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Battery light on, alternator at 14 Volts

K

KerryKool

Hard-core CEG'er
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Sep 29, 2004
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I just got back from getting my alternator tested and it passed. I was kinda hoping it was alternator, because now I don't know where to look. On to the story.

Started my car one afternoon and the battery light did not turn off like usual. I drive about 5 mins and come to a stop and it flickers away. It did not return after a 15 mins drive home. I popped the hood to see if I noticed any extra squeal and it seemed louder than usual. I go to turn the car off to notice the battery light slowly turning on again. After a few searches and a post about it, I assumed it was the alternator.

So now I get to locate my problem. I also broke the mega fuse wire connection (I'll post a pic in a few) to the alternator, so that definitely needs replacing, as well as my somewhat striped bolts. What else could the problem be?

Thanks for any help.
-Kerry
 
This is what I broke off, it was attached to the alternator and to a wire that connected to the mega fuse.

You can see it here where it was at and what it was attached to.
P4300004.jpg


P4300006.jpg


P4300007.jpg


I'm not sure what its called, but it looks replaceable.

Edit: After some searching, it seems that I could just get rid of this component by replacing the alternator wire with 4 gauge wire.
 
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that could be a source of the problem, if your alternator wire was on the verge of breaking off, it may not have had the capacity to transfer the required electricity. In my opinion, I'd say replace the alternator wire, test drive, and see if the problem persists. good luck.
 
You don't need that plastic case thingy and your alternator is probably just fine. Just put a eye on the end of the power wire and nut it right to the stud coming out of the alternator for the power. If you replace the wire be sure to use something that withstand temps from the rear exhaust manifold.....
 
blu_fuz said:
You don't need that plastic case thingy and your alternator is probably just fine. Just put a eye on the end of the power wire and nut it right to the stud coming out of the alternator for the power. If you replace the wire be sure to use something that withstand temps from the rear exhaust manifold.....
Click to expand...


ah joe, this is a zetec, there is no rear exhaust manifold ...


if the alternator is charging correctly and you still have a battery light on I would guess there is a wiring issue with the dash light. get a Ford service manual and complete the pin point tests and go from there.
 
Funny, mine just started doing the same thing. Battery light comes and goes-- sometimes it's on at idle but always goes away above 1500rpm. As soon as I get my other car put together and out of the garage (later tonight or early tomorrow) I'll check my charging voltage.
 
I put the alternator back in with the mods I mentioned. I'm still getting the same result making me think it might be the battery after all. I don't have the means of testing my voltage, so I might be running by autozone/advance to get the voltage checked out.
 
Fixed. Bad alternator. Ignore the supposed "bench test" they do at autozone, it means nothing. Also avoid autozone/advance auto for parts like this, the one they gave me was bad right out of the box. Go with OEM or NAPA.
 
mcgarvey said:
Fixed. Bad alternator. Ignore the supposed "bench test" they do at autozone, it means nothing. Also avoid autozone/advance auto for parts like this, the one they gave me was bad right out of the box. Go with OEM or NAPA.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, those discount reman jobs are about worthless half the time, I've gotten one from a local discount place, not 3 months later I was replacing it again. I think they got it right with the second one.
 
Id love to help but..........

Id love to help but..........

Rich

I'd love to help on the procrastination reseach, but I'll have to get around to it later.

Ambition pays off in the future, but procrastination pays off right now.
 
i've found that if you have a good alt/starter shop nearby they can ususally do a complete rebuild for less than a reman from AZ and while it may not have the "lifetime" warrantee they'll last a longtime also if it's a reputable shop they'll usually fix any issues within the first year or so. for example about 8 years ago i bought a 92 pontiac lemans, the alt went out right after and AZ wanted a 128 plus core on the cheapest reman, the local shop rebuilt it for 60 and it was still going good last year when i sold the car. when i bought my SHO in 07 the starter went out after a few months AZ wanted like 200 plus core for a reman and the local shop was going to charge like 55 for a full rebuild. and i know that this is a little off topic but unless you want to pull OE parts from a bone yard or get it from the dealer i feel the best thing is to find a reputable shop and have your OE part rebuilt or learn to do it yourself.
 
Mega Fuse

Mega Fuse

Could someone post the part number for the mega fuse and how to replace it.
Also need a altenator relpace how to.
Thanks
 
alternator is easy, i did it all on my own. soon after getting my zetec. follow the power line off the alternator and you will find a little box. the mega fuse is in there. take it to a ford deal for a new one. they are like 10:mad::mad::mad::mad: bucks.
 
You can grab a mega fuse(aka ANL fuse) for $6 at autozone and its a breeze to install. That ended up being the culprit. It was broken just enough not give the battery a full charge, thus the light.
 
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