06/05/21

I have all three shop manuals for my 2007 Ranger 4.0 4x4 Sport. I look in the shop manuals and they describe the piece of equipment that charges the battery as a "generator." When I look at some Youtube videos describing what it is, these online mechanics call it an "alternator". Not I don't care what it's called, but when I look in the factory instructions on the color of a wire (yellow and black) coming out of the alt/gen so I can do a resistance test from that wire to the battery (engine off, negative unhooked), I do not have that wire on my alt/gen. Is the Canadian version different? It does have and engine heater and a battery warmer. Does that change the wiring if it has that equipment and or what?

My general sense is the word generator has gone the way of the Conestoga wagon years ago yet it's in the shop manuals coming from Ford.

Thanks in advance.

 

Generators in vehicles, at least USA, went the way of the DoDo bird around 1960-1962. Only time I ever see one now is on a restored antique/classic where the owner wanted to keep veh totally original.
And since your Canadian Ford was built with USA parts, it will most definately have an alternator.

Oh, and welcome to the forums !

 

The confusion is much like "Starter Relay" or "starter solenoid", both can mean the same part, Core plug or freeze plug, both can mean the same part

Generator or alternator, samething
Back a few years electrical systems in vehicles used DC Generators to run the electric system when engine was running because the whole system used DC Volts

The term alternator came into use because "generating" alternator current and then converting it to DC Voltage was a much better method of "generating" electricity in vehicles
So instead of calling it an AC generator it was called an alternator and the name stuck
An alternator IS a generator................

Only time there would be a difference is if you were discussing METHODS of "generating" electricity using mechanical rotation

Anyway to the point

No, you would not have the standard yellow/white wire on a 2007 Ranger, it will be the smaller red wire, on "A"

And no alt/gen fuse either, 2007 uses fusible links, short wires that act as fuses

The "grey wire" would be same as light green/red wire on older systems, that's the ON/OFF, "Charge indicator"(battery light) wire

2007 Charging system below

Quick easy test
Key OFF
Leave battery connected
Set volt meter to DC Volts
TEST battery volts, remember it, say its 12.6volts
Hold meters black probe on metal case of alternator for all tests

Put red probe on B+ terminal, stud/nut terminal(wire connected), should see battery voltage, if not then fusible link is bad

Unplug 3 wire connector
Test Red wire, should see battery volts, if not fusible link is bad

Test Grey wire, should be 0 volts
Turn Key ON
Re-test battery Grey wire, should now be battery volts, 0.2 less is fine

If all wires test as OK, start engine
Test battery volts, should see 14.2 to 14.9volts, if not alternator is bad, period, even if its new