Hello,

Today I noticed the red "charge" light on my dash come on. As I have a voltage gauge I noticed it was down to about 11-12 Volts. I parked it and went in to work and when I came out 4 hours later, the red light was not on and the voltage guage registered a normal 13-14 Volts. Then, when I got close to my home, the red light came on and the voltage dropped to 11-12 Volts. Then 1/2 hour later I started it and it was normal again, but after a few minutes of driving the red light came on again.

Fearing I would soon become stranded I put in a new alternator. This didn't fix the situation. Then, I bought a replacement for the metal box screwed to the passenger side inner fender well (adjacent to the battery). The original unit had "Motorcraft Electronic Regulator" written on it. Still no luck.

The only other thing I can think of is that I have a bad wire connection somewhere between the alternator and the fender-mounted "regulator". Also, maybe it is simply a problem with the sending unit for the dash light. It is strange that my aftermarket voltage guage is affected as well. However, I installed it 7 years ago and cannot remember how exactly it is connected. Maybe it is somehow hooked to the sending unit as well.

I would welcome any help in this matter as I am left scratching my head.

Mark H.
pracklam@usa.net

 

Sounds like you have a bad connection and I would start tracing wires from the alternator to the guages.Ive seen wires break/corrode inside the black plastic wire loom so make sure you inspect every inch of wire.A likely culprit would be a sharp bend in harness or were it rubs against a engine part when engine is running/vibrating.Good luck Windsor

 

I found the problem. After replacing the alternator, regulator, and checking the wires and connections I happened to shake the regulator. I could hear a rattling sound so I replaced the regulator again. That was the problem. The first regulator I got was defective. Here are a few tips I learned while fixing this problem:
1) Make sure the regulator has a good ground to the fender. On mine the holes and screws were rusty.
2) Using a voltmeter test the battery and alternator. A good alternator will read from 13-15 volts. A good battery will should read right at 12 volts.
3) Disconnect the battery before unplugging or plugging the wire connection to the regulator.
4) A Ford mechanic told me it was a good practice to replace the regulator when replacing an alternator.