2014 Ford Explorer charging system fault on cold start

[SamiAlnemri]

Hi everyone, I have a 2014 ford explorer limited. lately, I started getting the charging system fault, I replaced the battery and still has the same issue. the charging system fault comes only during cold start for a few seconds causing the steering to jam. I tested the battery and alternator output using a multimeter, while the engine is off, it was reading 12.6v, when the engine starts, the voltage dropped to 11.6v, and after a few seconds I get the charging system fault, then the alternator kicks in with 14v voltage and fault disappear. and everything is normal for the rest of the day.
I tested the charging system at Autozone and everything was fine. any suggestion? could it be the alternator itself or the voltage regulator or what? appreciate your feedback if faced a similar case.

 

[2020FordRaptor]

Hi everyone, I have a 2014 ford explorer limited. lately, I started getting the charging system fault, I replaced the battery and still has the same issue. the charging system fault comes only during cold start for a few seconds causing the steering to jam. I tested the battery and alternator output using a multimeter, while the engine is off, it was reading 12.6v, when the engine starts, the voltage dropped to 11.6v, and after a few seconds I get the charging system fault, then the alternator kicks in with 14v voltage and fault disappear. and everything is normal for the rest of the day.
I tested the charging system at Autozone and everything was fine. any suggestion? could it be the alternator itself or the voltage regulator or what? appreciate your feedback if faced a similar case.

Welcome. Sorry I wouldn't know.

 

[peterk9]

Hi everyone, I have a 2014 ford explorer limited. lately, I started getting the charging system fault, I replaced the battery and still has the same issue. the charging system fault comes only during cold start for a few seconds causing the steering to jam. I tested the battery and alternator output using a multimeter, while the engine is off, it was reading 12.6v, when the engine starts, the voltage dropped to 11.6v, and after a few seconds I get the charging system fault, then the alternator kicks in with 14v voltage and fault disappear. and everything is normal for the rest of the day.
I tested the charging system at Autozone and everything was fine. any suggestion? could it be the alternator itself or the voltage regulator or what? appreciate your feedback if faced a similar case.

Welcome to the Forum.
Just looking for a little clarification on "cold start". Does this mean that the Explorer has been sitting for a few hours or does it mean anytime you start it up even if it has only been OFF a few minutes or so?

Peter

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Hi everyone, I have a 2014 ford explorer limited. lately, I started getting the charging system fault, I replaced the battery and still has the same issue. the charging system fault comes only during cold start for a few seconds causing the steering to jam. I tested the battery and alternator output using a multimeter, while the engine is off, it was reading 12.6v, when the engine starts, the voltage dropped to 11.6v, and after a few seconds I get the charging system fault, then the alternator kicks in with 14v voltage and fault disappear. and everything is normal for the rest of the day.
I tested the charging system at Autozone and everything was fine. any suggestion? could it be the alternator itself or the voltage regulator or what? appreciate your feedback if faced a similar case.

welcome to EF!

 

[SamiAlnemri]

Welcome to the Forum.
Just looking for a little clarification on "cold start". Does this mean that the Explorer has been sitting for a few hours or does it mean anytime you start it up even if it has only been OFF a few minutes or so?

Peter

Thanks for the reply, I meant with a cold start when it is overnight and you start it first thing in the morning.

 

[Odrapnew]

How many miles are on your Explorer?
Has the serpentine belt ever been changed?

I wonder if the belt is slipping a bit (but not making noise) causing the drop in voltage.

Mine did that with older belt but only in the rain. Lights would seem a bit dim an the wipers slowed down, then all of a sudden they would work fine. New belt solved it. Mine didn't show a fault, so I only noticed it due to the slow wipers.

 

[J_C]

Might be a shot in the dark but I wonder if your steering is jamming and this is causing the voltage sag, not the other way around. I know there where some problems with the earlier 5th gen racks. How to check this, I don't know, maybe pull the fuse to the rack and see if the problem persists? I assume it happens every time you have a cold start so is reproducible?

What is the exact timing, how many seconds after it starts till the charging system warning, and how long does that persist until the charging circuit kicks in and the warning goes off? I'm wondering if this timing is normal, lighter load on the engine for a few seconds during cold start and initial idle.

 

[SamiAlnemri]

How many miles are on your Explorer?
Has the serpentine belt ever been changed?

I wonder if the belt is slipping a bit (but not making noise) causing the drop in voltage.

Mine did that with older belt but only in the rain. Lights would seem a bit dim an the wipers slowed down, then all of a sudden they would work fine. New belt solved it. Mine didn't show a fault, so I only noticed it due to the slow wipers.

it's 142000 now, I couldn't find a record that the serpentine belt was changed, but anyway I am planning to replace it next week with the oil service. hopefully, the issue will be resolved.

 

[SamiAlnemri]

Might be a shot in the dark but I wonder if your steering is jamming and this is causing the voltage sag, not the other way around. I know there where some problems with the earlier 5th gen racks. How to check this, I don't know, maybe pull the fuse to the rack and see if the problem persists? I assume it happens every time you have a cold start so is reproducible?

What is the exact timing, how many seconds after it starts till the charging system warning, and how long does that persist until the charging circuit kicks in and the warning goes off? I'm wondering if this timing is normal, lighter load on the engine for a few seconds during cold start and initial idle.

The steering jam happens only when the charging system fault comes for a few seconds and then everything goes back to normal.
I did monitor the alternator timing to kick in, so when I start the engine the battery voltage is at 12 V and the alternator starts charging only after 15 seconds then the voltage goes up to 14 V. so before the voltage reaches 14 V around 12 seconds after the engine start I get the charging system fault for 3 seconds and when the voltage becomes 14 the fault disappears and everything is normal.

 

[peterk9]

Since the Explorer has electric steering, I would think the "jamming" would be due to the charging system fault and not something associated with the actual steering.

Peter

 

[J_C]

^ But would the system disable power to the steering in a low voltage state? Surely the steering should work at 12V and it seems like if the vehicle had a fault while driving, steering is one of the last things Ford would pick to disable itself because that could easily cause a wreck? That makes me suspect there is a fault in the steering, even if that fault turns out to be an indirect one like bad contact for battery +/- robbing the steering of current.

 

[J_C]

it's 142000 now, I couldn't find a record that the serpentine belt was changed, but anyway I am planning to replace it next week with the oil service. hopefully, the issue will be resolved.

Good idea to replace the belt at this mileage, but if it is consistently failing to charge for the same ~15 second interval every time on cold start, but then works fine, then it is doubtful this is the cause. Edit: At the same time, if the belt is slipping then it is likely you need a new tensioner, not just the belt.

Attached is the 2014 Workshop Manual section on charging. In some cases the fault may set a trouble code that a scan tool can pick up. I don't know if the code would remain stored or if you'd have to pull it while in the fault state, right after a cold start.

 

[peterk9]

^ But would the system disable power to the steering in a low voltage state? Surely the steering should work at 12V and it seems like if the vehicle had a fault while driving, steering is one of the last things Ford would pick to disable itself because that could easily cause a wreck? That makes me suspect there is a fault in the steering, even if that fault turns out to be an indirect one like bad contact for battery +/- robbing the steering of current.

That's a good point. Now does "jammed" mean frozen or hard to turn? He mentions that after the initial issue, everything is good for the rest of the day. I did some searching and found a couple of items neither of which seems to definitively answer the question about the steering.
"A bad battery will not cause the power steering to fail, but it can affect the operation of the power steering system. If the battery is low on voltage, it can cause the power steering pump to work harder than it should, which can lead to premature failure. A bad battery can also cause the power steering system to leak fluid."

does a low battey voltage affect EPAS - Search

www.bing.com

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=e00043447f394f42JmltdHM9MTY2NTg3ODQwMCZpZ3VpZD0zNjYxZjg0NS0zMjUyLTZmZjEtMTQ1My1mN2M5MzM3ODZlMjImaW5zaWQ9NTE5Ng&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=3661f845-3252-6ff1-1453-f7c933786e22&psq=does+a+low+battey+voltage+affect+EPAS&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZjE1MGZvcnVtLmNvbS9mMi9wbGVhc2UtaGVscC1lcGFzLXBvd2VyLXN0ZWVyaW5nLWZhaWx1cmUtdnMtYmF0dGVyeS12b2x0YWdlLWNoYXJnaW5nLXN5c3RlbS01MDUyOTAv&ntb=1

Peter

 

[peterk9]

The steering jam happens only when the charging system fault comes for a few seconds and then everything goes back to normal.
I did monitor the alternator timing to kick in, so when I start the engine the battery voltage is at 12 V and the alternator starts charging only after 15 seconds then the voltage goes up to 14 V. so before the voltage reaches 14 V around 12 seconds after the engine start I get the charging system fault for 3 seconds and when the voltage becomes 14 the fault disappears and everything is normal.

When you replaced that battery did let the vehicle sit undisturbed for 8 hours and did you reset the BMS (Battery Management System) so the info of old info is erased?

Peter

 

[hglee]

How many miles are on your Explorer?
Has the serpentine belt ever been changed?

I wonder if the belt is slipping a bit (but not making noise) causing the drop in voltage.

Mine did that with older belt but only in the rain. Lights would seem a bit dim an the wipers slowed down, then all of a sudden they would work fine. New belt solved it. Mine didn't show a fault, so I only noticed it due to the slow wipers.

I would echo Odrapnew's comment here. I've noticed the timing/serpentine belt throw a "check engine" fault as well. Whenever it does that, the remote start is flaky at best -- and usually doesn't work at all. I suspect that this is a safety mechanism (i.e., don't start the car remotely if you're getting any sort of check-engine signal from the "motherboard").

 

[Chaos Wrench]

Since the Explorer has electric steering, I would think the "jamming" would be due to the charging system fault and not something associated with the actual steering.

Peter

Steering problem with mine came with a popping or clicking. Ford claimed no codes or issues but I suspected the bearings in the rack and pinion were binding. They assured me it wasn't. After 3 different visits the steering locked on the freeway. It was exactly what I thought and I had to wait for a month on back order for a replacement rack and pinion. Left the car undrivable. I know of at least 2 other cases of this happening. But after 7 visits and diagnostic runs I also have the charging fault warning that goes away. I'm going to try and see if they will check the serpentine on mine and see if that works.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’d replace the tensioner.

 

[rrrprt12]

I’d replace the tensioner.

Hi everyone, I have a 2014 ford explorer limited. lately, I started getting the charging system fault, I replaced the battery and still has the same issue. the charging system fault comes only during cold start for a few seconds causing the steering to jam. I tested the battery and alternator output using a multimeter, while the engine is off, it was reading 12.6v, when the engine starts, the voltage dropped to 11.6v, and after a few seconds I get the charging system fault, then the alternator kicks in with 14v voltage and fault disappear. and everything is normal for the rest of the day.
I tested the charging system at Autozone and everything was fine. any suggestion? could it be the alternator itself or the voltage regulator or what? appreciate your feedback if faced a similar case.

Did you ever figure out the issue. My 2014 is going the same thing except it takes about 2 minutes before the voltage from the alternator kicks in on a cold start. My battery is new and belt is new. I am being told if the alternator was bad it wouldn't be only on a cold start.

 

[peterk9]

Did you ever figure out the issue. My 2014 is going the same thing except it takes about 2 minutes before the voltage from the alternator kicks in on a cold start. My battery is new and belt is new. I am being told if the alternator was bad it wouldn't be only on a cold start.

Welcome to the Forum.
I wonder if it could be an issue with the voltage regulator.

Peter

 

[SamiAlnemri]

Welcome to the Forum.
I wonder if it could be an issue with the voltage regulator.

Peter

Hi Peter, the voltage regulator now is inside the alternator, in previous models it was a separate part.