v8 100 series alternator not charging battery

[Simon 1]

Hi all,

I have a 2004 100 series land cruiser with the 4.7ltr v8.

The alternator was replaced a week ago after being checked by an auto electrician which confirmed this to be the issue.

24 hours later I noticed the headlights getting dimmer and dimmer and checking with a multi meter it confimed the battery is getting no charge again.

After picking up the car I questioned Toyota who fitted the alternator as I suspected it was not charging as the volt meter in the car seemed to be doing nothing but they confirmed they tested the charging system and all was ok.

I am not totally sure as I never took to much notice when the ignition is put to the ON position if the battery symbol llights up and then turns of once the engine is running or if it did not.

I am not happy with what the local Toyota dealer is telling me as a lot of their statements do not ring true.

Any ideas as to what maybe causing my no charging issue would be greatly appreciated.

[01 VEY]

Hello Simon,

I work for an importer of both aftermarket and genuine alternators and starters. There can be issues with some aftermarket units (depending on the origin) which are much cheaper than the genuine. Yes some dealers do use aftermarket ones. Sometimes apprentices have also been known to forget to plug in the harness to the alternator. They may have found that when you returned for it to be checked.

But generally these should be a 'plug & play' replacement. Anything can fail though - even new genuine ones. The plug connections should be checked and cleaned before fitment as this may be the source of the trouble. If the pin connectors are all corroded the plug harness might need to be removed and replaced. The listing on the toyotapartseast site has confirmed that the alternator should have a 4 pin squarish looking plug

I can't think of much else that will cause an alternator to fail except if it has been through some deep water. Seems electricity and water don't mix well according to sources in the trade.

I hope this helps