Ford help plz

[Z-linkCobra]

A sure fire way to tell if your alternator is charging...start it up..pull the ground cable off the battery. If it dies...its not charging. Amperage output from the alternator is far more crucial than voltage. I have had them in the past put out 13.5 to 14.0 volts but wouldnt maintain a charge...it was only putting out about 3 amps when I had it tested.

[bomelia]

Well, I dropped it off at a shop. The guy really worried me when he said sometimes they have to send them back to Ford (dealership) so the computer could "learn" about the alternator. I have changed it before and not had to do anything crazy like that. I told him he could do nothing without talking to me.

Mike

[bomelia]

Originally Posted by Z-linkCobra

A sure fire way to tell if your alternator is charging...start it up..pull the ground cable off the battery. If it dies...its not charging. Amperage output from the alternator is far more crucial than voltage. I have had them in the past put out 13.5 to 14.0 volts but wouldnt maintain a charge...it was only putting out about 3 amps when I had it tested.

I will try that tonight if the mechanic does not fix it.

[bomelia]

Mechanic said that the alternator "constants" are not correct... take to Ford and have ranges in computer reset. He called it "ranging" what the motor was doing.

Anyways, I will get another alternator and hope it works better.

Mike