• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Alternator

Rick

CEG'er
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
146
I think my alternator (or the regulator) is toast on my 98 Contour SVT. I have been driving around for a few months with a coroded positive cable at the battery post (2nd battery since car was new). A few nights ago during my 45 mile commute home in the dark the charging indicator lit up. No drama but it was something I have never seen before as this car has been rock solid for 12 years. I got home, cleaned the cable connection and after restarting the the light remained off. 4 days later it came on again.
How long does it take to change an alternator, how difficult is it on a 1-10 scale (10 being the most difficult).

Thoughts........Suggestions

Rick

PS Could a bad battery be the issue? It was 12.2V this morning before starting and while running at fast idle (before warming up) dropped to 11.6 volts; this is without any accessories on.

Take me back to the days when you could see the ground when you opened the hood!
 
for a beginner, i'd say its probably a 6. alternators aren't terrible to do. you just have to figure out the correct lengths of extensions and swivels. it can definitely be a HUGE headache without the proper tools
 
I love working on cars. Especially mine. But I paid someone to change my alt $300 total including labor and part. I just change my Alternator output cable to 1/0 AWG and just doing that was a pain in the a**. Now imagine changing the entire thing. It's in such a bad spot I want to move it to the top somehow. some kind of bracket and pulley or belt system. I don't know but it is not easy!!
 
Eh, I haven't done mine yet but it honestly looks like one of those jobs that really sucks ass the first time you do it and then is easy afterwards. From all the how-tos I've read the hardest part is getting the sockets onto the bolts. I'm going to have a second set of hands for this I think... My alt is cutting out at about 6100 rpm which is normal I hear but I have no idea how old this alt is so preventative maintenance it is!
 
Voltage reading between the battery terminals with the car running should be between about 13.5 and 15 volts.
 
How do I check just the mega fuse? I know ager it is at but how do I single out just that? And what is the reading going to show?
 
How do I check just the mega fuse? I know ager it is at but how do I single out just that? And what is the reading going to show?

by checking the voltage @ one metal end of the megafuse & the other. If the values are different, then the megafuse is ur problem. How about u took the car to autozone to eliminate the battery or alt? With the car off, i believe the numbers should be between 11.0 & 12.0v. It really shouldnt matter what values u get. Depending on how low ur battery is, both pre and post-megafuse values must be the same to clear the megafuse as a culprit.
 
Back
Top