battery light question
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Manhattan Kansas
battery light question
the taurus battery light has come on few times, it comes on for just a few minutes then back off and stays off, I imagine it is the original alternator, but it tests fine when we took it to the ford dealership.. Any idears?
it doesn't happen every time we drive the car, but just on occasion. instinct is to replace the alternator, anyone else agree or disagree?
it doesn't happen every time we drive the car, but just on occasion. instinct is to replace the alternator, anyone else agree or disagree?
Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,556
Likes: 80
From: Manhattan, KS
The alternator would be my thought also. The other possibility would be a bad ground somewhere. I'd probably clean the battery posts just to make sure that isn't an issue and also check the battery cables and wiring to the alternator, but it sounds like the alternator is getting ready to die.
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,705
Likes: 4
From: Wichita KS
I would check the voltage with the car running and wiggle the pigtail on the alternator. If the voltage bounces around, replace that pigtail. The pins tend to get loose inside the housing and make a poor contact. Other than that it's hard to tell what the problem is. FYI, those alternator test are not gospel, the alternator on the wifes car tested fine out of the truck but would not charge on the truck, I chased that no charge for a long time before I broke down and replaced the alternator and it fixed it.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Manhattan Kansas
Ya Know, I ne'er checked that, in fact that should have been the second thing I checked.. first should have been making sure the floor mats were vaccumed..
well, I checked under the hood, and didn't find anything shocking other than corrosion on the battery terminal, get the pun.. I really didn't mean for a pun.. I found that the battery terminal was only making contact on the post in just a very small place, the rest was pretty corroded. theoretically, if it got hot under the hood, maybe it would cause it to have less of a connection? maybe? dunno..
just a theory.
well, I checked under the hood, and didn't find anything shocking other than corrosion on the battery terminal, get the pun.. I really didn't mean for a pun.. I found that the battery terminal was only making contact on the post in just a very small place, the rest was pretty corroded. theoretically, if it got hot under the hood, maybe it would cause it to have less of a connection? maybe? dunno..
just a theory.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Manhattan Kansas
I pulled the battery cable off while doing the timing chain cover and new water pump, and may have not gotten it snugged up enough, I did not clean it before I put it back on. I have not seen the light come back on, but before I did it, we drove all the way to Topeka, and several stops and starts at Topeka before it ever lit up there. So..... it may be a long time before we see it happen again, or this may have fixed it. Especially since I took the time to wash the windows. I think getting the bugs off the windshield should prevent it from ever coming back.
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Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,556
Likes: 80
From: Manhattan, KS
Yeah, those bugs on the windows lead to all kinds of mechanical problems. I know that when I've had stuff quit working on a vehicle, 9 times out of 10 it can be traced back to bugs on the windows.
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Thread Starter
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2007
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Likes: 92
From: Manhattan Kansas
wow, what insight, I never would have thought of that.. I bet if I fix that, not only will my battery light never come back on, but my tires will never go bald, and my bathroom toilet will always flush.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2008
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From: Abilene, KS
Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,556
Likes: 80
From: Manhattan, KS
We need to be careful about going to far with this "bugs on the windshield" stuff. Pretty soon it will be blown way out of proportion and become another "death panel" scenario and we will have granny picketing KS chapter FTE gatherings demanding that cleaning bugs off the windshield will cause the economy to collapse and she will lose her social security and Medicare, and turn the country into some kind of socialist state where everybody has to drive a Ford and won't be allowed to drive a chebbie, yota or benz!
Thread Starter
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 18,844
Likes: 92
From: Manhattan Kansas
We need to be careful about going to far with this "bugs on the windshield" stuff. Pretty soon it will be blown way out of proportion and become another "death panel" scenario and we will have granny picketing KS chapter FTE gatherings demanding that cleaning bugs off the windshield will cause the economy to collapse and she will lose her social security and Medicare, and turn the country into some kind of socialist state where everybody has to drive a Ford and won't be allowed to drive a chebbie, yota or benz!
True story, I looked it up in that website that tells you if things are real or not, but the story was not truthful about where was, it was in some third world country like Canada.. and the end result is they started getting alot of people coming into the very small country that spoke French... Oh the nightmares.. I can't imagine how it ever got that far, but their King jumped off a short bridge and took his life......right over to the local pub and drank himself to death. It was trajic.
