How's it goin' today? Hope you're back on the road!

 

Getting it towed to the shop right now. Hopefully they can easily get the alternator and swap it out and we can get on our way

 

Good luck...hopefully you're back on the road soon...

You guys didn't have any tools to swap out the alternator?...

 

Even if ya don't have the tools, it'd be a lot cheaper to buy the tools than to pay the labor to have one installed. Having someone change the alt for you is like paying someone to install a battery for you. Wasted money.

Stewart

 

We brought a few little tools, but my dad rather just have someone do it in the end. This is a good place were at and was highly recommended by a family who lives out here who we ride dirt bikes with.

Ya alternator shot, and it killed the red top....buyin the alternator and battery

 

Since I have an '05 Ex too...how many miles you got on the Ex?...just curious...haven't heard of a rash of alternator issues on these beasts...

 

BTW...glad you are getting to the bottom of it...

 

It has a little over 101k....They said the AAA battery we previously had in there was making the alternator work to hard and fried it basically...was pushing way too many amps..and that's how it killed the red top too.

Shop is installing a Motorcraft alternator, and an interstate battery gonna be about an hour and then we'll be on our way again.

What an adventure haha

 

Wow Steph, glad to hear it got diagnosed and is getting fixed. My battery light came on last year and I replaced the alternator after I got home. The headlights were dim in my case, but then they brightened up and the battery light went off as the alternator caught again somehow.

Did your battery light not come on at any point?

Jon

 

No we were going through Barstow and my dad noticed the check engine light came on then we stopped in baker for some beef jerky and everything looked fine and it started right up when we left. About 30 mins past baker we were going down that decline stretch towards Primm and all of a sudden the engine quit, a/c and all the dash lights/gauges went off, windows were rolled all the way up and no power steering or brakes. Pretty darn scary at that moment, but my dad kept it in control and we coasted to a stop further down on the hill...8.4 miles outside of Primm.

Got everything fixed and on our way and left Vegas 2 pm yesterday and powers through a little over 500 miles and made it to our hotel reservation in Evanston, Wy. Goin through Wy now and making little stops here and there.

Knock on my center console wood, the rest of the trip will be hassle free

 

That is my complaint about the addition of the trans temp gauge (which is worthless), it did away with the amp meter. I have had many alternators fail in my 02 superduties and one in my X. None of them made battery light come on until it was so low that I lost the entire dash. Usually starts with the radio cutting out and then the dash cuts in and out until the battery light finally comes on. Once the battery light comes on the dash is done and you better get to an auto parts store ASAP. The last one I changed on our way to Church in NAPA's parking lot!! At least with my diesels it never got low enough to kill the pcm so I always had the engine running as it doesn't take much elect. power.

 

When we get back home we are gonna have all the electrics stuff checked out. Is there away to clean/replace the steering wheel controls?

When my dad put on the high beams at night, the cruise control stopped...he presses the coast button on the steering wheel and the horn honked...my dad was feeling like we were in the bug bus in Little Miss Sunshine haha

On our last leg out here and makin our way from Sidney to Grand Island, Ne. Also having to reevaluate our route bak home because of the Colorado fires right now.

 

I would start by looking for some chaffed wires in the steering column. It is fairly common for these trucks.

I'm pretty sure you can remove and clean the steering wheel buttons. I've done it on my Expedition, but I'd be willing to bet the problem is more likely in the column.

 

LOL!!

 

you may want to check out this link for issues with "chaffed" and exposed wires in the steering column...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-to-drive.html