electrical grimlin battery light

[93turbo_animal]

Ok yesterday morning the wife said that the battery light on the 03 was flickering on her way to work but the lights never got dim and finally the light went out. On the way home it never acted up so this morning shes on her way out the drive shes looking to see how high the creek is and the radio shut off so she turns and looks and the battery light is on but all the gauges are down like the truck is shut off trucks running fine lights are on and bright so she gets to the end of the drive and turns around and heads back in the battery light goes out and the gauges come up and the radio comes back on. So she takes the IDI to work and now the truck is fine I can't get it to act up at all I checked batterys and alt everything is putting out like they should be so I'm thinking bad connection somewhere maybe moisture related but where Any Ideas

 

[sassyrel]

how many miles on the alt--if its high--it may be like mine--did that a few times--then constant---brushes wore out--and they also cut into the communtator-- i replaced the armature with a rebuilt--put in new brushes and bearings--fine now--and no--they are fun to get apart-----

 

[93turbo_animal]

I'm assuming its original so 88K but i don't understand why that it would affect just the gauges and radio when the headlights were on and never dimmed

 

[Jeep1947]

Check all your grounds first, then check the single wire plug on alternator sometime the connection gets corrosion on it. Hope this helps.

 

[93turbo_animal]

All the grounds look good but I don't think its the grounds anyhow cause the only thing affected was the gauges and radio all the lights were fine even the ones in the dash stayed on

I checked the connections on the alt too but could not get it to repeat the symptoms and the superduty alt is different then the OBS anyhow

 

[Double-S-Diesel]

check the plug on the alt, they are known to be give troubles.
other possibility is the ignition switch.

 

[Agnem]

Frankly, I think it was unconscionable for Ford to produce a computerized vehicle that doesn't include a volt meter and/or an amp meter. OK, I guess they reasoned that the general pop doesn't know what they are looking at if they had one, but come on! The truck is a computer first, and a vehicle second. It's probably got over a few miles of wire in it, and the battery and alternator are its heart. I still remember my alternator dying in my 86' Ranger (MPFI - and computerized), and it shutting off every time the battery voltage dropped below a value I would guess to be around 5 volts. I'd shut the key off, drift a mile and just when the speed was just about gone out of it, hit the key, pop the clutch and it would start and run for another mile or so, due to the battery recovering just a little. I went 25 miles like that until I reached my destination. I know for sure that aint gonna be possible in the Moosewagon, so that thing is getting a voltmeter for sure.

 

[69oiler]

i agree the assclowns at Ford should use real guages, like the assclowns at GM do. it's ridiculous.

 

[93turbo_animal]

Well no troubles this morning so maybe messing with all the wires helped the connection I dunno I guess I'll just have to wait and see

 

[69oiler]

Aric...i had a battery light problem some time ago. turned outthat that there was a lot of strain on the plug going into the alternator, and it broke the insulation. it gave me a light with the key off and outof the ignition. also some funky readings on the idiot guage when running.

long story short i was moving wires around trying to diagnose withthe engine running and the wires shorted out and fried my alternator. that was an expensive oops.

have a look and see how the insulation looks around your alt with the key OFF.

 

[93turbo_animal]

Thanks Rob I looked at them yesterday the insulation looked pretty good just a little wore from the power wire running over it but still insulated good enough

 

[mark7.3idi]

bad grond or meltid fuse