ConnieCB
New Member
- Joined
- September 23, 2018
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Middletown
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1997 Ford Explorer XLT
So I bought a 1997 Ford Explorer XLT that I love a week ago. When I bought it I knew it was going to be a little bit of work, however it had a new battery the transmission has been rebuilt 2 years ago, and a new motor put in about 5 years ago. Bought brakes and rotors and intended to put them on this weekend.
One of the things that I've been trying to figure out is nothing lights up on the radio, there's no visual at all. And there are no lights on the dash for gauges. The other interior lights work however.
Found the fuse box to the side of the dash, and replaced a blown fuse. However immediately all the gauges stopped responding, so I figured perhaps the fuse wasn't put in correctly, so I took it out and reinserted, making sure it was tight. All the gauges started working fine EXCEPT the battery voltage gauge was reading super low. I figured it was something to do with the fuse I replaced and figured I would play with it later.
Go run errands, and after stopping and going a few different places, suddently the battery voltage gauge drops all the way down and the red check gauge light kicks on. And a few minutes later the vehicle starts beeping! I turn the wheel into a driveway I was taking my daughter, and the engine dies. Won't start.
Family member comes out, jumps my car, as soon I turn on lights or shift from reverse into drive it dies again. End up having it towed home, pretty sure it's the alternator.
Get home, take alternator off, and the battery. Take 'em into the auto parts store, have them tested. They tell me the battery is bad (the battery was less than a month old when I bought the Explorer last week. Guy showed me the receipt), but the alternator is fine. I'm like 'no way test it again.' I made them test it like 4x's and they rook me back there to show me. They ran 95amps and 130. Sooo... I buy a new battery, gauge is still reading super low. Call auto parts store, they tell me maybe the battery needs charged and it's been sitting too long....
I drove it to a family members who hooks a meter up to the battery, says the battery is reading fine. Alternator is not reading a voltage. He tells me the wires and connectors are tight, look clean and seem like they're good. He says he doubts its a connector or wire to the alternator bc it's very rare they go bad.
Could it maybe be a fuse? I located the fuse box on top of the engine, as the hidden one next to the battery and another under the alternator, thanks to YouTube. But none of them are labeled, it's not in the manual book. I can find label keys for the engine compartment box, and the one inside the cab. But not for the battery box or ubder the alternator.
Someone said to find the Alternator System fuse and replace that, but again can't find that. Someone also said maybe a bad grounding wire. Someone else mentioned fusible links?
I'll be honest, I'm not super car savvy. A lot of self taught, from YouTube videos or learned from my dad who passed away 17 years ago. At this point I've sworn to my husband I'm about go get a mechanic and electrical engineer degree so I can figure all this out. Lol. Any help, recommendations, diagrams and videos are all appreciated.
One of the things that I've been trying to figure out is nothing lights up on the radio, there's no visual at all. And there are no lights on the dash for gauges. The other interior lights work however.
Found the fuse box to the side of the dash, and replaced a blown fuse. However immediately all the gauges stopped responding, so I figured perhaps the fuse wasn't put in correctly, so I took it out and reinserted, making sure it was tight. All the gauges started working fine EXCEPT the battery voltage gauge was reading super low. I figured it was something to do with the fuse I replaced and figured I would play with it later.
Go run errands, and after stopping and going a few different places, suddently the battery voltage gauge drops all the way down and the red check gauge light kicks on. And a few minutes later the vehicle starts beeping! I turn the wheel into a driveway I was taking my daughter, and the engine dies. Won't start.
Family member comes out, jumps my car, as soon I turn on lights or shift from reverse into drive it dies again. End up having it towed home, pretty sure it's the alternator.
Get home, take alternator off, and the battery. Take 'em into the auto parts store, have them tested. They tell me the battery is bad (the battery was less than a month old when I bought the Explorer last week. Guy showed me the receipt), but the alternator is fine. I'm like 'no way test it again.' I made them test it like 4x's and they rook me back there to show me. They ran 95amps and 130. Sooo... I buy a new battery, gauge is still reading super low. Call auto parts store, they tell me maybe the battery needs charged and it's been sitting too long....
I drove it to a family members who hooks a meter up to the battery, says the battery is reading fine. Alternator is not reading a voltage. He tells me the wires and connectors are tight, look clean and seem like they're good. He says he doubts its a connector or wire to the alternator bc it's very rare they go bad.
Could it maybe be a fuse? I located the fuse box on top of the engine, as the hidden one next to the battery and another under the alternator, thanks to YouTube. But none of them are labeled, it's not in the manual book. I can find label keys for the engine compartment box, and the one inside the cab. But not for the battery box or ubder the alternator.
Someone said to find the Alternator System fuse and replace that, but again can't find that. Someone also said maybe a bad grounding wire. Someone else mentioned fusible links?
I'll be honest, I'm not super car savvy. A lot of self taught, from YouTube videos or learned from my dad who passed away 17 years ago. At this point I've sworn to my husband I'm about go get a mechanic and electrical engineer degree so I can figure all this out. Lol. Any help, recommendations, diagrams and videos are all appreciated.
