I had a similar problem on my 96 Contour. I lost my alternator. I put a rebuilt on, but my charging light still came on, and my battery was not dead because I had charged it prior. It still wasnt charging. Come to find out there is a 175amp fuse located under the throttle body. It connects the Live charging wire to the positive battery terminal. I went to ford got one for 6 bucks, unscred the 2 screws that hold the moisture cover on and changed the fuse. Light went out, battery was charging. I do not know what made the fuse blow but you may want to check that first.....
