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Ford Explorer Community - Maintenance - Modifications - Performance Upgrades - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street
Explorer Forum Covers the Explorer ST, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Ford Aerostar
new to the site just got a 1994 explorer about a month ago ran fine till about a week ago now wont hold charge done changed to alt. 3 times and 3 different batteries. but hi to all..
You are close to me, I'm in Covington Ky. Welcome to the site. You say you put three alternators on your truck? Were they new or used? If the diodes go bad, it causes a short and can drain the battery. Make sure you have no drains on the batt with the vehicle off. Unhook the pos batt cable and use a test light. Connect it between the pos terminal and the batt cable. If it lights you have a drain. Pull fuses until the light goes out. When it does you have found the offending circut. Dive in and see if you can find any shorts in the circut.
You should show very little resistance on the cable, all zeros is best. The only problem is, a cable can ohm fine but still be bad, you are only testing with the miliamps of power in the meter battery not the 90 amps or so of the alternator.
First check voltage at the battery while running at idle. You should see about 13.5 to 14.5 volts. This means there is no major load and the alternator is charging properly.
If voltage is lower than 13, most likely there is a volt drop in the circut. This happens from corossion or a partially cut cable. If less than about 11 volts the alternator is not charging. If you read across a connector or wire and see voltage while the circut is operating, that is the voltage lost in the circut.
For example: Vehicle running at idle. Place a meter lead on the battery terminal and the other lead on the cable connector near the cable. DO NOT disconnect battery cable. Any voltage on your meter is voltage lost that should be going into the batt. You just tested the volt drop across the cable to batt terminal connection. A good connection should show less than .5 volts. If more, clean the connection and retest. You really want .2 volts or less.
Try finding a load on your system like stated in a previous post on this thread. You may have a short somewhere that is draining the system.
Should be 1-2 ohms maximum on each cable. Just grab a multimeter, disconnect both ends of the cable from the battery, alternator, etc.. And check the ohms of the cable.
You are close to me, I'm in Covington Ky. Welcome to the site. You say you put three alternators on your truck? Were they new or used? If the diodes go bad, it causes a short and can drain the battery. Make sure you have no drains on the batt with the vehicle off. Unhook the pos batt cable and use a test light. Connect it between the pos terminal and the batt cable. If it lights you have a drain. Pull fuses until the light goes out. When it does you have found the offending circut. Dive in and see if you can find any shorts in the circut.
hey man i am actually in dayton ky,lol. i stay here and in falmouth. i dont think its a drain cause i can leave it over night and it will still start fine, just very low volts and battery light is on. i just drove it here from falmouth and still have juice but if i use radio,lights, anything like that then it wont last long.
Wow even closer! Check to see what the alt is actually putting out. I have bought new alternators and they were bad. Go to the KOI auto in newport, and get the gold series alternator. I think the re-manufacturer is Palladium. That is, if yours is not charging properly.
If you have the owners manual, it will be in there. I can post a copy of it here, but I do not have it with me at this time. Do a search on the forum, I know someone has posted it before.
The fusible like is in the harness. Its not a traditional looking spade fuse like in the fuse box, its a special sized wire that is designed to safely burn open at a certain amp draw.
ok i got the diagram for the fuse box under the dash now i need diagram for fuse box under hood and the location of the fusible link what it looks like? thanks man i know i am dumb,lol...
From AZone The fusible links are located near the starter solenoid and shares the terminal with the battery-to-starter solenoid cable.
Do not mistake a resistor wire for a fusible link. The resistor wire is generally longer and has print stating, "Resistor-don't cut or splice''. When attaching a single No. 16, 17, 18 or 20 gauge fusible link to a heavy gauge wire, always double the stripped wire end of the fusible link before inserting and crimping it into the butt connector for positive wire retention.
No, not at all. Dumb people don't ask questions to find out stuff.
I think the fusible link is gray in color and its 12 Guage wire. There should be two of them in parallel near the starter relay in the charge line from the alternator stud. This will most likely be tucked away in the plastic covering of the harness.
