Battery Discharge Light

[voodo1]

I had a problem with having to jump start my battery, but it tested good. The battery was dead last night, so I trickle charged it to full capacity.

Turns out (by AutoZone tester) that the Alternator was not putting out enough voltage. Because of this, I replaced the alternator today (harder than it looked in the Haynes manual - had to remove the steering pump) and everything is hooked back up.

Jumped on the Interstate and as soon as I hit 60 MPH, the battery discharge warning light started flickering on the dash. If the RPMs get above 2K, the battery status goes to the top line and the discharge warning light comes on (just flickers unless I am really accelerating hard).

At idle, the battery status is in the middle of the arc.

2001 Sequoia Limited 4X4 with 100K miles

Any ideas?

[sp04342]

I am not positive but almost certain that Toyota alternators have an internal voltage regulator in them, I suspect the one in your replacement alternator is bad causing it to overcharge the battery. To verify it, I would put a volt meter on the battery with the truck running this will eliminate a faulty intrument gauge and tell you exactly how many volts the alternator is trying to feed back into the battery.

I have experienced problems with buying discount parts at places like Autozone and parts america in the past, they put a lifetime warrenty on a piece of you know what, then you ended up replacing them again and again not a month later. I would take the alternator back and either by a toyota genuine alternator or go to Napa, they sell much better quality products.

[voodo1]

Thanks.

I went back to AutoZone and the guy working has an '04 Limited like mine.

He told me that he put a couple of 'A/Z' parts on (fan clutch, etc) and that his truck never was the same.

He told me to take the A/Z alternator off and go buy a OE Toyota one.

[JBH1989]

He's right. The autozone "rebuilds", (if you can even call them that) are extremely poor quality, especially the import rebuilds. Napa, OEM, or Bosch rebuilds are good. Try going to a shop and see if the owner will order it for you. The stuff we get isn't available to the general public, but it is GOOD quality. WorldPAC, CalState, etc all cater to shops, but sometimes you can get a shop owner to order it for you and the pricing will be great compared to anywhere else.

We get a 20% discount from the dealer, try talking to an indie shop and see if he'll sell you one from the dealer at a lower price.

[voodo1]

I am still having problems with the battery discharging overnight.

I diconnected the aux. power line I had hooked up for my headrest monitors, so everything is back to 'stock' (except the headunit I put in about 6 months ago, but that is connected to the factory wiring harness via a Crutchfield connector)

I am at a loss. I checked the battery cable terminals for any problem and the cables are still flexible. I can't think of any reason why the battery is draining every night.

Is this a sign the ECM is having problems?

[sp04342]

The ECM should not be causing the draw, that circuit is only on when the key is in the "on" position. You need to find the circuit that is causing the draw to narrow it down. Electrical problems can be a pain but here is a cheap way for a place to start.

Unhook the positive post cable from the battery. Connect a test light between the positive cable and the popsitive post of the battery, it is easy because you have immediate visual indication. If there is a draw with the key off the light will be lit, MAKE SURE THE DOORS ARE CLOSED OR THE DOME LIGHTS ARE OFF AS THIS WILL CAUSE A DRAW. If the test light is lit start pulling fuses one at a time to find the circuit that is causing the draw.

Hope that helps, and good luck.