Bad alternator?

Took my pro on a trail a week ago. Went in a few mud puddles, nothing too crazy. A week later my battery light came on and then my truck died today.

Had to tow the truck to the dealership.

What could it be? The trick only has 11.6k miles on it.

 

*alternator

 

With the pic you posted it's certainly possible with the amount mud water that entered engine bay. Definitely electrical related. Something most likely shorted out. The alternator is pretty resilient in most conditions.

 

I just dont get how something could have shorted so easily. That's the first time I've ever driven through mud/water like that.

Yes the dealer gave me that whole we'll take a look at it. You know the strange part is, it was just at the dealer one day before the battery light came on. They said the battery was fine when I picked it up.

 

So it turned out the alternator and battery kicked the bucket. They were able to replace everything under warranty. They said there was too much mud and dirt in the alternator.

Are there any alternator splash guards that exist?

I learned the hard way to always wash mud off right away when your done wheeling.

My truck only has 11.6k miles.

 

Yeah. Strange. Oh well, I didnt have to pay anything out of pocket. Hopefully that doesn't happen again.

 

I can second this sentiment. My battery crapped out at around 10k miles, haven't even had the truck a year yet (there's a thread in here somewhere about my experience with that and having to deal with Toyota Care). Ended up getting an 84 month battery replacement, we'll see how that works out.

 

Same issue here and was glad to read a similar account.

I have a 2017 Tundra 4x4 with 22k miles that would not start this AM (about 45 degrees outside so not terribly cold). The battery tests fine and the charger showed it charging from 85% - 100% with no "bad battery" indicated. Also, it jumped off fine once and then killed when I turned on the lights.

The only reason I can come up with is an electrical short or bad battery due to water exposure from underneath / being splashed. Yesterday I hit a wet area/ mud hole with just a bit of momentum (perhaps 10 mph) while viewing some land. The wet area was not nearly as large as the OP's picture. Even still, I'm guessing I got some things wet and caused a short.

I'll report back after the dealer comes up with a solution. I'm hoping I can get the battery charged enough to drive it in but I'm not messing around if it looks like I'll need it towed.

 

That's a good point. I haven't been around for a bit, is there any consensus on what replacement folks are using? I've had good success with Interstate in the past but haven't been doing any research lately.

Will definitely post back once I get a solution.

 

This ^^^ is an inescapable reality of our truck lives these days. IF you get 3 years, and zero months, zero weeks, zero days, zero hours and ONE minute out of your 2016/2017/2018 stocker...........YOU HAVE DONE GOOD. I would suggest that if you get to that milestone then at TWO minutes you replace it. DO NOT WAIT. DO NOT PASS GO. DO NO COLLECT A $200 TOW BILL.

And now the lawyer part: YMMV.

 

I pulled the battery and will take it over to Toyota at 7 AM tomorrow for testing and likely replacement under warranty. Even if they exchange the battery I'm going to drive it over and have the alternator tested as well.

Man, I would think that even with a bad battery the alternator would be able to run the truck.

 

Jim,

So your truck would not run off a jump with a bad battery (you mentioned you had it towed)? Or did you have it towed as an abundance of caution. Just trying to figure out how things went.

 

Wow, those NorthStars look nice!

 

Is there anyway to water proof or mud proof our trucks? Seems a bit silly that a bit of water can take down a new $50k truck

 

You’re exactly right as I just found out. Toyota towed the truck from my house under warranty (no cost to me). They’re also going to check out the alternator and electrical system. I had pulled the battery so the towing dude had to use a portable battery for it to go into neutral - next time I'll leave the battery in place.

I’ll post an update when I get some answers. I looked under the truck yesterday and didn't really see where there was a great deal of room for something to get splashed from the bottom.

 

Toyota just phoned, said it was the battery only (replaced under warranty/no charge). Everything else (alternator, electrical system, etc.) checks out.

I've read that with all the electronics on the newer vehicles (mine has the towing package which I use about once or twice a year), the alternator can't keep up. Sounds a bit off, but my knowledge of alternators is a couple of decades old. I'd be glad to hear from folks experienced in this area.

Also, will definitely post back if I'm stranded again anytime soon (which would indicate that there's possibly more of an issue than the battery).

In any case, thanks to mart1nezdaniel [OP] for the thread & for letting me get some feedback on a similar problem.


Joe

 

Contacted my local battery joint (Longview, TX) and ordered a NorthStar AGM 27F. $320 + $18 core charge.

I'll take the new 27F battery out of my Tundra and swap it out with my MIL's 27F (4 Runner) battery (over 3 years old, OEM).

 

East Penn and Johnson control are the two companies that make batteries. The best bang for the buck is the Duracell AGM sold at Sams club.
Most folks never ever check the battery or the fluid level until the vehicle won’t start and then blame the battery. If your a no maintence type your best best is to buy a AGM battery.

 

I had my alternator tested at around 80k miles and it was bad. Have a buddy with all the tools who used to be an ACE mech and he changed it in his drive in an hour for me. Good times....I ate pizza and watched.

FWIW, why is that thing buried so deep in the motor? SMH

 

Exactly. Only complaint i have about this engine, the alternator is mounted way too low.

 

Picked my new NorthStar up today - what a beast!

We've moved around quite a bit for my job so I normally replace vehicle batteries every 3 years as preventive maintenance. Since I'm now retired and living in our home town, I'll just keep this one until it dies. I'm curious to see if a high dollar battery like this will last for more than 4 or 5 years.