PaulE

Hi, thanks for the info- if it is the belt tensioner where is the best place to get one- I clicked the link but Partsouq showed "nothing found"- I searched on Toyota EPC and found the info attached- are there any other suppliers I could try?

Not sure what is needed, I assume if it is the alternator I would have to replace it but if anyone can advise me what is required and if anyone has had a similar issue.

Hello, the - what I think is the alternator or the area near it has suddenly become very noisy (see video) sounds like a bearing noise. If it is the alternator can it be fixed or is it a replacement. The belt appears to be in good condition but is it best to replace that also? If replacement where is the best place to buy one and can anyone supply me with a part no. please. Series 1 hybrid E4 - vin ATH10 0013973. many thanks 20240214_104856.mp4

I had the exact same symptoms about a year ago and it was down to 2x units in the HV battery failing. Mark rebuilt the HV battery and it is actually better than before- vehicle had done about 70k miles. 6 weeks later the Inverter pump failed and Mark supplied me one and my local garage fitted it. Might be worth having both done as inverter cooling pumps have a finite life and you need to protect the inverter. It is worth contacting Mark and I am sure he would give you the best advice.

We spent 2 years deciding what to buy and we found a lot of info looking at Jap car Finder Bradford as he puts his vehicles on Youtube. We haven't dealt with him so can't guarantee how good he is but he seems to have a good reputation and he imports a wide range of Jap vehicles. The main thing is you can learn a great deal from his in depth videos. Always check out a dealers reputation there are some bad ones. It's worth a look on Used Toyota Alphard Cars For Sale In Bradford West Yorkshire At JAP Car Finder Ltd (website) or (71) JAP CAR FINDER LTD - YouTube and you can see previous videos

The acknowledgement is much appreciated- good luck. Any more questions- please ask.

From my own experience with a series 1 Hybrid- in retrospect I would buy the series 1 petrol 2.4 as the hybrid only gives a marginal increase in fuel economy ( if the HV battery is on top line) and it would avoid any issues with the hybrid system which is expensive to fix and difficult to find anyone who will touch it. I had my HV battery rebuilt this year and was lucky to get a professional who knew the vehicle but it was off the road for 3 months (so far is working very well). The petrol only versions I believe are usually very reliable- I have had no issues with the petrol engine so far in 2 years. I don't know if the series 2 hybrids are more reliable. Try finding a reputable dealer- forum members have given recommendations if you look for them on the forum. I bought mine from Dave at Vine Place Motors in Durham and the vehicle was ( and still is) in top condition despite the issue I had with the hybrid which was 2 years down the line. It would be worth contacting a few dealers to see what is on offer and how they speak to you. Avoid any vehicles which have had jiggery-pokery done to the mileage- you don't have to have it converted- I have a HUD in mph on my windscreen and I never look at the speedometer and you just tell the garage the ODO is in km at MOT time.

I can advise you of my experiences over the last two winters. First one the 12v battery died over Xmas / New year as I hadn't kept using the vehicle- changed the 12v and car started but the headlight dash symbol was illuminated even though HL not switched on but removing key and starting again solved this- have had this a couple of times since after disconnecting the 12v and going through removing key and restarting solved it. Last winter we had covid and couldn't use the van for some weeks and the 12v was dead . Changed the 12v battery after the last experience but had the same errors as you. Turned out after checking with Techstream there was an issue with the HV battery- 2 units were down. Had to have the battery professionally fixed by Mark at Hybrid Services Torquay. He did suggest to check if the HV was an issue to run the engine (at idle) and see if it cycled normally between the petrol and the HV battery - in other words after so long the petrol would switch off and then switch on again when the HV needed boosting again. N.B. Don't have the aircon, heater or other electric drains on when you do this. You might also look at the hybrid display on the HD unit and see if the charging of the bars seemed ok or a bit odd. Mine would go to 4bars then to one. Another issue could be the hybrid inverter cooling pump- mine went faulty some weeks after having the HV repaired and gave the same dash errors- you can check by running the engine from cold and remove the Hybrid filler cap (to the right of the radiator) and see if the fluid is moving- if it isn't then may be the pump- if it is don't run the engine for any period of time as the inverter may overheat. Also disconnecting the neg terminal on the 12v for 20 mins will reset the faults but if there is an actual fault they will usually re appear after about 20 mins of running the engine. I am no expert- this is all through experience- still learning. Cheers.

A bad 12v battery will stop the hybrid system from working- happened to me and the correct replacement is not cheap. It is a good starting point.

Hi, If not the date I wonder if they are vin no. sequences-my Techstream doesn't recognise the actual vin but gives a list of short sequences to choose from.

I used the "Washinglee" cable from Amazon and the Techstream download they gave me. The instructions included this message_ "Please note that the anti-virus software on your laptop could delete the cable driver when unzip/install it. Most of the people said that these kits do not work, just because they did not get the driver installed correctly on a 64bit/32bit system. Please refer to the product description for more information. If you see the prompt “Unable to connect to VIM”, when running “Techstream Patch 64bit”/“Techstream Patch 32bit”, especially the first time to run it. Generally that means the cable driver was not installed successfully, or the driver was deleted by anti-virus, please refer to the troubleshooting section of the user manual attached in this Email, or contact us for technical support." I use Macafee anti virus and I had to instruct it allow the 64 bit driver- there may be a similar utility on your anti virus.

Just found this on ebay- not interested myself but what are the chances of repairing this. 2004 TOYOTA ALPHARD 2.4 PETROL/HYBRID AUTOMATIC 7 SEATER LIGHT DAMAGED SALVAGE | eBay

My dealer fitted a HUD which shows mph in the corner of the windscreen (they can be bought for a few pounds). I use this all the time as it is easy to see without taking eyes off the road so I rarely look at the speedo which is still in km. At MOT I make sure the garage records the ODO in KM- no problem. I didn't see the point of spending money to change to mph and I believe there can be serious issues changing the ODO electronically- please do a lot of homework before deciding.

What exactly is the problem- what fault codes and dash warning lights are you getting and is it a problem with the hybrid system?

Found this on Youtube - perhaps it might help.

There is a long list of Toyota fault codes on the link below. Hope this helps. Hybrid specific dtc codes | Toyota Nation Forum If the inverter is faulty there may be other reasons for it such as the failure of the inverter cooling pump causing overheating or a blocked radiator core causing the same. There are forum members who have changed inverters so hopefully they will respond.

Hi, for some time now I get an intermittent chattering noise which appears to come from the area behind the gear change stick. Sounds like a relay going mad - goes off after a while or comes on for no apparent reason. Everything seems to work ok and no fault lights on the dash. There is a quiet sort of "rushing" noise associated with it - like a liquid running through a pipe but I don't think there is any pipes behind there. Any ideas???

Try Mark at Hybrid Repair Services- He is a very knowledgeable and helpful, he fixed my Hybrid recently. I am sure he would at least give you advice. Contact | Hybrid Repair Sevice | Mobile Hybrid Battery Repair (hybridrepairservice.co.uk)

Hi, is 2019 the actual date of manufacture or the date imported or registered in this country? Some dealers show the import/ registration date on their advertising but the vehicle may be 18-20 years old- Carefully check this and if possible check the auction appraisal and also if possible again if the owners service book is available see when it last had a major service- it will be in Japanese but you can work out the date (Jap date system)and mileage (in KM). Mine had been serviced just before auction which may be why all the non hybrid bits are in such good condition even now. I have a 2005 hybrid Series 1 bought with 67k miles but this year I had to have a new 12v battery ( the correct one is expensive) the HV battery refurbished ( 2x modules where faulty) and a new inverter pump so has been an expensive year so far and lots of down time. Hoping I will get some good mileage now but who knows. The link below gives a good appreciation of the early Alphard hybrids, read it to the end - wish I had seen it 2 years ago but info was sparse then and still is but getting better. In hindsight I would have gone for a 2.4 petrol -I suppose any vehicle of that age could have issues but the hybrid system adds an extra element. Issues tend to happen over winter especially as the vehicle needs to be driven regularly to keep the hybrid system in good condition. Outside of the hybrid issues the vehicle drives beautifully and is otherwise in very good condition- fingers crossed. Hope this helps. If there is any other info I can give - let me know. P.S. don't rush into buying - there are a lot of good vehicles out there but there are bad ones and shady dealers. Check with the forum members if they have dealt with your dealer. Toyota Hybrid - THS-C (toyota-club.net)

This is off the Toyota Club Net- hope it helps. Toyota-Club.Net - Fluids & capacities - Alphard 10 (2002-2008)

Parked at West Bay on June 11th on holiday with my Alphard (wife came as well)- saw these 2 Alphies and wondered if they are members- didn't get to speak to the owners unfortunately. The silver one is a V6 G edition- the black one looks like a camper.

I have the same cable - not sure what it does but terminates somewhere below the alternator- if orange colour then must be a hybrid part. Does it control the engine start stop? see pics.

My front sensors only seem come on within a few inches of an object and the Japanese lady tells me that "Daddy made it" (sounds like) -have not really checked the rear ones but will try the wd40

You might try earlier versions - I use v14.30.23 for 2005 hybrid- could just be a case of finding the correct version that suits your vehicle.

Many thanks for the info. Did you have to refill with coolant and if so how much did it take? The vehicle spec says 4.2 litres I think but I imagine that is for the whole vehicle.