Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting No battery light - No charging!

I cant figure this one out for the life of me.

I have a '97 Zetec that experienced what I believed to be a bad alternator at 92K. Replaced the alternator and the battery, and I still am not charging! Curious thing is that I get NO battery light on the dash when the key is turned ON. I already checked the dash bukb and it is good.

Where can I look from here? All connections seem tight and secure.

Thanks!

John

Check the mega fuse. Take off the stock airbox system, under the T/B should be two huge cables. A plastic peice over them with i think is a 13mm or 10mm bolt. take that off and you should see the mega fuse. I blew mine one time and it killed my alt and battery. after replacing the alt twice (the first one was already dead before I installed it) it still wouldn't charge (i still had my light on though). Some guys from autozone in J'Ville NC helped me determine it was the megafuse. Hope this helps.

Is this megafuse something readily available from an autoparts store or is it something that I'll have to order from the dealer?

I'll check the fuse out tomorrow.

Thanks,

John

Anyone?

I just verified that the megafuse is OK....I have 13V on both posts.

Could I have installed a faulty alternator?

I need some hints on how to test the alternator on the car. I tested for charging with the engone running at the negative batt terminal and the post on the back of the alternator. I also tested the three-wire plug going into the backside of the alt. Curious thing is that I have o volts at the green wire when the ignition is off, and I have 12V going to it when the ignition is on (while unplugged). As soon as I plug it in, I have 0V with key off, but only .8V with key on. Does this mean something?

Thanks,

John

If anyone can scan a troubleshooting procedure for the charging system from a factory service manual, I'd be eternally grateful.

John