1994 ford explorer battery light on but voltage meter reads good voltage

[robbie81]

I have a 1994 for explorer the battery light came on 2 days ago, it still starts I thought it was my alternater but voltage meter reads good voltage

 

[2stroke]

I'm just curious, before you first start it, what does the battery have for voltage, and what does it have right after start up? It could be something as simple as a corroded battery terminal, or bad wire. Its also a good idea to have your alternator tested.

 

[Ramblinwilly]

Ditto. Any number of the local "A" stores will do a Charging System test. The test will confirm the condition of both the battery and alternator. Lotta cold weather here in PA and the rest of the country. Good reason to check the battery.

 

[Ramblinwilly]

Ditto on checking the battery terminals. They can look good and feel tight but the least bit of corrosion can result in hit and miss issues.

Before you get it tested, I'd remove both battery cable terminals, clean the terminals and the battery posts then re-tighten. You want to make sure you get it "squeaky" clean.

 

[Maniak]

Check the 15 amp fuse that is under the hood. That circuit is what energizes the alternator... Heck, if you pull the alternator light out (same circuit) it won't charge either...

I am assuming it really isn't charging and that the battery just isn't drained that far yet.

~Mark

 

[Wolfie_85]

I had an alternator fail in a way that it was still -partially- charging the battery. Drive with the lights on, it wouldn't keep up. Fine during the day. A test revealed a "ripple", meaning it wasn't producing steady power. I was thinking bad connection or a weak battery. The voltage, according to the vehicle, was normal.

If visual inspection and cleaning don't resolve it, a test should point you in the right direction. Good luck!

 

[mr cribb]

Mine was having issues starting at 9 degrees outside in December 2014. Battery was new(ish) Alternator still going.

My issue was the battery cables.

If you don't want to pay $50 per cable, auto parts stores have stuff that works. The positive cable you need is 73" or so, and I have a solution that works for the complicated looking negative cable.

 

[larrydd999]

An alternator inherently 'generates' an AC waveform, then it gets rectified into DC by a set of diodes. If one or more diodes fails open circuit, the alternator will still work but the DC output (voltage and current) will be less and the waveform will be 'dirty' which may show up as an annoying whine in your radio. Alternators have other failure modes as well, such as the voltage regulator or the slip ring brushes.