TOYOTA 4 RUNNER ALTERNATOR NOT CHARGING DIAGNOSIS

In today's case study we get called out to a local repair shop that has a troublesome 2010 Toyota 4Runner that has a 4.0l V6 engine. The customer complaint is that the vehicle stalls and the battery continuously dies. The shop took a look at it and determined that the alternator was not charging, so they decided to replace it. After replacing the alternator, they found that it still was not charging, so they wanted us to take a look.
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Advanced Level Auto, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Advanced Level Auto assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Advanced Level Auto recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Advanced Level Auto, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Advanced Level Auto.

[@EATSLEEPFARM]

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again...you are the BEST when it comes to explaining diagrams and showing how stuff works and why you’re going through certain steps. Learned a lot since I’ve found this channel. Thanks Eric👍

[@HeliMicky]

Nothing worse than been left with someone else's mess, great job finding the fault :-)

[@herni187]

I told myself “only 15 mins and i’ll finish it tomorrow.” Here I am now at the end of the video 🤣 AWESOME CONTENT

[@vodonnell1]

That wiring is a mess, who ever did it takes no pride in their work.

[@gs7865]

No one explains wiring diagrams as well as you do, thanks for the education

[@oror3837]

That alarm install looks like a Tuesday flea market special .

[@stevebennett9750]

More like a Best Buy install job.

[@andyeckel7195]

That’s an insult to Tuesday flea market specials

[@fyassine]

The techie in me was drooling over the logical troubleshooting. Even when I thought I had the wiring diagram figured out you demonstrated how the relay obtains power. This just blew my mind.

[@kevinbarry71]

Rip out all that aftermarket crap. I can hear Eric O now

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

"There's your problem lady"

[@JasonSpiffy]

@@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO 😂

[@1primacron]

I really don't understand why people worry about fitting aftermarket alarm system's on new vehicles. I can understand aftermarket alarms fitted on old vehicles due to the poor factory security systems of the day, but all modern vehicles have very rugged factory alarm system on them that are not easy to bypass. I find Aftermarket alarm system's are more trouble then what they are worth (especially when they are installed by hacks). I find these aftermarket alarms systems also contribute to many current draw issue's as well on many vehicles. Great video Eric.

[@reweydewy]

They mainly install these for the remote start function

[@titanjake8640]

Also I have been installing alarms since the late 90s factory alarm or systems can easily be hacked aka their transmitter codes be cloned. Aftermarket gives rolling codes that are always random. DEI has done a great job years ago with R&D of the tech. Remote start is old as well. Been doing that since 93 very old technology but we folks think it is the future. If it is extremely cold and extremely hot I would recommend it. Other than that I have customers abuse it by literally walking to their car next to it and hit RS. Omg it is so annoying now these are factory options on american cars as they honk the horn before starting. They stand next to it and get in. Don't get it 😮

[@CubasAutomotive]

What a mess inside of that vehicle.... just pure butchery. Fantastic job Eric 😊

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thanks Cuba!

[@tecnaman9097]

I hope these hackers don't turn their talents to house wiring...jeezsus. Great job as always Eric,sorted.

[@38911bytefree]

A fire waiting to hapen

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

You and me both!

[@neilmurphy845]

Ya the first thing that customer should have donewas disconnect all the aftermarket crap there's no need for anyway you just disconnect the battery and bring it inside the house and then nobody will Rob the car

[@stevebennett9750]

@@neilmurphy845 disconnecting the battery on modern cars as a means of theft prevention can cause drivabilty issues.

[@neilmurphy845]

@@stevebennett9750 ow ya especially on Toyota's

[@faustogonzalez8397]

A lot of people give aftermarket Alarm Systems a Bad Rap, usually cause they're installed by incompetent people. I have A Viper alarm system with remote start I installed myself on a 2006 Toyota Tundra. I bench tested the complete system before I installed on the Tundra and it paid off. I have had it for 6 years now a not a flaw or complaint, no false alarms, etc. Along with the Viper Alarm I have it wired up to the WIndows Viper control/relays and the whole system works flawlessly. Once again thanks for your video !!! The Remote Start function as well works flawlessly.

[@benjaminruiz6931]

Like always great diagnostic: there a big difference from a parts changer and a technician thank you

[@gerardojarquin7492]

Thats right my guy . That’s the shop responsibility I loved to see the mechanic sitting by the truck on his phone just watching.

[@mikechiodetti4482]

Great Job Eric! I've seen that before, even where I worked as an Auto Electrician in an L.A. City Fleet. Some one would install some kind of aftermarket b.s., which would take out a vehicle system. Some REALLY BAD installs had 14 gauge wire on a piggy back fuse through a 50 amp fuse powering a small toggle switch and then to multiple loads! Talk about a fire ready to happen! I rewired that system with a 70 amp HD relay under the hood to two 25 amp fuses then split the load so each side of the load got power. The wire used was 8 gauge. I was out of 10 gauge that day. The toggle switch had its own 5 amp fuse and 16 gauge wire. That switch was mounted in the dash. The 5 amp fuse was piggybacked to a 15 amp fuse in the fuse block on the IGN side. It worked GREAT! No more burned wires or possible fire! My apology for the long comment. It's in the details.

[@jgatti8742]

Good ol aftermarket junk, hack job install... What a wiring mess.

[@titanjake8640]

Right!!! If ya don't know what ya doing take it to a pro!!!!!!

[@stevejones6647]

A Ja that was most likely done by a install shop. Pretty common to see hack job work from places like that

[@getyourkicksagain]

Newer cars have much tighter tolerances for current draw than older cars. You will very rarely see a fuse under 10 amps in an older car. They also generally had thicker wiring as well as far fewer sytems to power. When you install any aftermarket electrical gizmos, you will inevitably piggyback your new system onto an existing circuit, pulling more amperage from it than whatever it was designed for. Add in the voltage drop and heat compounded by those godawful yet oh so convenient crimp taps and you have a recipe for disaster. Fantastic video and explanation, sir. It was very enjoyable.

[@faustogonzalez8397]

Great job Eric, love your train of thought and how you progress your troubleshooting in sequential manner!!

[@38911bytefree]

Excellent diagnose Eric. I love the detailed explanation and tracing.

[@chrismechanic2000]

the old alternator could have blown that fuse, but then with that wiring like that its hard to say for sure.

[@fredsalter1915]

What a train wreck! Another great video, sir. After watch a lot of your video's and other repair video's, fuses would be the first items I'd be checking. Rock on!

[@Joeelectronicschematicsforauto]

That was absolutely a great explanation of a wiring diagram and whenever someone does any work with radio systems or alarms there is always a chance of a parasitic drain on one of the circuits enjoyed your video tremendously you do great work and you know your electronics very well

[@jonahansen]

Good work, man. I like how you persevere and don't give in in the face of all the unknown mods made to the wiring.

[@guyf3311]

That was fantastic. I really enjoyed that video and as usual the was you explain things. I bet everyone else was looking for a real serious problem under the hood and it turned out to be a fuse. Keep up the great work.

[@OgunjobiDavid]

Wow. I am impressed at your detailed troubleshooting steps. Good job

[@7curiogeo]

Good job step by step chasing down the issue. Like how you start with basics and progress on. Thank you for showing this.

[@randycox7182]

Eric you are so thorough. Great job every time.

[@arniesand]

As usual, great explanation, and great video. Your voice is clear and concise. You're ready for the big time!

[@johnminor2496]

Excellent job. I am not a tech, but I appreciate your skill in diagnosing such a mess!!

[@MattyEngland]

Great video as always Eric 👍👍 The state of that wiring was crazy. 🙄

[@karlosss1868]

Great job at detailing this fix. I love your videos.

[@neverstoplearning382]

Great way to explain diagrams always. Big thanks for that pal.

[@georgenellas1649]

To tell the truth, after i discovered this channel and going back to watch the videos, first thing is to check the "like", of course. You are a man with a good attitude and pride.

[@jgeorges3061]

Eric, you are AWESOME as always i always write a comment when i see a video from you and i do it for ur channel 100% always and thanks for showing ur thought process and explaining how the circuit works with diagrams learn a lot from u reading the diagrams and what is involve and how to tackle it really appreciate ur time. cheeeeeeers

[@franciscoocampo6612]

Great job Eric I like how you explain the diagrams it is very helpful

[@isaacdelgado7811]

Well explained perfect diagnosis you use a lot of logic and experience 👌👍🤝

[@roxanneabbott8424]

Watching and enjoying your videos all over again!!!

[@sclm55]

Appreciated your bringing us along as you 'traipsed through the weeds' in that mess. It gave me a good deal of insight on some of the issues that MAY cause an Alternator not to be functioning. Good job Eric. Subscribed and 'Liked'.

[@bawagonwheels01]

Great video. Very comprehensive diagnosis. That alarm install job is such a shame.

[@yadielquintana9382]

I have situations with Toyota Tacoma 4runner alternator charge charge for only few minutes, over 5 mechanic touch the car and replace 3 Time the alternator, still doing the same thing, but not one check the throttle body function, the throttle body was super dirty and the plate won’t open all wide. Customer say he waste over $1000 and no one check anything wrong in the engine. Isn’t the same case of this video, but I post this comment for anyone are looking for any answers after test everything and the alternator still only charge for first few minutes until the car idle All your video are really interesting and awesome, thank you

[@nelsoncoffie5668]

Great video, your diagnosis skills are getting better, actually I prefer your content over other diagnosis technicians

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thank you very much!

[@riblets1968]

I've said this before and it bears repeating: your systematic approach led you to the fix! This is despite the fact that there was a lot of things that you were not informed of going into this job. It also led to the fix even though you overlooked testing some functions on the car in the beginning. Neither of them mattered; you still found it just the same. Nice job on this mess of a car! I don't envy you.

[@johnplump3760]

Boy! You really go into detail during your diagnosis. Very Through. I like it!!

[@4runnerandtundramods359]

My friend, you are a bad ass! Just came across you channel and have watch several videos. You are a special breed of Mechanic!

[@billyyoder8171]

Thank you Eric. Good job. Have a blessed and safe week to you and your family.

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Same to you

[@gbenjamin8341]

excellent diagnosis very helpful I have a Tacoma with an added alarm that looked the same until i put heat shrink over all the opens. Great video keep it up.

[@billrimmer5596]

All the beautiful factory wiring butchered. Great vid!!

[@craigevanson8063]

Thanks for taking the time to video this electrical hack job. Good diagnostics

[@sblagg527]

Great job diagnosing the issue from this wiring disaster. I had a friend who asked me to install an aftermarket remote start, I got as far as splicing into the ignition battery feed wire and then realized what I was getting into and said no way, sorry.

[@4x4_Overland]

This is one off best videos i seen. Very good explanation, good job!

[@trdcamarillo7310]

Thanks to you bro , I passed my ASE electrical test, love the channel.

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Awesome!

[@charlesgohl3879]

My god, a truly helpful video. Cust. car towed in "No Run" cond..Thought it was immobiliser problem. 2001 rav4 didn't have immo. Fuse must not be installed. Your video cleared my head. I love you man. I'm happy cust happy....everybody is happy. BTW we are a VW shop and this Toyota system is my first evr toyota in shop. Helluva start.

[@diannalapp847]

Amazing video. Thanks for being so thorough. Saved me from replacing an alternator that was fine.

[@mikegarland3223]

Great video !! One of the best I have seen ! Nice to see the schematics !

[@enriquemartinez7990]

Thanks a lot man I’m glad I found you you help me out already thank you great videos man they’re fun a lot of information I appreciate your time and God bless you👀🌿

[@javaidmalik1]

Ohhhhh man one of best video I have learn thank you

[@codyq0987]

Thank you so much for this excellent tutorial on how to read wiring diagram!

[@jeffbrown3963]

Excellent job troubleshooting and well explained! Thanks!

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thanks for watching!

[@TheWwong]

Great job finding the problem through all of that mess. Would like to know how that shop settled their bill with the customer after installing the new alternator that most likely was still good.

[@athhud]

They do what all shops do. Charged them for parts and labor, then charged them for outside diagnostic work. Surely you don’t think they would ever own up to a misdiagnosis? At best they just ate the cost of the outside help, but even that is optimistic.

[@SomeGuyInSandy]

Great stuff! I really hope things are going well for you. Losing a business is tough (ask me how I know). All you can do is keep fighting!

[@noeygarza6522]

Great Video Eric, yep, what a mess. Lot's of exposed wiring.

[@sheeshalready]

Car doing something odd, look for the aftermarket stuff, remove it, and check to see if its fixed. Had a car where the running lights would stop working when car was warm. Turned out to be a trailer wiring logic kit. Removed, no more issues. Another excellent video on tracking down the problem.

[@felm3283]

Excelentes diagnósticos Master.

[@peteramstutz8414]

I really like your videos and explaintions. Good job 😀

[@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thank you!

[@markferraro5250]

so good Eric keep them coming thanks

[@apollomedia7210]

Awesome explanation of the wiring diagram. Thanks

[@danielbrown8602]

How can anyone not be satisfied? Another awesome video.

[@ismaelpena6016]

Ive been a tech for about 3 years now and always had trouble with electrical issues and asking for help but since ive found this channel getting an idea on how shit works on a car and understanding the wire diagrams literally would spend an hour after work on our computers just looking at different wire diagrams and trying to understand shit and how to read them always had trouble thanks to you now im getting it somewhat hope sooner or later can be just like u with im only 20 but for im hungry to learn

[@popbahbah4522]

Thanks man, I keep on learning from you 👍👌👏

[@imfloridano5448]

Well done young man excellent trouble shootin techniques

[@billneu9520]

You should be an instructor for auto class very good thanks for your time, Bill N LI NY I am 77 yrs old and still learning

[@paulcatania9697]

Excellent diagnosis. Superb. Looks like a fire waiting to happen.

[@riman34]

Awesome analysis.

[@IAMNOSLEEP]

Awesome... Thanks for sharing Eric. Cheers.

[@lampreytetelo1568]

Everything looks awesome...nice job

[@PhillyDee215]

Very detailed diag💯good shit bro

[@placasowuicho967]

Next level diagnostics skills. Also that is reason 101 why u do not add after market stuff to ur vehicle.

[@neilmurphy845]

Ya especially if you don't install it correctly

[@neilmurphy845]

@Jason Bowman ow so that's what a 2way radio is I was wondering what is the difference between a cb radio and a amateur radio

[@neilmurphy845]

@Jason Bowman thank you for the explaining

[@Krillekris]

You are a good teacher. Learned a lot :-)

[@titanjake8640]

I just stumbled on your channel you are a very good mechanic!!! As far as aftermarket alarm install that was a sad install. No telling what may have happened. T-taps are good but for a piece of mind I usually solder and forget it. Aging great channel!!! The install prob killed it!! Hopefully my car will be in a video 😅

[@athhud]

T-taps are garbage. They damage conductors and are notorious for open faults.

[@tomsawyer4776]

Great work finding the problem....I hope the aftermarket alarm system gets ripped out. The punks that do that low quality work deserve to be exposed. Ask the owner who did the work.

[@billwasylenko1599]

Ur always on point. I like ur style ur very good at electrical. But that was a long diag for a fuse.

[@josephludwig1126]

Excellent presentation

[@Guillotines_For_Globalists]

Nice mess. Thanks, alarm and remote start shop!

[@josedejesusvelazquez6863]

amazing WORK and great explanation of all the follow-up of the electrical diagram. best of my regards and God bless you giving you much more intelligence. from Tijuana 🇲🇽 Mexico. 👍👍👍

[@blackericdenice]

I don’t blame you for not messing with the car. When I saw all those wires. I would have walked away. Anyone who can afford a truck like that. Should have it fixed legit.

[@wtfman5313]

Excellent channel my man!

[@erno9248]

Thanks for the lesson...

[@alirezajafari7070]

U are so good man! The way u explain things is like when we were students at school which i never liked it😂 But i kinda forced myself to watch it all and learn something from the best! BTW I am watching ur videos from afghanistan for the past couple days! newly subed. take care bro.

[@flyinwalenda]

What a rookie job ! That's a "let the next guy worry about it" install.

[@andybub45]

@@felixgato4392 ill bet this customer paid good money for that system to be installed. They did a shit wiring job, its on them. I would demand for a partial refund after seeing a shit job like that.

[@MrFantasylover1]

Well done!!

[@rafaeltorovip]

There are some car owners that are a menace and some mechanics too. Scary. Hopefully that car doesn’t catch on fire. Thanks for the video. 👍

[@vincescalise4821]

Great video, and wiring was an absolute mess Could’ve been done a whole lot betterThat ,as always You found the problem great job

[@naushadali95]

super video.i love your videos.thanks

[@billbly1691]

Love your channel thank you

[@tam1381]

Nice video Eric and clearly explained. However what a terrible job of fitting that after market unit. He better get a fire extinguisher for his car.

[@wilwiener]

Great video sir, be careful front probing connectors with pin type probes. Did that once on a Lexus and had it come back due to poor connection

[@joehomanick]

I love aftermarket stuff !! Nothing wrong with it as long as you do it the rite way . Great job buddy !!!!!!!

[@angelp9658]

Good job !! YOUR the man looks like you don't BULLSHIT AROUND!! From Sarasota, Florida!!

[@pauldavis8716]

Great video bro. Whenever I get cars with electrical problems that has some stupid aftermarket alarm or remote start, the first thing I do is to remove it and then start working backwards to get vehicle back to it's original state. Here in Panamá I can't find one good technician that can or has installed these things correctly.

[@yazming1720]

GREAT VIDEO...Thank You for the very easy to follow tutorial. I've subscribed & CHINGOS of 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍...Please keep them coming. Yazmin Venice Beach ⛱