lights stay on after the engine is running - and the radio etc starts to fade as you drive along as tho the alternator isn't charging either battery at all.
With headlights etc on you can see the volt gauge on the dash dieng slowly.
So - I give it a good sharp quick "rev up" in neutral (over 2000 rpms'), and voila - the alternator starts to charge - all the dash lights go out, and all is good again with the dash gauge showing about 13.7 volts charging.
Turn it off - restart it and here we are again - all the dash lights stay on - unless I give it a decent rev, whereupon the dash lights go out - the alternator starts charging etc.
I took it into a auto sparky who clips his multimeter on the battery terminals - we start it, the dash lights stay on as before & he pronounces the alternator not working, removes his multimeter before we can rev it to get the problem to self rectify itself again, and says that it will cost $660 for a non original equipment 110 amp alternator replacement & come back Monday morning!
I am having trouble believing that:-
1 - the original alternator lasted about 15 years(180,000km's) with no trouble
2. the original equipment replacement costing over $1300 hasn't made it past 3 years (120,000 km's)
3. that a non orginal alternator (albeit a much higher output one) for $66o, is "the answer".
To me it appears as tho - theres a weak earth somewhere - maybe a loose nut on one of the alternator terminals, or where it earths to the body maybe, and when you rev the engine quickly above 2000 rpm's - it "suddenly" fixes itself!
My eldest son installed the dual battery system himself with some kit from one of these auto parts
places for a couple hundred dollars and to me - it's NOT what I'd call a proper "off road" dual battery system...- it simply runs two 12V batterys in paralell for charging but separates them automatically thru a control box with key off - and IF one battery goes flat you just push a button on the control box to temporarily manually put the batterys into paralell, to "jump start" the flat battery of the pair.
It wouldn't surprise me if theres something deficient in this particular dual battery setup kit - I instinctively don't like it - and suspect IT is maybe the cause of these dash light / alternator symptoms - I'm reluctant to throw away, what I suspect is a perfectly good not so old alternator - on the say so of a auto sparky who invested all of 30 seconds in his diagnosis.
To my mind, it might be a faulty / sticky internal regulator maybe in the rear of the alternator - or a bad connnection to earth somewhere...or a sub par cheap attempt at a dual battery system - where a PROPER cole hersey dual isolation switch etc would have done a MUCH better job.
Anyone have any suggestions
where to start with diagnosing properly where the problem actually lies before we start the "auto sparky retirement benefit fund" method of "replacing parts till the problem goes away" on Monday morning?
Maybe get a second opinion from another auto sparky?
This 80 series has a LOT of electrical after market accessories in it:-
CD Player/Radio
2 way Radio
Electronic GPS burglar alarm
Dual Fridge connections in the rear
Hella Spotlights
Garmin Navigator
Ipod
Air Compressor ARB
Mobile Phone Charger
Hands Free Kit
All of these things work fine, and have done so for some time - plus I helped him install them and made sure they were done right...so i have a fair bit of faith that the acessories installations aren't the root cause of the problem - I keep comming back to the new battery installation yesterday AND the IMHO "dodgey" cheap dual battery system" & its suspect installation.
Then again - maybe the auto sparky is right & the alternator is just shot to pieces!
I hate electrickery - if it was plumbing you could see where the leak was - but with electrickery...my patience gets very sorely tested very quickly.
I draw the line at aything much past twisting two wires together and adding insulation tape - I own a multimeter but don' profess to know how to use it....I slept at a holiday inn once - but that dosnt make me a hotel manager!
Ideas anyone?
Cheers & thanks in advance.