Help me out! Charging System Not Working!

[toddleesupra]

well to make a long story short!

i drove the car to tennesse and it was fine and everything worked good, on my way back i kept noticing that my voltage meter gauge getting lower and lower as if it was draining the battery. When i first started back from tennessee to nc, the meter was was in the good zone little more then half. While driving home the meter slowly drained and drained and the lights got dimmer and dimmers. As soon as i got home 4 hours later the meter was all the way to the left of the gauge, i shut the car off then tried to turn the key back on and the car wouldn't start i guess it drained the all the battery.

The car has new battery and alternator as of now, but even now that i crank it up the car is not charging itself the battery indicator light below the steering wheel is constantly on as if the charging system is faulty.

i've gone through 2 new alternators and recharged the new battery several times!

Please anyone who's having the same symptoms in their 93 or same year ford explorer tell me how to fix this problem. Maybe you've had this problem before and did something to fix it...tell me plz.

I don't know how to use a voltage meter device so the only thing i could do is if you tell me what you've replaced on your car and made it charge again please tell me.

Thanks so much guys!

 

[stol]

Probably hard to figure out with out a meter. Its really easy to tell if the charging system is working with a meter: with the car off measure the voltage at the battery it should be around 13 volts. Then start the car, the voltage at the battery should now be 14-15 volts.

According to my Hayes manual there is a fusible link off of the alternator. I don't know where it is, but if its not a connector ....

 

[toddleesupra]

ty for your help.

Please anymore suggestions?

 

[ken v]

Same problem here

2001 Ranger
Same symptoms you mention
Except
Battery voltage 12.39 Running
Alternator voltage 12.39 Running

Fuseable link looks good
New Altenator pull tested on bench good
New Battery tested good
No visible blown fuse in engine compartment box or IP box

Looking fro ideas here as well.

If I figure out what is wrong will post
There is some relay for the starter but my Hanyes Manual is for 2000 dont know if the Charging system schematic changed for 2001

Any Ideas?????

 

[shamaal]

The most likely culprit is a bad connection. Because of the high currents involved partial connections burn through quickly. A couple recommendations:

1. If you have the crimp on battery connectors, suspect them. Go to an autostore and buy some good ones.

2. The connectors must be clean and tight, if you can twist them they are not tight. Get a battery post cleaner and clean the post shiny as well as the connector. Whack the coneector slightly out of round if you have to.

Another possibility is a short to ground within the vehicle. This will require a meter. With vehicle off, connect in series with positive cable to measure amperage. There should be very little current from the battery - 5ma or so to power the radio clock. Pull circuit breakers to isolate to a particular leg. Do not try to start car with meter in series.

I went trough four batteries in my Datsun because the crimp on connector was bad. The connector would heat up and screw up the battery.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! The recommended alternator test which the testers use is to make the field (rotor) full voltage, and see if you get a full output. If your charging system's regulator applies a ground (-) to the field to activate it, then this is the proper test. Some vehicles use a positive regulator. I would have to see a charging system schematic to determine what your vehicle has. You should check AutoZone's website for schematics. A continuity tester should be used to check from end to end of each wire to determine if there is a loose, or broken connection.

 

[ken v]

Well figured I would post the answer to my problem. Went to the Ford Dealer, $80 later they told me electrical system was OK (checked all harnesses) but NAPA had given me the wrong altenator. None could tell me what the diffrence was but I said OK. Went to NAPA got the "right" altenator, guess what it did not fix the problem, same problem.
After a few choice words I started all over again Ohming out everything I could think of. On the 3 wire connector to the altenator there is a line that runs from the altenator through a fuse in the engine compartment to the starter relay. The Haynes manual does not show this as having a Fuseable link but it does. There is an 18ga fuseable link near the positive terminal (along with the 2 12ga fuseable links for the Altenator output, which I had checked numerous times before). When I had the ohm meter connected and moved the link I got spikes in the resistance. Replaced the fuseable Link and we are good to go.
FYI - Not all shop manual drawings seem to be complete.

 

[shamaal]

Thanks for the follow-up, an intermittent fusible link is a new one on me.

 

[toddleesupra]

Sorry for being such a nooby at this, but how do you change that fuse out? it looks like it's part of the wire. I found the fuse that you guys were talking about just now i just curious how to change it out....any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[410Fortune]

Solder it in place

 

[toddleesupra]

alright ty for the response guys, let me make a quick run to advance auto parts and try to see if they have a fusible link i can buy...i'll try too solder it in and see what happens!

Thank you guys very much for everything so far!

 

[Riktar]

Problems with my 93 charging system

Well I am having the same problem. I think.

The wife called me this morning after she got to work. Said that the voltage gauge is running "lower than usual" and the battery light popped on. And their was a strange grinding/growling noise under the hood.

Got the vehicle home and yup, yes sir the growling noise was coming from the alternator alright. The back bearing was pretty much grinding itself to pieces.

So off to Advance I go. The counter person ID's my alternator as a 95 amp unit and I leave $140 poorer.

Go home toss in the new unit and still no charge and the battery light is still on. Call Advance and talk to them and suggest that maybe I have the 130 amp unit. They figure I could be correct and back I go to exchange (with an extra $30 thrown in) for a 130 amp unit.

Get home and toss it in and the same problem exists. Back to Advance I go and have them test the unit. They report it is fine.

I have cleaned the battery post which are in good shape just to rule that out. Then after searching the forums (What a concept) I find this thread. So now I am eager to see if the fusible link has blown.

After all this recounting my tale of woe I will ask the question: How far down the 3 wire connector is the fusible link? The wire loom disappears under the alternator to who knows where. Is the fusible link closer to the starter relay than the alternator?

Thanks for reading this.

 

[Riktar]

Fixed

In an effort to overly complicate things I failed to check the alternator fuse in the engine compartment.

I usually prefer to eat my eggs on Sunday morning. For today I will wear them on my face.

 

[shamaal]

If it's worth anything, it's not an exclusive club.

Thanks for following up with a reply though; it closes the loop.

 

[cyr3b]

Ok folks, I am a new member and have very little knowledge of autos. The issue I'm having with my 2005 Mercury Mountaineer is that the Charging System light/alarm is going off intermittently. Needless to say the alarm is very annoying. This has been going on for over a yr and my wife has had it. Took the vehicle to Advance Auto and the technician used a voltage meter to check the battery and alternator. Both were in excellent shape he said as well as the connection coming out of the alternator. Technician said that he has alot of experience with Explorers and that they are notorious for charging system alarms. He said that in the back of the instrument panel there might be a loose connection that just might need soldering. Has anyone else heard of this sort of fix and if so how do I get to the back of the instrument panel?