First off let me apologize for my first post being a request for help. I am a 12,000 post member on the Subaru STI forums but not on this site much because I don't own a Toyota. My mother called me last night to tell me that her battery light started flashing on her 99 Avalon and she went to a mechanic. The mechanic said her alternator needed to be replaced. The battery is 3 months old and the alternator is less than a year old. This will be her 3rd alternator. The car has less than 60,000 miles.
I did some searching and saw a few threads about alternators going out but nothing that was similar to this... Is there something that is being overlooked and causing the alternators to fail? Any advice would be appreciated.
Start the car, test voltage should be upper 14.00 range close to 15v
If its in the mid 14's then your fine.
If its low 14's to 13's you need new alternator.
Just to check and see if your getting ripped off by this person.
I have a multimeter and will check it. The battery light is falshing on and off on a 3 month old battery. I'm going to call her and see if its constantly flashing or just every now and then. I would trade cars with her for a week and work on some of this but my mom can't drive stick and wouldnt want to learn in my STI.
Also if you test the alternator and your between 14.00 and 15.xx check the terminals 'remove the cables one at a time and wire brush them to make sure there is a good connection'
If you don't get a reading of 14-15 this part is useless.
on the VDC side of the multimeter set it to 20. 'if you don't know how to use one'
Is it an aftermarket or OEM alternator. Aftermarkets don't hold up as well as an OEM one. But they don't have the sticker price either. Another thing; some Avalons came with a 100amp alternator and some come with a 80amp alternator. What amp alternator is in there now?
First off let me apologize for my first post being a request for help. I am a 12,000 post member on the Subaru STI forums but not on this site much because I don't own a Toyota. My mother called me last night to tell me that her battery light started flashing on her 99 Avalon and she went to a mechanic. The mechanic said her alternator needed to be replaced. The battery is 3 months old and the alternator is less than a year old. This will be her 3rd alternator. The car has less than 60,000 miles.
I did some searching and saw a few threads about alternators going out but nothing that was similar to this... Is there something that is being overlooked and causing the alternators to fail? Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you,
-Jared
I have never heard of such a problem on this generation Avalon/Camry. I'm thinking there is an underlying issue. Does your Mother drive the car enough to keep the battery charged? Do you know for sure if the previous alternators were really bad? The doors on my Avalon are a PITA to close. My wife frequently doesn't close her door because she isn't used to the force required. Is your Mother leaving the door ajar with the courtesy light on? Maybe a less obvious battery drain somewhere?
Let's make sure we're all counting the same way.
Alt #1 came with the new car.
Alt #2 was installed less than a year ago, and appears to be failing, which means it (apparently) now needs Alt #3.
Short, high load trips could wear out the first one after low mileage. Unfortunately, miles isn't really a good measure of how much power an alternator has produced over it's lifetime.
The replacement could be:
- Undersized. As Gary pointed out, there was an 80 amp and a 100 amp used. I can tell you from experience that I could not find the 100 amp in stock locally (Toyota dealers not tried) when I looked a year ago. I have multiple chains and a NAPA warehouse locally. So, the replacement was most likely an 80 amp, regardless of what came in the car.
- A "repaired", not truly remanufactured unit. Many local "renuilders" just fix whatever broke, thereby offering a low cost alternative. Or high profit, depending on ethics of parties involved.
- Simply that one in a hundred (or whatever) that just fails.
If a reputable shop and reputable supplier are involved, it should be covered by 12 month warranty. The part at the very least, even if the labor is a shorter period. And the labor s/b 45 min or less.
Else, I think you have your answer as to the source of problem.
Is it an aftermarket or OEM alternator. Aftermarkets don't hold up as well as an OEM one. But they don't have the sticker price either. Another thing; some Avalons came with a 100amp alternator and some come with a 80amp alternator. What amp alternator is in there now?
I'm honestly not sure if its OEM or what amp it is. If I have time this week I'll go over and check it out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by artbuc
I have never heard of such a problem on this generation Avalon/Camry. I'm thinking there is an underlying issue. Does your Mother drive the car enough to keep the battery charged? Do you know for sure if the previous alternators were really bad? The doors on my Avalon are a PITA to close. My wife frequently doesn't close her door because she isn't used to the force required. Is your Mother leaving the door ajar with the courtesy light on? Maybe a less obvious battery drain somewhere?
She drives it every day. She also said she's been having to replace the battery yearly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TedL
Let's make sure we're all counting the same way.
Alt #1 came with the new car.
Alt #2 was installed less than a year ago, and appears to be failing, which means it (apparently) now needs Alt #3.
Short, high load trips could wear out the first one after low mileage. Unfortunately, miles isn't really a good measure of how much power an alternator has produced over it's lifetime.
The replacement could be:
- Undersized. As Gary pointed out, there was an 80 amp and a 100 amp used. I can tell you from experience that I could not find the 100 amp in stock locally (Toyota dealers not tried) when I looked a year ago. I have multiple chains and a NAPA warehouse locally. So, the replacement was most likely an 80 amp, regardless of what came in the car.
- A "repaired", not truly remanufactured unit. Many local "renuilders" just fix whatever broke, thereby offering a low cost alternative. Or high profit, depending on ethics of parties involved.
- Simply that one in a hundred (or whatever) that just fails.
If a reputable shop and reputable supplier are involved, it should be covered by 12 month warranty. The part at the very least, even if the labor is a shorter period. And the labor s/b 45 min or less.
Else, I think you have your answer as to the source of problem.
This will be number 4. The service records show the previous owner replacing it. I am helping her choose the shop this time I have no clue who did the work before. She said they were giving her the run around about covering it under warranty.
I wanted to thank everyone for their help. This truly seems like a great community. I apologize for my lack of details regarding the issue at hand. I just wanted to make sure that there wasnt some wide spread problem (like Acura TL's and their damn transmissions).
I'll try to find out more and report back. If any of you guys are interested here's my journal thread on my car forum.
I wanted to thank everyone for their help. This truly seems like a great community. I apologize for my lack of details regarding the issue at hand. I just wanted to make sure that there wasnt some wide spread problem (like Acura TL's and their damn transmissions).
I'll try to find out more and report back. If any of you guys are interested here's my journal thread on my car forum.
First off let me apologize for my first post being a request for help. I am a 12,000 post member on the Subaru STI forums but not on this site much because I don't own a Toyota. My mother called me last night to tell me that her battery light started flashing on her 99 Avalon and she went to a mechanic. The mechanic said her alternator needed to be replaced. The battery is 3 months old and the alternator is less than a year old. This will be her 3rd alternator. The car has less than 60,000 miles.
I did some searching and saw a few threads about alternators going out but nothing that was similar to this... Is there something that is being overlooked and causing the alternators to fail? Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you,
-Jared
Hey Jared, just read your build page, sick STI. I also live in Plano on the east side. Pretty cool to meet people who are from my area.
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1999 Toyota Avalon
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