I just replaced my battery and alternator this evening on my 2004 F-150 5.4L. After driving it around a bit, the idle is dropping to about 100 RPM almost to a point of stalling when coming to stop. It slowly creeps back up to a normal idle shortly after.
View 4 RepliesLast night battery light came on. Drove 40 miles home with lights on. Today, it started so I headed out. About 10 miles of battery light on, gauge fluctuating mildly either side of middle, gauge suddenly drops dramatically. I turn around and head back. After a mile or so there's a terrible growling under the hood, sounded like it could be an alternator bearing. Just as I pull over, the noise stops but entire dash goes black. Popped hood, alternator spinning quietly and not hot. I drove back and it started stumbling and surging as the battery died and it finally quit almost all the way back.
I have battery on charger now. I assume the BCM is the regulator by feeding current back to the field? If so could the growling be the BCM feeding back a huge field and the rectifier bridge growing? And the BCM fuse blew because too much current to alternator field coils? Will it start with a charged battery with the BCM dead? I need it to run to get to the parts place. Which fuses do I need to check? Then, how do I check the alternator, wiring, BCM regulator to find original problem?
The battery light came on in my '04 F150 a couple of days ago. Terminals were in need of cleaning, so I took care of that. The next day after driving 50 miles to and from work, the battery light came on again, along with the ABS & Brake light started flashing. After shutting the truck off, it would not start.
Three days later, I have now installed a brand new alternator and battery, only to have the same symptoms pop up about one minute after start up. The warning lights are now accompanied by the passenger airbag light and all engine instruments needle sweep back and forth. Dash lights go dim and bright intermittently as RPM varies.
Do I need old fault codes cleared or is this a PCM issue?
Last week, I brought my 2002 Ford Focus (automatic transmission) to the mechanic to have an oil change and to have the motor mounts and cabin air filter replaced. Before I brought the car in, it was fairly loud at idle--which had been going on for a couple of years and which I attributed to the worn motor mounts--but had otherwise been running fine.
When I went to pick it up after the repairs, the car would not start. The mechanic ran some tests and told me that the alternator was overcharging the battery. The battery could no longer hold a charge, so both the alternator and the battery needed to be replaced, which the mechanic did.
I thought at first that everything was OK after the battery and alternator replacement. Because I almost always turn my car off immediately after putting it in park, I didn't realize what was happening and that it was a problem... but in retrospect, I realize that ever since I got the car back from this second set of repairs, the battery light has flashed on during the split second between when I shift to park and when I turn the ignition off.
Yesterday, I took my car back to the mechanic because it stalled when I was in the parking lot at work. (I realize now that it must have happened just after I shifted gears, probably into park.) Since that was the first time it had actually properly stalled--rather than just a quick battery light flash just before I turned the car off--I had not yet made the connection between the stalling and the shifting to park, so all I told the mechanic is that it stalled on me when I was slowing to a stop. I'm pretty sure the first time it stalled was the first time I let it idle for more than a half-second in park before turning off the ignition.
He kept my car for a full day and ran a lot of tests on it. He was unable to make the car stall during multiple test drives (though, to be fair, I hadn't told him that the trigger for making it stall was shifting to park because I didn't realize it myself yet). There were no engine codes, the check engine light was never on, the fuel pressure is OK, and the throttle body position sensor, the idle air control valve, the ignition system, and the fuel system were giving no abnormal readings. When I asked, he told me that they did perform an idle-relearn procedure after replacing the battery and alternator. He returned the car to me and told me to come back if it stalled again.
Tonight, when I got the car home, it started to die immediately when I put it into park (the headlights dimmed and the battery light came on). I was able to reproduce this a second time as well. Fortunately, it does start back up just fine.
I plan to take the car in for repairs again, but I'm wondering if I should go back to the same mechanic. My questions are:
1) What is likely to be causing the problem?
2) Is it something that is likely to have been caused by incompetence when installing the new battery and alternator or doing other repairs, or could it be a coincidence (I was willing to believe the first coincidence of the battery and alternator dying while the car was at the repair shop, but I'm having difficulty believing a second coincidence)?
3) Whether or not the problem is likely to be the mechanic's fault, is it something that a thorough check on their part should have discovered?
Yesterday I had to jump start my truck twice, after driving 200 miles then this morning, it still wouldn't start. Likely time for new battery being on original battery since new. Before I go over to local Sears, checking out the Diehards. Any particular brands?
View 5 RepliesHad a bad alternator, changed it, and now the battery lite stays on all the time..Changed the alternator again with a known good one, and the light is still on all the time..
View 14 RepliesI got my battery replaced Monday evening and drove it home. Tuesday it drove fine, and Wednesday afternoon the power steering went out on the road and the car pretty much died after I was able to pull into a neighborhood. Before it died all the warning lights kept flashing and a bunch of other stuff on the dashboard was going crazy.
The AAA tech came and did a reading on the battery and told me it was dead, and also noticed there was a mark on one of the terminals which he said was the result of someone trying to jump it (whether incorrectly or not, I'm not sure). All the settings in my car were also reset after I got the car back Monday night.
Anyways, I got the car taken to a dealership and they are telling me the alternator fuse is done and needs to be replaced, upon which they will do another check and make sure the alternator itself is working properly.
My question is, is this the result of the battery being put in improperly/incorrectly?
I have a 2008 F150 that the battery drains after sitting 4 days or longer. This has happened about a dozen times since I bought the truck and the dealer could never figure out why. Warranty is up now and it is STILL happening! I had corporate office insult me by telling me everything "checks out" and it is just like a cell phone. If you don't periodically charge it up, the battery dies. I asked her where I was supposed to plug my truck in at night and there was silence on the other end. I am 62 and have never had a car or truck do this from just sitting. The dealer insists everything checks out.
View 14 RepliesI have rough idle problem after changing spark plugs, fuel filter and battery. There was no rough idle problem before this work was done. What could be wrong. Once the speed is above 20 mph it seem to run fine but at stops it vibrates and seem like it may stall!
View 6 RepliesI just recently replaced my alternator and battery in my 08 Toyota yaris and it's still not holding a charge. My blinkers, radio, and heating and air won't come on , also my wheel is hard to turn and in order to shift gears I have to push down the white button near the shift stick. I'm so confused as to what else could be going wrong and my mechanic can't seem to figure things out my last resort is the dealership but I'm thinking that would be expensive
View 4 RepliesI had to replace my alternator (single unit) and after installation it seems only 1 of the 2 batteries is charging when I check them while the truck is running. What check or could be the problem?
View 1 RepliesI wonder how prevalent this problem is with Ford alternators. Sure looks like it was cracked a long time, like maybe from over-tightening. I was planning on having new bearings installed to hopefully take care of a periodic whine. Already replaced the idler pulleys. As much as I dislike rebuilt alternators, looks like I will be getting one.
View 1 Replies2004 F-150 XLT.... What the thread size and pitch are on the alternator pulley nut? Cant find a replacement nut anywhere and lost the original!
View 2 RepliesMy battery went dead so I replaced with new. This did not fix the problem so I replaced the alternator. It's working now but the battery light stays on. I think I still have a problem.
View 3 Replies2002 Ford Focus SE with 130k miles on it. For the past 4 months the battery light flashes randomly while driving. The flashing and frequency of flashing doesn't seem related to anything I can tell including temperature, length of time the car is running, speed or any variable. Seems like it should be an alternator, but that was replaced less than an year ago and it also has a new battery. The alternator always checks out fine at the mechanic and it will never flash for the mechanic. It went 1 month with no flashing and suddenly it will now flash maybe 20 times in a 5 mile drive. Yesterday it just died at a stoplight with no warning, but then after shutting everything off it started just fine and the battery light didn't turn on for the 2 miles to home.
View 5 RepliesThis monday i found this horrible noise coming from the engine... My first thought was a pulley bearing, yet none of them at the front appeared to be the cause, and standing in front of the bay it sounded like it came from the engine itself (which would be really bad news). Well, i parked the truck until today and i went to check if i could find the cause. I used a mech's stethoscope at the engine and found nothing strange, turned the engine off and touched the pulleys to feel if any was getting hotter than the others... no dice...
Then took the belt off and tried every pulley by hand, all worked ok, yet when i turned the Alternator's it flashed a little spark every now and then (that was just a hint, i wasn't sure). To finally rule out the engine, i turned it on without the belt (that would leave all the pulleys out of the equation). It worked fine and made no strange noises. I cleaned several pulleys and placed the belt back, and turned the engine on once again, this time keeping my attention at the alternator, enough said, it made several spark noises and suddenly, i saw a cap flying of its back. It turned out to be the bearing at the back of the alternator, it was destroyed and losing shrapnel all over, take a look:
Now, need to know what is the part number of the measures of this bearing. (I'll take what's left of the bearing to the store, but i like to be sure of what I'm looking for).
Within three days the alternator and fuse #23 blew. After replacing these and the fuel filter (because of stalling during acceleration), I took it for a diagnostic check at O'Reileys because the stalling while accelerating worsened, it wasn't shifting correctly and the O/D light began flashing on the shifter. It hit on these 13 error codes:
P7055
P0446
P0750
P0443
P0743
P0135
P0141
P0155
P0161
P2195
P2197
P0423
P1747
I have researched each code (definitions, what to examine/test, and the locaton of each part). My question is that with this many hits is it most likely a problem with the PCM, or should I just proceed with checking each connection, wiring and solenoid individually? The EGR Valve tested fine and the alternator is pushing 14.6 v...
My 2007,4.6 is making a whinning noise from the front of the engine around the idler/tensioner/alternator. What I have read it might be a problem with the alternator getting cold, I forgot to mention it's cold up here. Fixed by changing the alternator and did the noise come back as it seems to be a design problem?
View 12 RepliesDriving home my radio quit working. I looked at the gauges and they all dropped to the left. The it looked like my lights quit working and then the truck just quit. All of this happened within 5 miles and 10 minutes. I jumped it and quit before I could even get going, it did start momentarily. Could not even get the gear shift into neutral; had to jump it to get that to happen.
It is 2006 F150 4x4, 5.4L engine and about 95,000 miles.
Just got the battery replaced on my v6 Camry, had no problems before it. After replacing the battery, I drove about a mile to another stop and parked the car. Noticed it vibrating and the idles very low. I restarted the car and it wouldn't stay on. Car will turn on fine, RPMs will go a bit above 1k and drop down and turn off in about 5 seconds.
Today morning I started it and it seemed fine (cold start). Idles were about 1K on a cold start. Drove around about a mile and came home and the car stalled. Same as above, it'll start up and stall within 5 seconds.
I took it for a drive (about 25 miles) so the car can re-learn everything and took a stop at Autozone. Same thing there. Didn't stall on the way because I didn't have to stop, I was on the highway. One of the sales guys looked at the car and told me to try out a new MAF Sensor. Installed a new sensor and the car died off again within 5 seconds. Checked the readings of the MAF sensor (old and new) and they both read fine.
Brought the car back home (about 35 miles total driving after battery replacement) and it'll still stall as soon as you stop. To keep it going, you have to hold the brake and hit the accelerator very lightly to keep the idle in the middle of 0 and 1 or shift into Neutral and do the same.
No CELs on the car, car drove perfectly fine before the new battery. New battery tests good, even went to the extent of putting my old battery back in (Drove about 35 miles on new battery, replaced and drove 35ish miles). Car has just short of 100k miles. Regular services are done at Toyota at about 5-6k.
I need a new engine for my 2004 SOHC 5.4 3v F150. Without sounding like a dumb question, what engines can I use? All I've heard about this engine is that it was a horrible one. I can vouch for that personally. I will be looking for a crate engine soon.
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