All,

My son is in the process of buying a 1984 4x4 Toyota pickup with the 22R engine that is not charging. The previous owner had the alternator rebuilt thinking that was the problem. We took the alternator off and had the local parts store check it. It checked out OK. I checked all the obvious stuff like charging fuse, loose wires etc. and didn’t find anything. The previous owner thought the voltage regulator was in the alternator, however I see a box on the driver’s side fender that says regulator or IEC regulator, and I think the wiring from it is going to the alternator. Does anyone know a procedure for checking the voltage regulator with a voltmeter to see if the voltage regulator is bad, or is there something else I should be looking at? The previous owner said if you turned the key switch on and off several times you could get the charging light to go off. I wasn’t able to repeat this. What should I try next? Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

Doug

What shape is the batt in ? will it take a charge ? keep it ?
Are the batt terminals clean and tight ?

The alt should put out 14V+, does it ?
Does it drop significantly under a load (all lights, fans, etc. turned on) ?

The battery we are using is out of another truck so yes it is known good and does hold a charge, however when put in the ’84 Toyota the voltage goes from 12+ volts and starts going down as the truck runs since the truck isn’t charging. Yes the battery terminals are clean and tight. I never put any heavy loads on it like lights, etc. The voltage drops even with no load. Thanks.

Doug

I'd have the alt bench tested again, somewhere else.
Also check the wiring at the alt, both the plug and the output wire. Trace them from one end to the other to make sure everythings OK (no broken/shorted wires.)
If it checks out OK, try a new volt reg. (Yes, it is that module on the fender)

OK. Thanks.

Doug