check battery light on
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Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Sapulpa OK
check battery light on
Hi all! I know I haven't been around for a couple of years but I've since retired and now I need some expert advice so I've come to the experts. I've always found good advice here
I have a 2003 Windstar and for quite a while now the check battery light has been coming on briefly & then going out. It stay's out for awhile then will come back on for maybe a minute & then go out. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to this and This morning I decided to check things out. I hooked up my Fluke meter and found after I start the engine the voltage goes up to 14.6vdc, normal, then after a few minutes the light came on & the system voltage game up to 16.8 vdc, not normal. Then after a minute or so the light went out & the voltage went back down to normal. The voltage regulator is probably acting up I surmise. Is the regulator internal to the alternator or external?
Looking for some advice here. Any responses will be appreciated.
thanks
I have a 2003 Windstar and for quite a while now the check battery light has been coming on briefly & then going out. It stay's out for awhile then will come back on for maybe a minute & then go out. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to this and This morning I decided to check things out. I hooked up my Fluke meter and found after I start the engine the voltage goes up to 14.6vdc, normal, then after a few minutes the light came on & the system voltage game up to 16.8 vdc, not normal. Then after a minute or so the light went out & the voltage went back down to normal. The voltage regulator is probably acting up I surmise. Is the regulator internal to the alternator or external?
Looking for some advice here. Any responses will be appreciated.
thanks
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 660
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From: Central NJ
I could be wrong but I don't think there's any automotive charging systems that doesn't have an internal regulator. Probably can get an alternator reasonable if you shop around. I'd check the wiring at the alternator and grounds too.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2005
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Before you start shopping for a new alternator, clean all of your connections. Especially the grounds. Make sure the cables are good, too. Corrosion can wick up inside a cable for several inches, and isn't always visible with a quick eyeball. Take each connector apart and clean thoroughly. Push, pull, tug, and flex each cable. You are feeling and listening for any brittleness in the cable.
This might just cure your problem, and even if it doesn't, it's something that should be done now and then anyway.
This might just cure your problem, and even if it doesn't, it's something that should be done now and then anyway.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Sapulpa OK
Thanks wirelessengineer. That's the first place I went & it was better for a few hours but then came back on. would poor grounds cause a high charging rate?
I havent done anything with it yet, just waiting for some problem manifest itself.
I havent done anything with it yet, just waiting for some problem manifest itself.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2005
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Poor grounds can cause all manner of strange behavior. Bad grounds will have you thinking there's a poltergeist in your vehicle. Bad grounds can make a preacher swear!
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Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
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From: Waterloo, Iowa
Poor grounding and corrosion in connections means generally a low charge rate of the battery. This in turn makes the alternator work harder on a constant basis. An external regulator type system might peg to the high side with a poor ground though. If the battery and starter, ground & solenoid cables are original or even just old it is wise to replace them. High resistance is probably the rule and not the exception in any car or truck more than a few years old. The automotive environment is pretty brutal, lots of road salt and brine & moisture and pollution and the rest of it.
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