Got home from work today noticed my battery voltage was getting a bit low maybe?

Possible alt rebuild and new batteries?

2004 6.0 all stock everything

 

That was in park. Everything on. Trailer lights. 4 days.. all that

 

First thing I'd do is switch to the type of Gauge in Torque that captures the min and max and it is in the display. That way you aren't guessing at what the actual voltage (or anything else is, or was). You should have all 3 FICM voltages plus the Vbatt plus the OBDII port volts....

Or maybe I'm just paranoid on voltage...? without knowing what you have: fresh and fully charged batteries in the 850CCV range and a minimum of a 140A alt with an overdrive pulley is a good place to start. But then there are some cheap and easy to do cabling upgrades you should consider too... Take a look in the Tech section for TooManyToys. thread on batteries and cabling...

The 6.0 doesn't like to be starved for electrons (for one, fuel pressure and others, for another)...

 

Every accessory tuned on in park and idle, depending on the alternator you have and your ground connections, that may not be bad.

 

I'll have to look into the gauges.

Grounding is all as per Ford. Cables are all Ford. Alt is and older OE replacement.

You think that's not to bad toomanytoys? Im not 100% sure on what a safe minimum would be.

 

We only have two points from Ford, 4 seconds at ~9.0v and ~100.2v for 60 seconds. That's not enough data points to plot a SWAG graph of time at voltage failure points. The graph shows what Ford/IH allowed out the door with a 110a alternator. It's been so long since I've seen a 110a on my truck, but I think all electrics brought me down to about 12.5.

Personally, I'm not sure normal running volts is what has killed a lot of FICMs. I think the initial starting event is more probable, and alternators are not going to address that.

 

I see No issue. Most modern day vehicles, once the batts are up to full charge the output volts will lower to the mid to low 13's. Anymore and your just cooking it in my opinion.

 

Man, some of the stuff i read on here might as well not be english ( toomanytoys) hah. I would never remember all the specs on these trucks let alone everything else I own.
Thats why I appreciate the knowledge from you guys. Ask a question. Get an answer. fix as directed or drive on.

Thanks guys

Also, i updated my " signature" in my profile.. but it doesnt show up under my post.. any ideas?

 

cancel that... now its there

 

Jeez, I understand it.

 

I don't want to start another thread on charging voltages so I'm going to jump into this thread. I've never been happy with the idling voltages or during various throttle ranges. I replaced the factory 110A alternator 3 years ago with a 140A alternator from AdvanceAuto,I have a gatorback serp belt. , 2 brand new Ford batteries with new Ford cables on both batteries. Anyway the first few months with this alternator seemed good but eventually the average Voltage range would drop to low 13's to high 12's. In my experience that sort of range would be a sign of a failing alternator. I returned this alternator 3 times in the past 2 plus years and I've never been happy. I'm looking for suggestions on a good brand alternator for my truck(2007 F350 6.0l DRW). In the past with other vehicles I've been happy with Bosch or even Denso but I'm open to suggestions for what has worked for other FTE members.

 

Not a fan of any rebuilt alternators as all the replacement parts come from the lowest price China resources.

First, you have to understand that the voltage is depended on the headroom of output vs demand, at any speed, but particularly is noticed at idle. Whatever you have turned on, you need headroom of 25-30a for conversation. Second, you have to understand that while the alternator may be rated at 110a, 140a or whatever, that's at full RPM in a cold state. By design, the regulator should reduce voltage under hot underhood conditions to protect the batteries. They chemically don't do well with a high voltage when they are hot, it's why southern state batteries typically fail faster. 13.6v should be the lowest by regulation but can go lower without issue to electronics. So then we get to paranoia, or comfort range, depending on your view.

Other factors as you probably know is where your reading the voltage, as the harness connections can drop about 0.5v. So good connections are part of the deal.

A 140a is a good stock system replacement when voltages at idle are a concern if it is driven by a smaller pulley. Data from Ford.










At the time I bought my new Bosch 140a they had good reliability, lately, that seems to be mixed and they have tightened their warranty application.

Alternators 160a and above should be fine with a stock pulley. Once you get to above 180a, its time to add a relatively small parallel (4-2ga) alternator to battery cable to handle the potential high amps. Everyone has an opinion about brands, there's enough of past discussions.

 

With all the pro and con discussions lately of some of what were folk's go-to brands; I personally would give the Denso a try - don't hear a lot on them and I don't think they are quite plug-n-play; but the folks that have gone to them seem to pop in and say that's what they've done and we don't hear back... In all the vehicles I've owned I've never had a Denso unit fail, FWIW... Do a search here and you'll find one of the posts of which model and what else you need to bolt 'er up...

 

[QUOTE=TooManyToys.;18629595]
Personally, I'm not sure normal running volts is what has killed a lot of FICMs. I think the initial starting event is more probable, and alternators are not going to address that.
Thats my paranoia and why I plug my batteries into a battery tender the first thing after I park in the garage.

 

Y2K and Scott's batteries will address that, as will a third battery setup. The larger the reserve the less drop of voltage during the draw-down. Or as you do, keep them up and/or keep them warm (winter). Lots of possibilities.