Electrical problems-please help

[alexm]

I just got back from being away for 2 weeks and the Explorer was sitting in the cold. When I first started it up it was fine, accept the battery light was on and voltage meter was showing very low. It drove but interior lights were dim, and fan didn't blow as hard as it used to. Next day I drove it and same issues, but in the evening when the auto headlights came on they wouldn't shut off after, and it slowly drained the battery. Got the battery tested and it's fine. Fully charged it'll run the vehicle for an hour or so, but even when fully charged battery light is on and voltage is low, and eventually completely drops and it'll die. Thinking it could be headlight relay but can't seem to find where it's located. I referred to manual but still can't see that separate relay box, it's different from the main under hood fuse/relay box. It's a 1996 Explorer LTD. Alternator was replaced a year ago. Any ideas? Bad ground? Something draining my battery faster than the alternator can keep it charged? Any help would be greatly appreciated and sorry for the long post.

 

[alexm]

Just put the fully charged battery in. Starts up fine, but still shows the battery light and voltage is almost at L. Headlights and interior lights go off now though, so maybe it was a sticky relay that fixed itself? Still though, if the battery is fully charged, the voltage meter shouldn't be showing L and the battery light shouldn't come on, I would assume? Any ideas?

 

[Bill Kemp]

Take it to an auto parts store & they will test the alternator for you. Sure sounds like that is the problem.
Low voltage can cause a lot of weird conditions. Auto lights ect. Those just mask or direct you to the problem.....Alt.

 

[Bill Kemp]

So, have you checked out the Alt. yet.

Let us know.....

 

[alexm]

Been super busy lately and haven't had any time. I've just been charging the battery every night so I can make it to and from school. Tomorrow I'll test the alt though.

 

[alexm]

Finally got the alternator tested. Volts on the battery just drop as the vehicle runs. Dad's friend tested it and said volts should be 14.4 or so once running but they just steadily dropped. That explains why I can only drive about 30 minutes a day before an overnight charge. Battery isn't getting charged and the vehicle will only run until the battery dies: pretty simple. So should I bother swapping the alternator brushes for like $6 and try that, or is it not even worth my time and I should just replace the whole alternator?

 

[Bill Kemp]

I've never tried the brushes, just gone and replaced the alt. But who knows. Although i think the voltage reg. is in the alt. and who knows if that is OK.
Your call.....

 

[alexm]

Finally got the money to go and buy a new alternator. Fixed the low voltage and charge issues, but my audio console is still stuck on 'phone' mode. Like I said previously, the vehicle came with an in car phone, but I never used it, and ever since my voltage problems it's been stuck on phone mode. Randomly it has went back to radio a couple times, but I always disconnect the battery to charge it overnight, so it goes back to phone mode when I connect it again in the morning. Any ideas on how I could get rid of this? I couldn't even figure out where to plug the phone in to possibly turn it off somehow. It's like an ethernet jack on the phone, but I can't find anywhere in the vehicle or console that it plugs in. Maybe I'm just stupid:thumbdwn: Any ideas?

 

[alexm]

Is it possible to reset the ECU? Either it's a bad ground, or something is defaulting the phone to come on every time I start the car. It seems like an override because for a split second every time you turn the ignition it will flash radio for a second, then go to phone.