DIY How to know if your Toyota Wish ZGE20 car alternator have problems?

Wish ZGE20 alternator

 A few weeks ago my Toyota Wish ZGE20 have weird sound coming out from the engine bay.

    So I cranked the engine and opened the engine bay. Seems like the sound came from the alternator. I strongly suspected it came . Upon closer inspection to the alternator I found sorts of brown powder stick to the outer casing of the alternator  and other engine parts around it. There was also loud shrieking noise coming out from the alternator. I guessed it was the faulty bearing  and man. i send the car to a workshop in Jalan Dedap, Taman Melodies and I was correct when the mechanic do some inspection and found out the bearing was almost destroyed. Fortunately the voltage produced was not affected too much and it explained why the car can be started and no battery warning light emitted.

Brown dust is a by product of metal dust that was oxidised when the ball bearing damaged inside the alternator bearing ( rusted parts)

The old chap who was doing all the fine works ( he was actually the owner )

The engine bay of my wonderfull Wish Valvematic ZGE20

Unknown person who was fixing his car engine.

The opened box new alternator bearing.(HCH brand)

The new alternator bearing

The old original alternator bearing taken out from the original Denso Japan alternator. i noticed the original Denso pre installed with NSK brand bearings

Together with alternator pulley( Denso alternator come with clutch pulley which work best for alternator) The small bearing(brown color) is attached to the top of the alternator while the bigger one(pale green) attach to the bottom of the alternator. Here the workshop use the ZNP brand pulley to replace the original one which came with Denso .

The new ZNP brand alternator pulley(clutch pulley) with registration no. ZNP-28650A

For your eyes only, I never knew what was the brand for those starter

Important notes : The original Denso alternator that pre installed to Wish ZGE20 came with clutch type pulley or commonly called as alternator clutch pulley

Here are some of the signs that your car alternator may have problems:

• Your car battery keeps dying. If you find yourself having to jump-start your car more often than usual, it could be a sign that the alternator is not charging the battery properly.
• Your car's electrical accessories are not working properly. If your headlights are dim, your radio is staticky, or your power windows are slow to roll up, it could be a sign that the alternator is not providing enough power.
• Your car's dashboard warning lights are on. If you see the battery light or the alternator light on your dashboard, it's a good idea to have your car checked by a mechanic.
• You hear a whining noise coming from the engine. If you hear a whining noise coming from the engine, it could be a sign that the alternator belt is loose or worn out.

If you suspect that your car's alternator is having problems, it's important to have it checked by a mechanic as soon as possible. A faulty alternator can cause a number of problems, including a dead battery, electrical problems, and even engine damage.

Here are some DIY ways to test your car's alternator:

• The voltmeter test. This is a simple test that you can do with a voltmeter. With the engine running, the voltmeter should read between 13.5 and 14.5 volts. If the reading is lower than 13.5 volts, it could be a sign that the alternator is not charging the battery properly.

Old type Voltmeter machine used by the workshop. Haha kinda retro / classic style machine to measure voltage output of the alternator. :D . Old but still does the wonderful task. :D

• The load test. This is a more involved test that requires a special tool called a load tester. The load tester will simulate the load on the alternator and measure the voltage output. If the voltage output is low, it could be a sign that the alternator is not working properly.

If you're not comfortable doing these tests yourself, you can take your car to a mechanic and they can test the alternator for you.

  Sometimes you need to figure the hard way on finding honest, trusted good mechanic. Those honest one also ever willing to give you good tips on fixing your car. .Cheerio!!

Latest update:

Now I have already replaces the original alternator with aftermarket one with brand QHP U.K somewhere around May 2024

   So far the replaced alternator is working fine. The electrical output seems to be constant. Whenever the engine is running,  the voltage generated by the alternator shows around 14.5 to 14.9V ( via car USB charger with built-in Voltmeter )