On the voltage regulator what does wire "I" supposed to do? I just bought the truck and its got a ton of wiring issues and the Alternator is not charging would this have any thing to do with it? And where is the Ignition Module at? It's got a 300 i6 engine. If you have anymore question just ask thanks.

 

If your facing the truck the ignition module is in the top-right-corner of engine bay near the back, bolted to the sidewall of the innerfender-well or rad support, i guess you could call it. At least it should be somewhere in that area. Someone could have bolted it in a slightly different place ya never know. Here is a pic:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/m...dule-10920.jpg

When it comes to the alternator, you can always check it with a multi-meter and/or take it off real quick and take it to advanced auto who will check if its good for free. If the voltage regulator is bad it could be affecting the alternator. One way to test this is if the multi-meter is reading over 14.5V while the vehicle is running. Idealy it should be reading roughly between 13-14.5V. If anyone else has some input on this chime in im no expert when it comes to this but hope i could help some.

 

The function of the 'I' terminal depends on whether your dash has an ALT light or an ammeter (amp gauge).

If you have an ALT light, the 'I' terminal is the power input to the regulator. 12 volts is applied to this terminal through the ALT light, which applies a pilot voltage to the alternator field input. This allows the alternator to produce current once it starts rotating. When the alternator produces current on its own, the regulator senses this through the 'S' input, closes the field relay, and brings the alternator online.

If you have an ammeter, the 'I' terminal is left unconnected and is not used.

You need to be more descriptive with the actual problem. Saying that the alternator is not charging is a suspected cause but not a symptom. What is the truck doing to indicate the alternator is not charging? Is it slow to crank, etc? Have you measured the voltage across the battery posts while the engine is running? This is what tells you if it's charging or not. Check this first; it should be within the range listed above. If it's not, then we'll move forward in determining what the problem is.

In other words, yes you will need a multimeter, and yes you'll need to use it to solve this problem.

 

put a volt meter on the battery and run a jumper wire from the 1st to the 3rd terminal in the regulator plug and see if the alt charges then, that will bypass your regulator and tell you if the alternator is working. dont leave the jumper in any longer than it takes to read your volt meter or you could burn up wires . if it jumps to 14 or 15 volts with the terminals crossed then your alt is fine and the regulator or wiring is not.

 

when I take the battery cable of while its running it dies

 

Never do this, because it can cause the alternator output to spike, and kill any onboard electronics like the ignition module.

The test you've described does not say anything about the charging system. Perform the voltage test I've described.

 

ahhh gotcha thanks for the feedback

 

Fmc400, what would cause the engine to just die out of the blue and not restart? I was thinking Ignition module, any thoughts?

 

Many things can cause that. Check for spark and fuel.