the other day i went outside and started my truck, to my surprise the battery indicator light was illuminated, but I thought maybe it was due to the cold and snow that had just started that night. after running for about 10 minutes the light turned off and everything seemed fine. Later that day I started the truck again, the light was illuminated, so i let it warm up but this time it stayed illuminated for roughly 30 minutes after I had started driving. It shut off half way to town, then on my way back home it turned on again and then once arrived home went back off. Around 2230 last night I had to drive my wife to the hospital and the light was on again. After we left the hospital it was on and about half way home i noticed my power gauge was dropping slowly. after pulling through the gate and driving maybe 300 meters my lights began to flicker and then my wipers turned on along with every indicator light on my dashboard, the truck started to stall and my power steering and engine then turned off. I call a friend to come pull my truck off the street because it wouldnt turn over at all. he arrived and 5 minutes later out of frustration i tried to start it, amazingly it started, this time no indicator light and the battery gauge didnt even budge when i turned my lights on? I drove home and parked it and let it idle for 15 minutes, still no light. Today, the light was on, and now my truck is stuck at the post office . There were no signs of any problems until the other day, and even then the truck didnt struggle to start or have any issues. COuld it be one of the fuses for the alternator or just the alternator itself?
any help is greatly appreciated and thank you in advance

 

I had a similar problem this summer with my 2006 5.4 f-350. The truck was working fine all day. I went to fire it up after my last job battery acted as though it was dead,but it was only 3 months old. I got a jump & truck turned right over. Drove 2 miles & all the dash indicator lights come on & off the tach & speedo stopped working & the radio would turn on even after i shut it off.The truck lost power & the transmission started to shift on its own then the engine shut down in the middle of the road in rush hour traffic.I directed traffic while I waited for a flatbed. Turns out the problem was the alternator. After replacing it no troubles. Hope this helps

 

Do the easy stuff first if you have not already done it. Before condeming the alternator, check all the electrical connections between the battery and the alternator. Also make sure that the smaller alternator control connections are not corroded.

Since the problem was intermittent, it could be as easy as crummy connections.

Lou Braun

 

well after checking all the connections and seeing all were secure and in good working order, i decided to attempt to start it again, and again it did turn over and run. I decided to remove the ground wire from the battery and see if it would shut off, which it did. so i just got done putting on the new alternator... needed a jump at first but now it seems to be running fine. thanks for all the help