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dsisemore1's avatar
dsisemore1
Explorer II
Dec 11, 2018

Battery light on dash on

I have a 2016 Tiffin Open Road with a Ford F-53 chassis. My battery light on the dash came on. I turned the vehicle off and turned it back on. The light came back on after about two minutes and stayed on for a couple of minutes. I stopped to get gas and once I got back on the road I drove about 5 miles the light did not come back on. I did have the generator on don't know if that matters.
I checked the battery the next day and it read 12.5 volts. I then cranked the unit and it read 14.35 volts. I turned on lights, A/C and the voltage stayed at 14.35 volts. I also started the generator but the light did not come back on. I am ready to head out on a long trip and am a little concerned. The owners manual said to bring the coach to a dealer if the light comes on. But don't want to unless absolutely necessary. Any insight would be helpful.


***** Update - Thanks for all the input. Decided to bring to Ford shop, final verdict - Light would not come on of course. They ran all test and could not find out why it happened. Everything checked out so back on the road.

15 Replies

  • Except for checking the belt, ALL of this is just shooting in the dark without having a meter to check the actual voltage.
  • Considering the next day numbers I would clean the battery posts, alternator terminals and just keep an eye on it. If the alternator does fail, rather than a hiccup, you can keep the coach going while on the road by running the generator which will cross connect to the chassis 12VDC system and keep the engine running until a replacement can be found.

    Replacing is pretty easy maybe an hour job. With a bit of searching for a Ford Commercial Truck service center, any independent place that can handle a F-53 based coach or even a mobile tech along your travel route you can make arrangements for replacement. You could even buy a replacement now (which will guarantee the original will fail) so all you will be looking for is someone with tools and knowledge to swap it out.

    The V10 has one wide serpentine belt with an spring load slack adjuster that drives all the engine accessories. If there was a problem with either good possibility you would also overheat or the A/C would be also acting up or the power steering and power brakes would be misbehaving. Power brakes are not vacuum driven but use pressure from the power steering pump to assist with braking.
  • FIrst thing I would do is check to make sure the alt belt is still there and tight.
  • Alternator is just about done, friend had his 2012 Ford 3/4 just about burn up last week, same problem, lucky to catch it in time, a lot of the wiring back of alternator was burned off.
  • Sounds like you have an alternator showing the early signs of failure.