i noticed on friday night i recieved a new light on my dash, it was the battery light indicating a bad voltage. i instinctively thought it was a bad battery again because my sound system has a good way of shocking my batteries, so i figured i would let it go and replace it on monday.

on sunday afternoon i had a strange problem with my stereo flickering on and off. and i decided to turn off the vehicle to reset it. then my truck wouldnt start easily. i waited a few minutes tried it again and got a starting crank.

i quickly headed over to the closest store to buy a new battery and then on the way all my gauges, lights and displays went dead. but the truck managed to stay running. i got the new battery and installed it once i got to the store. then started it to find myself with the same battery light. i drove it around for a while to see if it would go out but nothing changed.

later that night i headed back home. about 15 minutes away all my gauges and lights die again. and the truck eventually sputtered out 2 minutes away from home. i did a quick battery change back to my old battery and managed to get a starting crank from it and enough voltage to get my truck home.

am i looking at a new alternator? or is it just a fuse? or solenoid? it looks like it just completely died and doesnt seem to be putting out any charge to replenish the battery.
the truck is only a 2008 3.0 v6 with just over 80000km on the dash

 

im currently charging the battery tonight for my drive to work tomorrow, ill be calling ford if its anything to do with the alternator. because my factory warranty should still cover anything including the charging system

 

strange. let us know what you find!

 

sounds like what happened when the alternator died on my old s-10. mine never kept running when the dash components went out though. I would have them check the alternator, other than that im not sure. good luck

 

classic alternator.

get one from an explorer. like 140 amps opposed to the ranger 90 amps. i think. either way a big improvement.

 

yupp defeniately an alternator, ford diagnosed the issue and checked all the grounds and obvious components for a source of the failure without any conclusions. they said the alternator need to be replaced, and they go for $250. the inspection today will cost me $60, then labour to install the new alternator will be an hour. or about $100. taxes in this fix will cost me almost $500.. i just so happened to be over my extended warranty for the engine at 80000km so there is no coverage on any of the work being done. the new generator is on order for tomorrow and hopefully ill be driving again tomorrow night. i dont know what could have caused a failure, any ideas?

if i had the time, i would have liked to of gone to the wreckers and pick myself a used one for under $100 (not knowing how long it will last) and just throw it on myself. they arnt hard to install but a little time consuming for a tight schedule. and right now i just need a drivable vehicle

 

if i were to mess up another alternator i will keep this in mind, what years? 90's?

 

I'm pretty sure all years are the same for that. I would go with a 2000.




I can't believe you payed the stealership $500 to change an alternator :/


It's like $150 for the part and 2 bolts and 3 wires.

 

ya i know im kicking my *** about it. but the dealer part is $250 without tax anything else aftermarket is alot cheaper but i need to special order from every place i checked into. which will take upto a week to ship. ill do it the hard way first but never again. its just a bad time for it to do this and i just need it fixed..

 

Your system has to much of a draw for the stock alt. Thats why it died. Try this run your engine at 100% and see what happens...

 

well its done and ready to drive, i dont notice any draw when i turn on the ac controls anymore. possibly this was an issue waiting to happen. ill just need to be more careful how i clean the engine and how much current i draw in the cab. but possibly some recent welding on the frames could have also caused some aggrivation to the alternator

 

did you disconnect the battery before you welded?

 

normally i have been disconnecting the batt. while working on the truck, but when i did the sas initially i forgot to disconnect it and had a few issues after but no long term issues until the weekend.

 

happened to me 200 mi from home no tools and wasnt sure if it was for sure the alt or not ... $450

 

ya its a real inconvienient part to blow,

 

i would imagine. i should buy one and leave it at home. just to have it. they are pretty easy to switch out on the fly. depending on the engine of course because of the position.

only problem is. you can;t get a new one, if your truck is dead in the water. i understand completely.