Occasional battery dummy light

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My wife has a 2005 Toyota Highlander 3.3 v6 with 76k miles. Very seldomly, the battery dummy light will come on just long enough for me to notice. Basically flicker. I ask my wife and she sees it as it's her car and drives it daily....well....she doesn't really pay attention....

The battery is a 1 yr old Bosch. All the connections and the battery and alternator are good. When the car is off the battery sits at ~12.5 volt. When running battery shows ~14 volt.

I found a local rebuild shop that will rebuild the alternator and it's not a huge job for my to put it in (2 hours). I'm very busy with work and it's 90+ degrees outside so I'd rather not!

We're taking that vehicle ~1600+ miles on Wednesday. First stop is my parents and my dad has a nice shop to do the work.

Would you change it or wait and see? Do alternators usually slowly die or is it all or nothing?
 
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12.5v sounds a little low. I'd get the battery checked and see about warranty replacement.

But the alternators can slowly die, I just changed one on my dad's FJ Cruiser, voltage was dipping down. Still ran and drove though.
 
Can you buy an alternator and pack it and enough tools to change? The back side of Murphy's Law is that things you're prepared for, never occur. I used to load the Borman6's trunk with a tub full of spares and tools.for road trips. Never needed a thing.
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Originally Posted By: andyd
Can you buy an alternator and pack it and enough tools to change? The back side of Murphy's Law is that things you're prepared for, never occur. I used to load the Borman6's trunk with a tub full of spares and tools.for road trips. Never needed a thing.
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I believe this shop will only rebuild your unit. If it were to suddenly go out, Id' be forced to buy a remain unit at an Autozone or other place. It's a common, stocked alternator. I only need a 10,12,14 MM wrenches and a breaker bar.
 
Sounds like your brushes are worn. Call your guy and give him this story. He might be able to slap some brushes in without doing too much else. Or he may have a compatible alt on the shelf.
 
Originally Posted By: dja4260
We're taking that vehicle ~1600+ miles on Wednesday.


Definitely get it fixed before the trip. Nothing worse than going on a trip and having your car break down.
 
Check voltage at idle with all major consumers on, high beams, ac, wipers, defroster, and see if its still above 13.5, it may pass at low load but fail when really working.
 
You've got the same engine and alternator as my Camry

It's almost child's play to change

You can get a 130 amp reman on eBay for $120 or so, that was my upgrade from the stock 100 amp
 
I had a strange one like that on my car a few months ago, turned out it was the B lead was loose.
Only correlation was to engine temp.
 
I had a similar issue after starting my car the batt light would come on and fade away quickly. Ended up being the alternator. Test your battery first...and if im not mistaken car stores can test the alternator too.
 
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Sounds like your brushes are worn.


Exactly what I was thinking, but how does that happen at 76K miles???


The car has spent its entire life outside in Chicago weather. I bought it from a friend in December and brought it down south. Maybe the harsh weather played a roll...
 
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