Charging System Issue

[smoke74]

This morning the charging system light came on and the chime was going crazy in my 03 Explorer Limited when I was at a stop light. The light only comes on when I'm stopped, and it goes off and on, nothing steady. When I hit the gas it goes off. The battery is 3 years old and the battery gauge doesn't move at all. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Exproblems]

This morning the charging system light came on and the chime was going crazy in my 03 Explorer Limited when I was at a stop light. The light only comes on when I'm stopped, and it goes off and on, nothing steady. When I hit the gas it goes off. The battery is 3 years old and the battery gauge doesn't move at all. Any help would be appreciated.

Have both the "battery and alternator" tested at a parts store, usually done free of charge there. It's likely to be one of them as the problem. Just make sure the battery connections are tight and free of corrosion as a precautionary check. BTW, I'm leaning towards a bad alternator because the warning chime goes off when idling and goes away when accelerating. The increased RPM's when accelerating is spinning the alternator pulley at a higher rate of speed, thus allowing the alternator to put out enough voltage to run the on board electronics and keep the warning alarm for the charging system from sounding. When you slow down or idle, the engine RPM's drop, the alternator pulley spins slower and the alarm goes off because the alternator cannot keep up with the voltage demands. Sounds to me is that your alternator is partially working and on the verge of crapping out totally/failing, and when that happens, your battery won't be recharged by the alternator and your vehicle will run on battery power only for only as long as the battery power holds out, which won't be long.

 

[smoke74]

Have both the "battery and alternator" tested at a parts store, usually done free of charge there. It's likely to be one of them as the problem. Just make sure the battery connections are tight and free of corrosion as a precautionary check. BTW, I'm leaning towards a bad alternator because the warning chime goes off when idling and goes away when accelerating. The increased RPM's when accelerating is spinning the alternator pulley at a higher rate of speed, thus allowing the alternator to put out enough voltage to run the on board electronics and keep the warning alarm for the charging system from sounding. When you slow down or idle, the engine RPM's drop, the alternator pulley spins slower and the alarm goes off because the alternator cannot keep up with the voltage demands. Sounds to me is that your alternator is partially working and on the verge of crapping out totally/failing, and when that happens, your battery won't be recharged by the alternator and your vehicle will run on battery power only for only as long as the battery power holds out, which won't be long.

So the chime was going crazy today after work, the battery gauge started above half and quickly dropped to below a 1/4. I got it tested and the battery was around 5 volts. after changing out for a new battery buddy tested everything and said all was good including the alternator. However after leaving the shop it started doing the same thing with Check Charging System and the battery light on the dash intermittenly going off and on. I did a system check and it said the charging system was ok. I'm lost

 

[Exproblems]

So the chime was going crazy today after work, the battery gauge started above half and quickly dropped to below a 1/4. I got it tested and the battery was around 5 volts. after changing out for a new battery buddy tested everything and said all was good including the alternator. However after leaving the shop it started doing the same thing with Check Charging System and the battery light on the dash intermittenly going off and on. I did a system check and it said the charging system was ok. I'm lost

Unless your friend is a mechanic you trust, have the alternator tested again elsewhere and double check all the wiring connections, even going to the starter. Check for worn through wiring. There is a reason your previous 3 year old battery was only putting out 5 volts. It either has a bad cell or was drained of power by something else and a bad alternator would cause that drain of power. Test the old battery cells with a battery tester. Did you try to re-charge the old battery and see if it would hold a charge? If it holds a charge, the battery could still be good and your problem is some where else, alternator or wire shorting out in the charging system? Keep an eye on the voltage coming out of your new battery after a while and see if the same things happens to it as the old battery. If it does, you know the problem isn't just with the battery. Good luck!

 

[smoke74]

Unless your friend is a mechanic you trust, have the alternator tested again elsewhere and double check all the wiring connections, even going to the starter. Check for worn through wiring. There is a reason your previous 3 year old battery was only putting out 5 volts. It either has a bad cell or was drained of power by something else and a bad alternator would cause that drain of power. Test the old battery cells with a battery tester. Did you try to re-charge the old battery and see if it would hold a charge? If it holds a charge, the battery could still be good and your problem is some where else, alternator or wire shorting out in the charging system? Keep an eye on the voltage coming out of your new battery after a while and see if the same things happens to it as the old battery. If it does, you know the problem isn't just with the battery. Good luck!

Changed out the alternator, so far so good. Thanks for the help!!!

 

[Exproblems]

Changed out the alternator, so far so good. Thanks for the help!!!

Good to know!