Ford - Explorer :: 2003 - No Charging System?
Dec 19, 2013
2003 explorer 4.0.. I have no charging from the alternator at all. battery dash light on all the time. exciter wire from PCM to alternator, green/white is right around 11.6-11.9v when running. when key on engine off its 0.the other wire for the regulator is battery voltage all the time. voltage drop from large post to + battery terminal is 0.4v. I tried 2 different new alternators so far from napa and same issue. belt is not slipping and tension is good. this vehicle sat for about 6 months and has been on the road for only a week or 2. maybe 100 miles so far until this. I might try a ford alternator, what to do.
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I had my alternator and battery die on me in Dec 2015 and replaced both. Vehicle ran perfectly fine until this Sept 2016. First thing to happen was the battery light came on and then the System Charging Failure message and the tone came on and off intermittently. I took it to my garage and they tested and said the alternator was defective that they replaced in Dec 2015. It was showing 9V.
So they replaced it again free of charge with another rebuilt alternator. Within 30 min leaving the garage the system charging failure light was back on and again i lost charge to the point where everything was shutting down to the point i even lost the gauge cluster. Took it back to the garage and they checked the plug at the alternator and said it was fine. Then they said the belt was loose.
So they replaced the belt, the belt tentioner, and a pulley. Within 20 min the lights were all back on again and I was losing charge and all the things started to shutdown again. Where I picked up the car at 5PM on a Friday they had left and wont be back till Monday. So I am asking here....what is going on??? What else is there to look at or replace to fix this charging error???
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Check Charging System message, battery-shaped idiot light, and audible beep has happened a few times over the past month or so. Yesterday it happened while my wife was driving so I had to bring it to the dealer, not to mention I drove it last night and there was constant beeping for about a minute which was pretty annoying.
But first I had the battery checked, which turned out to be OK. Also we got a new alternator 5 months ago, installed by the dealer.
Today they said they "updated the computer" whatever that means, and otherwise couldn't find anything wrong. $99.85 plus tax.
Needless to say I'm not confident that "updating the computer" has fixed it. What are the odds we get the warning again in a couple of weeks? Short of disconnecting the sensor, is there anything that can be done?
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Three weeks ago I replaced my battery and serpentine belt as general maintenance before heading out on a prolonged trip. The next day I started receiving 'check charging system' whenever I turned the a/c on and the truck is at idle. Power steering becomes very hard to turn and engine feels like it is going to quit.
This is not a problem at highway speeds. Looking at the engine when the a/c is engaged, a slow down of the belt/pulley is obvious. The alternator has been removed and checked, battery checked good, and the belt is the right size/length. What could be causing this? Again it started behaving like this after a belt and battery change. There is no issue if the a/c is off...
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I have a 2004 Explorer with 167,000 miles that has begun to display erractic messages such as, check charging system, low tire pressure, AvTrac off and about everything there is. Reset and everything looks good then messages start again. I am thinking computer module.
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My 2008 2wd 4.0l XLT is having a strange power steering issue. When I start the truck and back out of my driveway it feels like I have no power steering. Within about ten seconds of putting the truck in reverse the "check charging system" warning comes on the dash. As long as it is on I have no power steering. That warning stays on for about 15-20 seconds and then goes away. As soon as it goes away power steering is restored.
I have checked my battery and it is good, it is also pretty new. The power steering fluid level is good. Based on another thread that seemed to have a similar issue I replaced the serpentine belt, the idler pulley and the belt tensioner. No changes at all to the issue. My next step is to replace the power steering pump....
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My charging system light in my 2000 F250 keeps coming on and off and very random times. Its been happening for quite sometime now and I finally joined FTE so I figured I would ask everyone what could be causing this. Ive disconnected all the electrical plugs from the alternator and made sure they were in there well.
It all started when I was cleaning my engine not too long after getting the alternator replaced. I don't remember getting any water anywhere near the alternator and cant understand anything causing this other than the connectors. It will cut on and then cut right off sometimes and then sometimes it comes on and stays on...
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I have a 2003 mercury mountaineer 4.6L AWD. The other day it died at the grocery store and now won't start. All it has is the check charging system warning light on. Changed Alternator, battery and starter already and still nothing. It does start sometimes but i need to give it gas to keep it running.
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The red battery light on my 2003 gx470 with 106k miles came on while starting the truck up today. I had the alternator tested by my mechanic and it was outputting 13.0v -13.1v which was low but not causing any loss of power. The battery on two years old and tested out fine. Nothing was flickering, no loss of electrical components, etc. It's the original alternator and I'm going on a 1000 mile round trip vacation this weekend for 10 days I so decided to swap out the alternator since if it was "going" I didn't want it going 500 miles from home. My mechanic does the swap and starts the truck up with no issues and no red light on. Lets it run for 15 minutes and turns off the truck. 20 minutes later they start the truck up to switch lifts so they could balance and rotate the tires and boom the light goes on again? Turns it off and on a few times...light stays on. After testing everything out My mechanic decides it must be a bad alternator or the regulator inside the alternator and gets a different one from a different manufacturer, a Duralast this time from AutoZone. Installs it and the red light comes on immediately. The alternator is putting out 14v.
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Picked up a 2000 Explorer XLS for my 16 year old son to drive. It looks and runs great but it needed a new alternator. Long story short, 3 shiny new alternators from AutoZone later, it still acts like it needs a new one. If I check voltage at the alternator, while running, it's never over 12.5V. As I turn on accessories, the voltage drops down to 11.7 and doesn't come back up. When I turn it off, the battery slowly creeps back to 12.5V. The 30 amp fuse is good as is the 175amp fusible link. Shouldn't I have 14+ volts out of a brand alternator?
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I just picked up another 2003 XLT and I'll be taking it in for inspection on Monday. Hoping it will pass easily, but there are a couple issues I'd like to address before going in there.
First and foremost, the heat/AC system is stuck in defrost. It will turn off when the selector is moved to the OFF position, but any other position just makes the air blow out the top of the dash. I did do some research on this beforehand (the seller made me aware of it) and I first looked at the actuator. When moving between positions, the actuator does not move at all. It does appear to be connected to the vent door's arm but there's no movement when going around the dial. I do hear what seems to be a relay kick on or off as I go through the different modes, but that's it. Does this point more towards a vacuum issue?
Second, and less significant...the self-dimming rear view mirror doesn't dim. It doesn't even power on. Where might the connection go for that mirror? Would be handy to have for night driving, but not that big of a deal if it's not functioning.
I'm also going to have to get the tailpipe mounted...seems it came off at some point and the seller asked me today if I wanted it. Uh...yeah, I'm gonna need that to pass inspection!
I am liking it so far. Runs well, rides well...I will be enjoying this one as well.
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1997 Explorer belonging to a friend who will show up complaining that his battery is dying. Of course, the problem is intermittent.
So far, tried 2 new alternators, (rebuilds), 3 batteries and several diagnostic sessions which have been inconclusive. What I do know is that when the charging system is not working, I still have full battery voltage on the Y/W and LG/R wires on the small wire plug at the alternator. The path from the alternator output through the megafuse to battery + does seem to be intact. Measures full battery voltage and even tried a test by using a battery booster cable to connect the alternator output directly to battery + when the system was not charging.
No change with this test. Visual inspection of the engine to firewall ground strap and the battery - to rad cradle ground wire seem to be OK. Have not had the opportunity to try the jumper cable trick to verify the alternator case to battery - circuit, (darn intermittent!). There did seem to be something intermittent related to a wiggle test in and around the power distribution fuseblock, but once again, this was inconclusive. I also was able to make the charging system fail, (once) by turning on the headlights and blower motor.Any specific failures that may cause this? Not much left to change or check!
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I have a 2001 ford excursion with the v10 . Yesterday it just died from no power from the charging system. I cleaned all my connection from the battery to the ground straps and my question is in the back of the alternator where the large wire connections with that disconnected. Should I not see current coming out of the bolt on the alternator.
I connected a test light to the body and the test side to the large electrical bolt on the back of the alternator and It would not light ? is the voltage regulator inside the alternator . I also found and a repair a worn fuse link that connected at the starter selonoid and i did make sure the wire from the back of the alternator to the starter selonoid has continuity.
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New Interstate battery, new alternator (x2, 1st was Napa (DOA), 2nd Motor Craft) and 1 new Napa idler wheel. The battery test at 12.5 and when the truck idles it shoot to 15.14. It holds a charge fine, but the check charging system keeps popping up which concerns me, not only because its annoying. Also why such a spike when started...?
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I drive a 2011 f-150 5.0. I hit a crater-sized pothole out on a dirt road and the check battery light came on. The truck hesitates slightly when i put on the gas. I already check the voltage on the battery 13v off 15 on and I took off the Postive cable and the truck still ran. What could be causing the issue.
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I have an '04 F-150 4 x 4 Supercrew Lariat w/ the 5.4 V-8. It has 105,832 miles on it. No issues until a week ago. Battery light and "Check Charging System" message appear 30 seconds after cranking the engine. I have replaced the battery (Ford Motorcraft), belt and alternator (Motorcraft 130 Amp). Still getting battery light and error message. I've read some post that indicate it could be a short in the fuse box.
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I just got a new-to-me 2007 4.0L Explorer . When I turn the ignition to the on position, I get a message that says "Check charging system"...
Once I start the engine it goes away. Is this normal?
My battery reads 12.6 with the engine off and 13.8 with it on.
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I have a 2008 f350 6.4 (105,000 miles) and I am randomly getting the check charging system the batterys have a standing voltage of 13.8 and 13.9-14v (read from the ecu with scanner) both at idle and under a load. I also checked the alternator and its making 13.8-14 all the batteries are tight and there is no corrosion.
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The charging system light has started to flicker on and off when it is wet outside. It does not come on and stay on. What to look for in the way of causes?
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Noticed the warning indicator on dash, linage of a battery, this morning. Thought maybe battery needed to be replaced? So got replacement battery and installed it, but warning light still on.
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I just got a Camry SE 2016 last Wednesday. and when I put the ignition key in and switch it, before turning on the engine, this message shows up: "Check charging system". and when the engine starts, the message is gone. Is this normal?
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