Baffled... Check Charging System

[FL-Gun-Nut]

Hey guys, first of all, I did a search on here and couldn't really find anything similar to what I am experiencing.

2007 Explorer, 4.0 V6, 2WD, 115,000 miles.

Just recently, after fleeing Hurricane Irma in Florida and driving to Michigan, the "Check Charging System" light came on. I had the battery and alternator tested. The alternator was bad, as well as the battery. (Florida heat will murder a battery.)

I replaced both of these parts 3 days ago. All was well after the install.

Tonight, I'm driving home from a short trip to Taco Hell and again, the "Check Charging System" message popped up. When I got home, I checked all of the bolts on the alternator, the positive battery connection, the harness connections, the belt tension, the battery cables and everything else I could think of. The only thing that looked suspicious was that the positive cable from the alternator to the lower engine area was close to the water pump pulley, so I tucked it up behind a line.

I looked at the harmonic balancer to make sure the rubber was in good condition and it looked alright, I couldn't notice in play in it. Also, had the wife jump in it and rev it a few times to make sure the belt was keeping up with engine RPM's.

I'm at a loss here.

 

[Rcflyer330]

I would start with a multimeter to check the voltage of the battery while the car is off and while it is running to see if the battery voltage and alternator voltage look right even know both are new. You can also check it through the obd 2 port with a scanner and live data.

 

[bobditts]

Im guessing a bad ground. Check all your grounding points and make sure they are clean.

 

[michael loibl]

Compare voltage reading both between pos and neg battery terminals while idling to voltage between alternator posivive stud and alternator case. They should be almost the same, if not then you are losing continuity somewhere between battery and alternator

 

[Mbrooks420]

What did you replace the alternator with?

 

[Tech By Trade]

Have a real close look at the remote line to the alternator. I had a problem with mine. It will be the brown or red small wire to the connector on the back of the alternator. It hooks up to the hot wire just after the fusable link. Mine got crushed under the alternator bracket and wore through. Wont charge without it. It also runs down under the water pump, and should be under loom all the way down.