01 Tacoma alternator still good but wonder how long?

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240K miles, bought new. Truck like new in and out. I got a voltmeter that plugs into cig lighter to keep an eye on it. I'm just afraid to replace it with a new one that might crap out before this one might, I know this was a good one. I have a 99 Honda Valkyrie (Gold Wing drivetrain) and the Hitachi alt on it lasted 8k with no extra elec eqpt on it. Read that hitachi moved to China back then and I had a alternator guy "get the chinese out of it" and it's been fine. How much warning might I get when the alt goes out? I'm assuming a few miles or worse at nite...
What kind of life are you guys getting on your alt?

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Alts last a long time if you're not running around with a bad battery putting a lot of strain on it.

That being said, you won't have much warning if the brushes or regulator goes out. Bearing wear will gradually get louder

As far as how far you can make it: If your battery is good, you're generally set for somewhere around 30-45 minutes of driving before it kaputs
 
I doubt anything new would equal that.
I had the same issue and bought a top rated alt suggested on here.
It crapped out in two weeks. I have no faith in any aftermarket auto parts anymore.
 
Originally Posted by rekit
How much warning might I get when the alt goes out?


The warning will be headlights and dash lights going dim, turn signals not working until it finally quits running. I'd say around 20 minutes.
 
If you're worried about it, replace the brushes. They're available from Toyota and easy to change. 99.9% of all Toyota alternators I've rebuilt or repaired only needed new brushes to get them back in service. Now I just replace them as preventive maintenance. You're due at 240,000 if it's still the original alternator.

I do the same thing in Toyota starters, but in those it's the contacts not the brushes. Again easy and cheap to change.
 
Bearings and brushes are the usual failure items so that's what I would replace assuming the alternator is outputting the correct voltages and current.

If not, then the diode-trio and regulator would need replacing as well.
 
Originally Posted by FlyNavyP3
If you're worried about it, replace the brushes. They're available from Toyota and easy to change. 99.9% of all Toyota alternators I've rebuilt or repaired only needed new brushes to get them back in service. Now I just replace them as preventive maintenance. You're due at 240,000 if it's still the original alternator.

I do the same thing in Toyota starters, but in those it's the contacts not the brushes. Again easy and cheap to change.



How much do they charge for the brushes? Thanks!
 
Your alt may last a long time still.

Sometimes the diodes go out... there are six of them, and you can run with fewer. But then you'll notice dim headlights at idle with your foot on the brake, the fan slowing down etc but you can still drive and the battery will stay charged.

If it goes out completely you may get several dash lights, not just the alternator one but the ABS module etc gets unhappy too.

I would not take prophylactic action. What's the point of buying a "good car" if it's lasting a suspiciously long time?
 
You could get by on brush replacement assuming the slip rings aren't badly worn with deep groves or worn too thin. The other thing is that the diodes have seen many heat cycles and while they might still work who knows how far along they are in their life along with the bearings. Just my $0.02. It depends on how much longer you want to keep the truck.
 
Originally Posted by Zee09
Originally Posted by FlyNavyP3
If you're worried about it, replace the brushes. They're available from Toyota and easy to change. 99.9% of all Toyota alternators I've rebuilt or repaired only needed new brushes to get them back in service. Now I just replace them as preventive maintenance. You're due at 240,000 if it's still the original alternator.

I do the same thing in Toyota starters, but in those it's the contacts not the brushes. Again easy and cheap to change.



How much do they charge for the brushes? Thanks!


Depends on the place you buy them and vehicle usually $12-40. Last set I bought for my 2004 ES330 Lexus came from the middle east because they were the only ones who had it in stock, they were $35 shipped.
 
A reman Denso is $133 from RockAuto---I'm not sure I'd bother with replacing bits and pieces. At that price, you could keep one in the back seat until the OE piece quits. My '02 Camry has 272K miles on its OE Denso alternator, and it seems to be doing fine, FWIW.
 
Thanks to all. I'm thinking of brushes and/or keeping one in the truck and the required tools and belt on the longer drives. Toyotas have served me well, 250-500k on all of them-Celicas, Camrys, Corollas, Sequoia, Tacoma. On Fram filters too till lately, LOL
 
What else are you going to get backups for ? Starter, brake master cylinder, spark plugs, etc ?
 
How much longer will the bearings last after the brushes wear out ? I am wondering if it is better keep the good original bearings vs replacing them with cheapo bearings.
 
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