Time to kick the tires and light the fires... or catch it on fire!

Not all blog posts can be happy and good news... this post will not be happy or good. Last night on my way to WV, about 20 miles from my Mom's house, the alternator died on the 4Runner... it was pretty late at night but thankfully I didn't have a bunch of crap in the 4Runner to worry about being stolen. I abandoned the truck to the side of the road, and came home and went to bed. After waking up early, I went back to the truck and met a tow truck driver, who towed the 4Runner back to my Mom's. It certainly wasn't a cheap process, but it was a good learning experience. I will be getting AAA before I head west, just to be safe! This morning I went and bought a new alternator and battery and installed them both into the 4Runner. It's a pretty easy and straight forward process. The rest of the day I spent tracing wires and checking connections, looking for shorts and making repairs in an attempt not to overload and cook the new alternator. Today has been a minor set back, but still a setback none the less. The cost of parts and towing add up fast, but it's not something I'm worried about effecting my trip to greatly just yet. Time and planning will tell.

On to the stuff I know you all want to see!

Old alternator VS new:

Original Toyota alternator with 220k miles on it!

Old battery details:

New battery details:

Had to drain the radiator to remove the bottom rad hose to get the old alternator out, and new alternator in. Good thing too because that coolant/antifreeze was NASTY!

Well, thats thats! I'll be spending the next day or so going over all the wiring again and making sure everything checks out okay. Today has been a long day!

See ya, Hippies,
Levi