Hey Y'all,
I will try to make this as concise as possible... but please bear with me!

I have an '02 Excursion V10 gas 4x4 with manual locking hubs (therefore no ESOF vacuum/solenoid issues)

We have owned it for 3 1/2 years with zero issues until last August 2014.
I will list all the issues there have been- some may not be related, but I'm learning that it is possible they could be, so here goes:

8/14 alternator went out, replaced. Replaced battery as well.
10/14 alternator went out, replaced under warranty.
2/15 drivers power window switch burnt out (literally... there was smoke)

No other issues until 2 days ago; here is what happened...

Driving on mud, towing a flatbed, engaged 4wd via dash switch and manually locked hubs. Continued down mud road until we reached concrete. Disengaged 4wd via dash switch. Instantly the instrument panel died. Digital display still works, and turn signal lights still work, but no gauges. Manually unlocked hubs, then drove home. No idea if the xfer case actually went back to 2wd- we never heard it switch back, but in the shock of the instrument panel dying we could have missed it. The display lights showing 4x4 is engaged does not come on.

When we got home, we tried to fiddle with the 4wd dash switch and never heard the xfer case do anything.

Yesterday I took her out again, this time not towing. Alternator died. Swapped batteries with husband's car to get her home. Put Excursion battery on charger while we took the alternator back to O'Reilly to swap out since it's still under warranty. Let battery charge for about 4 hours, then put truck back together. Started her up and she ran fine for about 20 minutes before she died again... another dead alternator.

What is killing my alternator? I have a hard time believing that I could buy 3 faulty alternators in a 6 month time frame.

I have scoured this site specifically, and other sites as well, first looking for what could kill the alternator, trying to learn about the charging system, and then working backwards trying to find out more about the 4x4 system and what would cause it to fault.

At this point in time I have an 8000 lb paperweight outside. The Freestyle only holds my kids and one adult, so we need our truck back to fit our whole family.

I have not replaced the alternator again yet... I need to find the cause of the problem before I do I think, or I will just burn up another one and still not get anywhere.

I have found the ESOF relays under the hood, and they APPEAR fine, but I am not confident in myself to test them (hook a CAR battery to the spades?? oh my!)
I have checked the xfer case plug under the truck, pulled it and blew it out, wiped it clean... it appeared in good condition.
I have checked nearly every fuse under the dash, all appear fine.

I have not messed with the drivers door window... it is inoperable... but it's cold outside, so I haven't missed it.
I have not sought out the 4x4 Module (formerly the GEM module in older models to my understanding)


For reference, I have gone over the following posts:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...disengage.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...working-2.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...cal-issue.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-esof-4x4.html



Any further assistance would be much appreciated.
Thank you,
~A Full Excursion

 

Just to note: I have been doing research for the last 3 hours and now I have to leave for most of the day, therefore will not be back on here to respond until this evening.
Thank you for any help!!

 

Did you do any voltage checks when you installed the new Alt? Was it charging at the correct level?
Have you added any new Electronic devices?
You stated that you put the Excursion battery on charge. Did it die overnight? Electrical draw.
Might have a High resistance draw in which is killing the Alt due to the High draw.

 

Check fuse F45. If it blows, you'll have no cluster, no charging, and no 4X4 operation (among several other things).

There's a good number of previous threads to consult (if you wish). Put "F45" into the SEARCH box above and look at the results for Excursions, Super Duty, and Electrical threads.

 

Check the alternator pigtail connection. It might be intermittent and killing things. Also what alternator are you using? I used to work at oreillys and returned a lot of them...sometimes 3 in a row to get a good one. I used to test them right out of the box before handing them over.

 

x2 on checking the voltage regulator plug. Although mine appeared to snap in completely it would work its way loose over time. Kept blaming alternators until I discovered the actual cause.

 

"Alternator Connector" is about $20. A new pigtail was needed on some Ford applications. I agree with 05Mil as well, have them test the new one before you take it home.

 

Seriously, guys, look at the TOTALITY of the symptoms. No F45, no charging....no 4X4...no cluster.

No need to spend time looking at something secondary when the item most likely to be the primary fault hasn't been looked at.

FWIW, I ALWAYS have the parts person test starters and alternators out of the box before I even pay for them. I've saved a few return trips to the parts stores that way.

 

Yeah but he said his alternator died after that. Check both for sure. Checking is free and I would rather have too many free ideas than not enough.

 

Well I'll be!! That was it... a blown 10amp fuse. I only went over the ones that 'made sense' to the symptoms. I hadn't quite got to the "pull every fuse til you find a blown one" yet LOL

I put a new one in and she started right up... I'm not sure if this alternator is actually dead or not, I will have to have it tested... but I'm a giant step closer to getting her back to normal now.

Thank you very much!

 

Glad you found the most likely issue! Hope that is all and your back up and running like normal!

 

There's a good reason that fuse blew, there's a short circuit in its load circuit.

Checked for chafed wiring where it exits the shift lever. Remove the column covers to inspect. Most common issue.