Battery NOT charging

[mistert2]

I am having a problem with my battery not chrging

First I have just installed a new starter, connections all tight. A new alternator, all connections tight and a new battery, all connections tight. But my charge battery light on my dash is on and I can see the guage is showing low battery and with car running does not go up. I have tested the battery and is showing full charge but the alternator tested is between 9-10+-. So not enough to charge battery.

FYI this is the second alternator because happened on the first so I took back to the "zone" and exchanged but same.

are there any fusible links that could have blown. I have checked fuses and have swapped around the relays thinking maybe blown but still same problem.

What can I do?

 

[koda2000]

it would seem to be quite a coincidence that your alt would go bad right after your starter took a dump. are you sure you hooked up all the wires (and hooked them up correctly) at the starter?

i suspect a wiring problem, or broken wire, if the fuses are good.

 

[mistert2]

To be quite honest koda2000,
The new alternator was a result of taking it to unnamed parts store and them telling me was bad. I'm not so sure really was. I don't really trust their methods or the help they hire. I'm sorry if I am hurting feelings but that's just from my experiences. If you ask a question most of the time they don't know.
I and a mechanic friend have checked all the connections and they are all correct and tight.

 

[jp450]

There are fusable links. They are near the fuse box under the hood. The ones I have seen have grey wires that go into a black heat shrink. With the truck running, check the voltage at the alternator connection. Then check at the battery. If there are no bad connections you should be seeing close to 14 volts at both places. Also check all the cables, at times they corode from the inside out and create all sorts of problems. If you do not see 14 volts at the alternator it may be another bad one. Typically the box stores and even Ford will have reman alternators. At times the quality is not there. (I got a bad one from Ford once) Finally, and this is the last thing it could be is the PCM is not talking to the voltage regulator in the alternator telling it to charge. I doubt this is the problem but it is a possability.

 

[Turdle]

Check mini fuse #6 under the hood.

 

[koda2000]

To be quite honest koda2000,
The new alternator was a result of taking it to unnamed parts store and them telling me was bad. I'm not so sure really was. I don't really trust their methods or the help they hire. I'm sorry if I am hurting feelings but that's just from my experiences. If you ask a question most of the time they don't know.
I and a mechanic friend have checked all the connections and they are all correct and tight.

well, i have to agree with you. most of the people the discount auto parts chains hire typically know little-to-nothing about cars. when i semi-retired a few years back, i tried working at AZ (O'Reilly and Advance are no better). the reason i quit was the quality of people they kept hiring and expected me to train. about the time they were worth a crap, they'd quit or get fired for stealing (more commonly the latter). that's because the chains only want to pay minimum wage. at that hourly rate you're not going to attract many SAE certified mechanics. your original alternator was probably good.

that said, i stand by my original thought... wiring, fuse, or fuseable link problem. keep checking.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

Hey mistert2, I just saw this thread. I posted this on the other thread...
There is also a 30 amp mini fuse in the dist box(#14 I think) that supplies 12v to the regulator. Check that as well. Only having 9v at that mega fuse is not good. I don't think the alt will charge with less than 10v at the rectifier. There's got to be a bad connection or some corrosion either at a connection or in a cable.

 

[mistert2]

I was just noticing that a light is on even with ignition off on my towing package brake controller. Should that be on all the time? I don't remember it being on all the time. Can that be my problem?

 

[koda2000]

i don't see any reason that your brake controller should have power with the key OFF. i guess that's how someone wired it. i would wire it to key ON source, but at any rate i don't see how that could be causing your alt to not charge. if you're sure the brake controller light was not on before, then you're getting some sort of power feed-back. not the problem, but perhaps a symptom.

 

[mistert2]

The brake controller is connected under the hood to a relay. One lead comes off positive side of battery and one comes off negative side of battery. Could the switch be causing a short of some kind giving me a problem?

 

[mistert2]

I was just wondering also that since I am getting some power from alternator but not enough what does that have to do with loose or damaged connection. Seems bad connection would mean all or none power.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

From what you're describing you aren't getting any charge from the alternator. If you were then you would see more than 12v on the battery. The minimal voltage you're seeing at the alternator is low battery voltage. Maybe this will help you understand and troubleshoot a little easier.

Battery cables by their nature are prone to corrosion wicking up into the cable itself. When this happens it decreases the voltage by increasing the resistance of the wire. Follow the diagram and make sure you have 12v where you should, at the B+ and yellow/white striped wire in the small grey plug at the alt. You may only have 2 wires in this plug, y/w and lg/rd(light green/red. this is for the battery light in the dash). The other wire for the stator is sometimes jumped internally.