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Charging System

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slvrsvt

CEG'er
Joined
Jul 28, 2006
Messages
46
OK. So I may have possibly traced down everything that I can possibly think of on this and I am still STUMPED! Battery light initially came on. Tested battery... Fine. Tested alternator.... Not fine. R&R alternator. Start car and battery light is still on. Check voltage across battery terminal 11.5...... Check master fuse... Fine.... Thinking this may be a pinched wire, I trace every wire though the whole vehicle that may have anything to do with the alternator. At this point I am baffled so I run new wire to all leads in the car including to the computer. Now here is where it gets tricky. Start the car after doing all of this and the voltage across the battery reads 14.5 and the battery light has now shut itself off. I think that I have mastered this problem so I take off on a test drive. Get about 10 minutes away from home and realize that the windshield wipers are really slow so I immediately stop only to find out the charging system is no longer charging. I don't know what else could possibly be wrong with this car. I am to the end of my rope. If anyone has any suggestions or similar problems PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

btw:
1999 SVT 2.5
 
Hey slvrsvt

I just had a mystery electrical problem in my CSVT. While not the same as yours it may help. My CSVT is completely stock. No Nothing, only tires & a K&N Cone.

Had a new 'Ford" Battery installed a few weeks ago. Then a couple of days ago...bang it's dead :mad:

So before I drove to the Ford Dealer (jump start) to kill some people I decided to check a few things out first. I am not a patient person. I more apt to fix things with a hammer. :rolleyes: The problem was(is) in my ignition system. It was not actually turning off . Contacts, etc. the big hint for me was the fact was the stock radio never shut off after the key was removed. I rarely listen to it so I was surprised when I could turn it on with no key. You might have the same problem, only in reverse. Bad/worn key contacts in your ignition system.

Just a thought
 
The aftermarket alternators are known to have problems on the V6. They are defective or cause a battery light right out of the box. People have gone through 3-4 alternators until finally getting a good one. Even if you find a good one, they seem to fail within a year.

For a replacement alternator on the Duratec, go with a Motorcraft.
 
CSVT1214 said:
The aftermarket alternators are known to have problems on the V6. They are defective or cause a battery light right out of the box. People have gone through 3-4 alternators until finally getting a good one. Even if you find a good one, they seem to fail within a year.

For a replacement alternator on the Duratec, go with a Motorcraft.
Click to expand...

We installed a new motor. Runs, but dies after a while since alternator is not charging. Yesterday, tightened the nut for the fat wire on the alternator, re-sottered the single wire connector. Still not charging. In the process of checking, I once forgot to disconnect the battery: nice sparks. So we have battery voltage on the fat cable.

Also: the wires in the engine bay were all brittle. When we first installed the new engine, we literally melted the fat cable, since it shorted to the EGR tube. Since we still have battery voltage on the alternator, at least this wire/circuit is still ok, right?

What are the other wires for and where do they go?

What fuses could I check?

I want to troubleshoot the wiring first before taking the alternator out (pain in the butt).

Any advise?

Thanks.
 
Check your fog light fuse, if its blown, it can cause a no charge condition. If the fuse is ok, get the altornator tested, OUT of the car! If altornator is bad, replace with only a Motorcraft.
 
Fog lights! Wow. Will check right away. If not, time to take the alternator to Autozone for testing, huh?
 
I did some checking yesterday:

Voltage between the alt casing and the ground terminal on the battery. Should be less than 0.5 volts: less than 0.1 V (millivolt range) ==> ok

With the engine/ignition off:

Battery Voltage between terminals: 12.7 V
Voltage between the fat positive cable terminal on the back of the alt and ground - should be close to battery voltage: 12.V ==> ok

Voltage between the rightmost pin on the three-wire harness and ground (this is power to the voltage regulator. Should be greater than 10 volts, if not it may be an issue with the wiring. ==> none of the 3 pins on the harness have any voltage: right and left most in the mV range, middle one around 0.5 Volt

What does this indicate?
Where are the 3 wires going to?
Is there a fuse or relais in this circuit I could check?

To get to the wires (they disappear in the rectangular conduit down on the backside of the engine) seems cumbersome. Could I just run 3 new wires from the alternator connector to whereever they need to go to?

I already posted to get my hand on the wiring diagrams for the 1995 Contour GL 2.5 V6 Duratec auto.
 
1995 Contour Service Bulletin 9903 - under hood wire harness

1995 Contour Service Bulletin 9903 - under hood wire harness

I found this recall/bulletin below. Mine is a 1995 Contour GL Duratec. since it was posted in 2006, and says "additional 10 years", what date will the extension expire? any chance I can get the wires fixed?
Mine has 96,000 miles on it (and there is hardly a wire that does not have broken or falling off insulation).

Heating & Air Conditioning: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

Service Bulletin Number: 9903
NHTSA Number: 10020445
Model Years Affected: 1995, 1996, 1997
Date of Bulletin: 10/2006
Bulletin Summary: UNDER HOOD WIRE HARNESS. ADDITIONAL 10 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES. FORD.
 
That program would have expired 10 years from the car's in-service date.

SERVICE ACTION


Additional Warranty Coverage

Effective immediately, Ford is providing additional coverage for the replacement of the under hood wire harnesses on these vehicles for a period of 10 years or 100,000 miles, which ever occurs first, from the original warranty start date. This coverage exceeds the provisions of the original component warranty coverage on the affected vehicles and is automatically transferred to subsequent owners at no charge. This additional coverage does not include normal service diagnostic or repair charges unrelated to wire harness brittleness and cracking. After this additional coverage has expired, wire harness replacements will be at the expense of the vehicle owner.
 
Since I have no voltage on any of the 3 pins of the 3 pin connector at the alternator, the wires are the likely culprit. The wires disappear in the square conduit on the backside of the engine (impossible to get to, at least the UIM has to come off, likely more). Can someone tell me where the 3 wires go to?
Also, is there a fuse in this circuit?
Can someone post/send the wiring diagram for the 1995 Contour GL V6?
 
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