Need 3.4L Alternator help

tacoma_AL

Adventurer
So last year my engine blew, long story short I replaced it with another 3.4l with 20k on it seeing as I had 250k on the other with out an issue till it suddenly dropped the bottom end at 70mph.

So on to my issue, I finally after a year finished replacing the engine 3 months ago. Engine ran strong until last Thursday when driving to go pick up lunch my alternator started smoking and burning. I started pulling over and my dash and radio went dead, nothing works, engine still running. I opened the hood and saw my alt starting to glow, ran to turn off the engine. fast forward later that night after getting it home I found my lights still work but I have no brake lights. Alt turns freely after having taken it off, took the pigtail off the back of the alt and it was melted to it so I'm going to a junk yard to replace it tomorrow, Monday. I checked the fuse and does not look blown. Has anyone had this problem before? Is there anything else I need to get tomorrow? I have some what good electrical skills but by no means awesome at it. Just really confused what else I should check. Is it possible it could have destroyed the harness or something else major?

Thanks, really just lost for things to do at this point.
 

1911

Expedition Leader
I opened the hood and saw my alt starting to glow, ran to turn off the engine. fast forward later that night after getting it home I found my lights still work but I have no brake lights. Alt turns freely after having taken it off, took the pigtail off the back of the alt and it was melted ...

Hard to say for sure without seeing it in person, but from your description it sounds like the alternator lunched a bearing. Other than heat damage to anything plastic in the immediate area, it shouldn't have harmed your wiring harness or anything connected to the harness.
 

tacoma_AL

Adventurer
Ok so everything is back together and that netted me zero - 1% of progress. I'm fixing to go out on a limb and sound stupid, but on my old jeep I had when I was 16 the guy I bought it from had sort of breaker like fuses that would pop then reset themselves or you could reset them like the ones in a house. Do these trucks have anything like that or a main fuse I should probably look at thats not located in the fuse box? I'm really beginning to think this truck wants to die but I wont let it. Day 5 begins tomorrow.

Thanks 1911 for trying to help.
 
J

JWP58

Guest
So you replaced the alternator with a new one and you still don't have brake lights? Or are there more electrical things not working??? I would check all fuses, maybe you blew some when your alternator went.
 

tacoma_AL

Adventurer
Yep JWP, I just finished that a few minutes ago. Got some interesting results, half the fuse box in the engine compartment was getting power and the other half was not; none in the cab were getting power. Will dive more into that tomorrow. Just getting a long overdue lesson in electrical components I guess.
 

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