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2014 4Runner Alternator Fail and Charge Light

Big T

Big T

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Location
Fullerton, CA
Alternator went out on the 2014 4Runner, stranding my wife in Mackay, Idaho (population ~500). Original alternator went 318.5K miles. I replaced with new Toyota Denso alternator and that lasted to 395.7K miles, or about 78K miles. Replacement alternator (do not know if it was new or reman, but it was $332) arrived late Monday and the local mechanic it in and sent her on her way. She made it to our Montana home late Monday night, with no further issues. However the battery charging system light remains feintly lit as shown in the following before and after pictures:

IMG_1369.jpegIMG_1373.jpegScreenshot 2025-11-04 at 9.31.23 AM.jpeg

What could be causing this?
 
Update: Discussed the feint charge light and the sporadic no-start with my local mechanic on our loop road (he’s very good and wants to hire me when I retire, but I will only work on my cars). He said the no-start pointed towards issue with the starter. So I ordered new Denso Starter and Alternator from dealer while they still had their sale going on and free shipping.

I had to return to work in SoCal, so I left the parts with my wife who took the 4Runner into the local mechanic. I also provided a list of things I wanted him to check while he had it up on the lift.

Starter had a corroded cable and a broken bolt. The corroded cable was the likely cause of the feint charge light and the sporadic no-starts. With both the new starter and alternator in, the charge light is now officially OFF!

Kept the O’Reilly alternator as a back-up because it was good and not the problem. I also kept the old Denso starter along with the original Denso alternator as the dealers also sell reman Denso starters and alternators for which I can use these as cores. I will wait for their next sale with free shipping to buy these to keep on the shelf as back-ups.

Bushings on the lower control arms are worn after 407K miles. I already have a new set of OEM upper and lower control arms ready to install and will get on that when my wife is next down in SoCal with the 4Runner sometime in mid-February.

Confirmed my observation that the rear shocks are leaking. These are Bilstein 5100s with just over 300K miles on them. New ones were ordered and wife will bring those down for me to install.

The 2014 now has 407K miles and is experiencing the normal expected wear on parts. I call this the needy phase of life. Engine is still running strong with no issues or leaks, but I’m anticipating the water pump will be next to go. Replacing water pump on these is a decent job that I should be able to do in a long day.
 
I just had an intermittent no start on the 05 Yukon about a month ago, turned out severely corroded terminals on the starter just like you. No battery light though.

Impressive miles on that unit. Things rot out up here before we can get near that mileage if not aggressively taken care of in terms of undercoating.
 
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