I have a 2003 Ford Ranger XLT off-road package. The battery light on the dash came on the other day while driving home. At one point toward the end of my trip, the radio turned off. Then, all the lights lit up on the dash. The wipers were on and began to move very slow.

I was able to drive about a 1/2 mile to 1 mile, then the truck completely shut down. When I tried to start it up again, turning the ignition only produced a clicking noise.

After about 15 minutes, I tried starting it again and it started right up!

I've opened the hood and the little battery cell on the top of the battery is orange/amber. Should it be green? It's a Motorcraft BXT-59, possibly the original. I've never replaced it and my dad isn't around anymore to ask if he did. The connections to the battery seemed tight and terminals were clean.

I haven't driven it in a couple of days. I went out and started it this morning and it started right up! However, the battery light is still lit on the dash.

Any recommendations? Diagnosis? I would love some advice!!! I bought a battery at Costco today and am debating if I should put it in or not. Am I looking at an expensive alternator fix?

Thanks!

 

You need to have the battery/charging system checked out to find the the cause. Advance and Autozone generally check it out free of charge. Don't volunteer the fact that you have already purchased a battery.

 

If you want to know how to test this yourself just say so.

In the meantime check the fuse list in your owners manual. Is there a fuse listed as "generator/voltage regulator? Is it blown?

 

I had a similar experience with odd dash warning lights coming on when the alt. failed in a GM product.........everything else was failing but the dashboard was lighting up like christmas tree with un-related lights.

 

87 XLT: I would be interested to know how to test it myself. I don't know if I'm up to driving it to the local Autozone. If I knew it would get me there ok, then that would be fine. I'm a little gun shy since it has already stalled me on the side of the road once. Luckily, it started back up after about 15 minutes and I got it back home.

I've got around 82,000 miles on it - it's a 2003. That about time when the alternator goes? Anyone know a ballpark price to get a new one installed? The wife did a lot of Christmas shopping this weekend. Not the best time of year to have to spend $$$ on an auto repair.

 

You must have a really good battery for it to start back up. I have had 2 alternators die on me in a 2000 Ranger and it did the exact same thing yours did. Electronics do funny things when they don't get the voltage they need. I did buy the first alternator ($143) with a lifetime guarantee so the replacement was free. Alternator will be $100+ unless you go to a pick & pull.

 

The alternator "should" still be good, but if thats the original battery it's probably due for replacement.

Try this, connect your voltmeter to the battery, it should read 12.6 volts.

Clean the battery cables start it up & connect your voltmeter again, it should read about 14 volts.

If it wont start connect your battery charger & let it charge overnight. Repeat the above tests again in the mornng.

If you dont have a voltmeter or charger nows the perfect time to get them.

Did you check that fuse i mentioned?

Another very handy gadget that i have is a battery load tester. A good battery will read 12 .6 volts AND pass a load test.

 

Since you have already invested in a new battery and it sounds like finances are tight go ahead and install it and see if the dash lights go out. Once you get it in you could drive to Autozone and have em check the charging system if you don't have a voltmeter to test it yourself. A good place to get an inexpensive digital volt/ohm meter is Harbor Freight if you happen to have one in your area.

 

If you end up buying a new alternator, you should charge the flat battery over night with a trickle charger first. You should never attempt to charge a flat battery with a brand new alternator. Once the alternator has been broke in, it will charge a flat battery without problems.

 

A cold, wet Monday in the Northeast yesterday, so I stayed away.

No, I don't see a fuse listed as "generator/voltage regulator" in the Ranger owner's manual.

Cold morning this morning. The Ranger wouldn't start, just clicked away. I hooked it up to the battery charger and charged it for 4-5 hours. It started right up afterwards, but the battery light on the dashboard is still on.

I used my multimeter and tested the voltage from the battery with the truck running... 12.16 volts. The cables were pretty clean but I did clean them the other day when the problem started, using an old towel and a water and baking soda solution.

The alternator then? I think I'm going to attempt the 10 mile drive to the mechanics. Hopefully, it can get me there. My wife is already tired of juggling 1 car.

 

You might want to call in advance to find out but I think (Advance /Autozone) can bench test the alternator if you pull it and take it in.

 

GIve the battery a full charge & 10 miles wont be a problem. Good luck with it.

 

I bet the problem is your alternator. Funny story, I thought my alternator was broke so I replaced it. It still didn't charge so I checked the fuses and I found a blown fuse. I replaced the fuse and the truck works fine. I guess the old alternator still works (it has 162,000) miles on it. I KNOW there is a fuse for the alternator. If you want to try and replace the alternator yourself you can save a lot of money. My truck has the 3.0 and it took me about 20 minutes to replace the alternator. Not too hard if you have the right sockets. (depends which motor you have) You just take out 3 bolts, disconnect 3 wires, put new alternator in and bolt it, then connect 3 wires back. You also have to loosen and tighten the belt. Also don't forget to disconect the negative (black) battery cable before replacing the alternator.) Not very hard to do at all. On my 95 the alternator fuse is a 15 amp in slot 15.

 

I agree, from the tests you've run, it sounds like there is no output from the alternator with a votage of 12.16 & the engine running.

As has ben said, the alternator output should be higher, say 14-15 volts with the engine running.

So at 12.16 vots, this says the battery is at about a 50-60% state of charge (SOC). A fully charged battery, under no load, will read 12.6 volts or higher as has been said.

Also as has been said, there is a fuse for the alternators field winding & if it's blown there won't be any alternator output!!!!
On my 99 Ranger it's a 30 amp fuse, #14 in the under hood power distribution box, drivers side, back in the corner between the fender & firewall.

If it blows again after replacement, we need to find out Why it's blowng. Could be an internal alternator component problem, or a wiring insulation problem.

As has been said, most autoparts stores will do a no cost, in vehicle, electrical system check up, with all of the electrical systems components in place, with their portable electrical system tester & when properly used, this equiptment will usually sniff out the problem.

A factory battery has the "eye", so this is likely the OEM battery & I agree it's probably near the end of it's useful life.

If you want to try recharging it, I agree with trying to Slowly recharge it overnight with a battery charger. Do so at about 4-6 amps.

Do it with the battery B- cable Disconected from the battery, because many battey chargers have a sizeable amount of AC ripple on the charging voltage & thats not kind to our solid state components.

Be sure the electrolyte is covering the battery cells, use distilled water & be sure to charge it outside, NOT in a closed space!!!!

It's not good practice to use the alternator to recharge a completely discharged battery, as it isn't designed for that purpose & Both it & the battery can be damaged doing so.

The alternator isn't designed to to be a battery charger, it's designed to output a large amount of current for a Short period of time, to quickly recharge/top off a battery after a start.

Or to carry the electrical load of lights, AC, heater blower motor, trailer lights, window deicer, ect, ect, with the engine running, But recharging a completely discharged battery, for an extended time, at a high current level, it's Not designed to do, as that will overheat the alternator & the battery plates!!!!

Over heating the battery plates can cause the plates to warp & shed plate material, whch will reduce it's capacity, shorten it's life & maybe cause a cell to short out.

So it's not good pactice to use an alternator to recharge a discharged battery, as we can see it can lead to a "vicious circle" of self feeding problems.

A battery is best recharged slowly, at a low amp rate, like it was discharged, so it won't oveheat & shed too much plate material, or boil the electrolyte out & expose the plates.

More thoughts for consideration, let us know how it goes.

 

I agree with the alt. problem. A battery will actually gain a little bit of a charge back if it sits for awhile, which is probably why you were able to re start it. A fast way to check the alt is to check the batt. voltage while the engine is running. It should be anywhere from 13 to 14 volts. Also you need to do a slow charge on the Batt. as stated above. If you have the time I would recomend ordering an after market alt. When mine went out I did some searching online and found a Hi amp alt for less than what the parts store wanted. I think it's 140 amps, really works well with the extra load of the winch and electric fan.