ok, this is like my 50th time with a battery light issue, and it's always different, here's the deal

my car started doing the intermittent battery light thing, usually at higher RPMs, so I poked around under the hood and realized that the belt wasn't nearly as tight as it used to be. belt tensioner, got it, replaced it (unfortunately had to have a shop do it, bolt was stripped). drive it for a day or two, and now it's back on, but it's on all the time.

I tested the voltage, 12.53 with the car off, 12.12 with the car on, which really doesn't seem that low for it to be the alternator. I just had the alt. replaced less than 6 months ago, and they had to repair the fuse while they were at it, they said there was bare wire causing the electricity to arc and zap the alternator.


I'm at the end of my rope here, if it's the alternator again, I'm getting rid of the car (I've been saving for something new, but kind of hoped that I could've saved a little while longer). I just did $250 in repairs on the thing, and I'm not going through the very expensive pain of another alternator, so any suggestions as to what the cause of the light might be? voltage just seemed too high to be the alt, but maybe I'm mistaken.

To test alternator, with car running, voltage across battery terminals should be 14 to 14.5.

Have you done the wiring modification for the alternator connector yet?

And did you get a new Ford alternator?

Two things possible,


Mega fuse.
or alternator.

Test mega fuse continuity to make sure it isn't blown, then verify alternator operation.

Check your alternator wiring from the alternator to the battery (fuse) and alt. to ground.

Check your battery ground from the battery to the chassis.
Alternator can be done in about 2 hours, with some luck, for a first-timer. No need in HAVING it done, the how to is VERY useful.

No need to get rid of a car over something THAT trivial (in the grand scheme of things, it is TRIVIAL)

Hopefully they really *did* replace the alternator when you took it in the first time.
Karl

yes, they did replace the alt when I took it to the shop

I know it seems trivial to ditch the car over the alt, but here's the thing. in the last 6 months, I've done it twice. a mechanic that I knew helped me DIY the first time (I paid him for his time/help, but not as much as a shop). that one blew, and I wasn't going through the hell of that alternator again, and I lacked all the necessary tools to do it. I had the shop do it.

the book value for my car is like, what, $800-$1000? I just put $250 into it this past week, and if I'm talking another $250 in labor to have the alt done (sorry, I just can't do that thing again), you figure that's almost 2 months of the car payment I'll be making. within 2 months, it would not surprise me if something else were to break on this car, and I was planning on getting something new in december. I'll check the megafuse, but I may be on troll status sometime soon