1. Home
  2. Toyota Camry
  3. camry 2005: alternator belt and battery

camry 2005: alternator belt and battery

Hi there:

A few days ago as I was driving my 2005 camry the battery light came on and thinking that the problem was the battery (my battery had some leakage the last 2 years - i.e. white "sugar" at the 2 poles but working fine) I stopped at the local Sears to have my car checked.

There they found that the alternator belt was out of position; this resulted from a lousy rotating cylinder attached to the alternator. Thus, they replaced the belt (some small damage), the entire alternator (they told me that its rotating cylinder is not sold separately) and the battery (being bad).

Thus I have the following questions:

(a) It is ok to replace a Toyota battery with a DieHard Gold battery? (b) Is it common that the rotating alternator cylinder is found lousy? (c) Is this repair part of the warranty? My car is still under the

5year/50,000 miles initial warranty.

The amazing and quite dangerous thing was that this belt is part of the power steering system; it was very difficult to turn the car to park it at the local Sears - and I am a strong person! ???

Thank you in advance,

/PB

Reply to
News user
Loading thread data ...

Replace an alternator, did you take the old one with you, could you get it because that doesnt sound right, The white on the terminals is corrosion from a poor conection on the cables and the terminals not being sealed, they are sealed when new so that to me means its had work done. As to waranty all this may have been covered. Sears shops in my area are independantly owned, one tried to screw me on a battery and oil, I stopped payment and won against the shop. All of what you describe doesnt sound right especialy the bad alternator pulley and needing a new alternator. I think you should call toyota and see if pulleys are sold seperatly, im sure they are, google it. What you got wasnt cheap. And was it a Rebuilt alternator, thats another thing to avoid like rebuilt starters and fleas.

Reply to
ransley

Actually i did not think to ask for the old alternator.

For the first 3 years there was no corrosion, just for the last 2 years. Is this a result of time or not? "it had work done" means what exactly? My car has only been at a local shop for the regular services only.

I will - thank you.

Reply to
News user

********Possibly your first mistake. That "sugar" is a corrosion byproduct on your battery terminal. It can cause a bad electrical connection, poor battery charge, etc.
*******That "rotating cylinder" is probably your alternator pulley. Bullshit they arent available separately. The battery may, or MAY NOT, have been bad. The belt might well have been bad.
***Yes, if your batter is bad to begin with.
***Very few lice in the engine area. At this point you have no idea if you have been boondoggled, or if they really found a problem.

If you had a chance in hell of checking under warranty, why didnt you take it to Toyota.. Sears sells panties.. Toyota, or a qualified independent, works on cars.

***On most cars nowadays, the "serpentine" belt, or other belt arrangement, operates the water pump,alternator, maybe even the fan, the power steering pump, etc etc. A loose belt, caused by stretching, glazing, or even by a bad belt tensioner, can unleash myriad problems.

I dont know whether you got screwed or not. I suspect probably yes. They may have "seen you coming".

Learn something about your car. It will save you tears and money. Find a good and reliable shop.. I never said dealership, because they can be corrupt as hell. A good dealership shop, or a good independent, can take care of your problems without humping you.

Entendido?

Reply to
hls

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.