Noticed on the way to work this morning the volt gauge showed a very low reading compared to usual, down below the 'N' in NORMAL... It appears that it's not charging properly, and electrical work is absolutly not my strong suite. Can anyone give me a place to start when I get home this evening?

 

i fried my alternator doing a cluster swap the other day. either way, once mine got below the N, i was lucky to make it home about 5 miles.

my first guess would be alternator b/c that's what my problem was. like i said, i'm no mechanic but you don't have far to go. If it starts again (without being jumped) - go straight to a parts store. i could jump it and let it charge off the other car a few minutes, enough to drive about 5 miles then it would be dead again.

 

IF you make it home.................and have a voltmeter measure voltage at the battery terminals while running and look for 13.25 or more volts to verify if your system is having a problem or just a gauge reporting problem.

If below 13.25 volts look for bad connections or broken wires to Alternator.
Check fan belt and verify Alternator is turning.
If all looks OK, then take off the Alternator and take it to a parts store that can test it and sell you a new or rebuilt.

 

i'd just take it straight to the parts store. once mine went below N, it struggled and you could feel it bigtime. parts store can test it for you and if you need a new one, you're already there.

 

The parts store quick testers often report incorrectly, there have been many posts here on that and I have run into the same problem myself. Use a multimeter to test the battery and charging system. Engine off you should see 12.5v, running it sould be 13.5v or better. If the battery tests low disconnect 1 lead and test again, if still low replace the battery. If the battery tests OK but the voltage doesn't rise with the engine running, replace the alternator. The voltage regulator and rectifier are integrated into the alternator, and are often the parts that fail. They are replacable but you'll need some special pullers to get the alternator apart.. easier to just change the whole thing.

 

Well, the parts store lists both a "voltage regulator" and an "internally-regulated alternator" for my '94... Sounds like Ford did a little mid-year revision or something to go from externally to internally regulated?? At any rate, the regulator is only $15 less expensive than a complete alternator, so I suppose I might as well buck up for the complete unit, assuming of course mine is an internally regulated one. If mine isn't internal, can I test the regulator somehow?