First off, if you haven't, charge your battery. All electrical testing should be done with a fully charged battery. Discharged batteries can cause all sorts of inaccurate test results.

Check it at BOTH the alternator stud AND the battery. Keep your negative probe at the same ground point for both checks. A few tenths of a volt difference isn't anything to worry about, but much more than that & you've probably got a bad connection to find somewhere. Don't forget to check the grounds as well as the positive side.

Dave

Checked mine this morning at idle at it was 14.2 at the posts so I guess that is about right.

If your alternator is not an OEM Toyota Alternator just be prepared to get proficient at switching out your alternator. I would have to replace my non OEM unit every 2 or 3 years.

Yea, Ive gotten pretty good at switching them hahaha. Ive got a small problem with them being submerged for extended time periods <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Thanks for checking on the volts. Just wanted to make sure I wasnt crazy.



I did charge the battery before I tested anything. Even got a new battery and tested that at the store before I left and did it myself at the house. Thats why I was so confused. A few days later and everything still works now. Wierd

Well, just for laughs, check the voltage (engine running) at both the alt stud & the battery using the same ground point for both checks, like I mentioned earlier, & see how much voltage drop you are getting.

Dave

14.4 @ the battery, 14.6 @ the alt stud. Same as before

Thats an acceptable voltage drop, is that wire still getting hot or was it just due to charging a low battery?

Not quite as hot as it was getting when I had the smaller battery in there (Which tested as ok and is only 1.5 yrs old) but it still gets warm. I think im going to replace everything with 4 ga just to make me feel better. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

possible bad cell in a new batt?

not impossible...

seems like the dumbest thing but this happened to me and it was caused by corrosion in between the post and the clamp. had to take off the clamp to see it. did you clean that off real well? can definitely be an intermittent problem - might explain why it starting working one day...

I think that may have had a lot to do with it. I replaced the entire ground wire but the positive did have some corrosion on it where the wire to the alt is connected. Not much at all but some. Had to change it from the stock config because the wire to the fuse box had broke off. There was a small amount on the connector that I put on. I think it was a combo of a number of corroded connections that has been causing this. Following the wire all the way to the alt I found small ammounts of corrosion at each connection. Each of which normally wouldnt cause much concern but the combo of all of them is what I think caused it. Probably also where the resistance was coming from as well. Thanks for the input everybody.

**** TIP*** Change out that undersized alt wire if you guys are running high amp alts, high power lights,or a winch or anything that, drains that battery more than stock, causing alot of charging by the alt. I swear it even runs better now <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />