Theres nothing to clean. No real preventative maintenance. Toyota alternators have been known to last well over 200k miles.

 

yeah nothing really to maintain. what typically goes bad is the voltage regulator anyway.

 

Don't fix something that isn't broken, in this case. But take your car to an auto parts store, like Advance Auto, and have them run a free electrical diagnostics on your car. That will tell you a lot of information about the operating condition of your alternator, such as:

- votage output (voltage regulator condition)
- current output (brush condition)
- AC ripple voltage (condition of your bridge rectifying diodes)

They will check both engine idle conditions and engine running at 2,000 RPM or so (driving/highway conditions).

With this, you will know if your alternator is getting weak or not. And yes,Toyota alternators are rebuildable, if you are comfortable enough with doing it (they sell a kit to do rebuilds). They typically won't do this in the shop, because the labor exceeds the cost of new normally.

 

Follow up question, are the OEM alternators same across gen5 & 5.5 4 cylinder motors (i.e. 2003, 04, 05)? Also is the same some used in the scions? I am looking for interchange information.

I noticed that the 2002 has a 80 amp while the 04 camry has 100 amp. Also saw a old post here where someone said the 04 alternator had 4 pins while 2002 had 3 pins?

 

usually the reason for a jump in production to a higher amperage is due to more electrical devices/loads put into/onto the vehicle.


i cannot tell you the exchange specs, but i'd recommend staying with what the factory installed.

 

I got 150,000 miles out of mine. 2002 V6. I washed my engine a lot but i always covere dthe alternator with plastic. Water will kill an alternator fast. So will the belt too tight - the bearings don't like that.

Since you're concerned enough about alternator life to want to be proactive, why not get a junkyard alternator and test it, and rebuild it if it needs it, so its ready to go when the old one quits?

 

Right, I am planning to do that. Hence was wondering if I can get one from a later year. But looks like I need to stick to an 02 or 03 4cyl one.

 

My original still checks out ok at 260k. Would not up the amps for no reason on an I4. Will add load which will (to a small extent) effect HP, gas mileage and the idle. Alternators get dirty too. I've never covered, never lost an alternator or any electrical component pressure washing engines. I don't blast it directly with degreaser or water, but it definitely gets some over spray and cleans up some. If anyone has actually lost an alternator from getting them wet let me know. Could you spray MAF cleaner inside the brushes and windings? Probably, MAF cleaner is basically a fast drying electrical cleaner that leaves no residue. Would do that with the battery disconnected. I never thought about doing that. Suppose anything abrasive in the brushes would not be good for longevity. Maybe I will experiment with MAF cleaner and see what it does. or maybe I should forget this discussion and leave it alone

 

I might just remove it and blow it with compressed air. Looks like it may be easy to remove the brushes too... just to check them out.

Found something similar here.
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...-electronics-electrical/138547-alternator-removal-brush-cleaning-reinstall.html

 

The best thing you can do for your alternator IMO keep your battery good. If you make a lot of short trips, invest in a battery charger. When you replace a battery ask the store to charge the new one for 30 min or so. Low battery power puts a strain on the alternator. I have a 1994 vehicle with it's original alternator running strong.

 

+1 ^^

 

If you like to tinker, and a lot of time on your hands, and enjoy this sort of thing, pull the alternator and replace the bearing on the pulley end. It need to be pressed out and in. Secondly, you can probably find new brushes for it so those can be replaced as well.

 

I have an '02 le 4cyl with 245K miles and the original alternator. I usually keep my engine bay fairly clean.

I wouldn't worry about spraying an alternator with water. I have loss an alternator after spraying it with water but it had <4K miles on it so it obviously had a defect in the insulation.