Ford Superduty battery and charging issue

[westend]

Yesterday, I had my small utility trailer on the hitch of my 2003 F-250. I had dropped the trailer off and then put it back on the ball. Since it was near nightfall, I checked for running lights on the trailer. No luck. I messed with the 4X connector for a bit and finally gave up, choosing to leave the trailer until daylight. On the way home, the battery indicator and ABS indicator lit up on the dash display. I stopped the truck to inspect and barely got it restarted. I made it another two miles and the truck would not run.

This morning, I went back to truck with a fully charged battery, installed it, and made the 5 mile drive to home. All indicator lamps are now off but measuring across battery posts with engine running, I'm seeing 12.3V.

All symptoms point toward a failed alternator but this charging system has been flawless for 11 years. Is it possible that I blew a fusible link or some other circuit interruption instead of a failed alternator?

Anyone have any diagnostic tips for me?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Naw my wrist snapped when a rattan chair broke in 2011 down here. Back in the eighties eaely nineties I was a wild - man working 15-17 hours a day. Then scooting for Mexico after Xmas. I would shower and ten seconds after my head hit the pillow ZZZZZZZ. Fun days. I shouldn't complain

[westend]

Amazing, Mex!
Good to hear that there are still some on the Planet that have knowledge and can put it to use. I'm also thinking you may have the record for single-handed rebuilds.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

It's nice to know I am not totally obsolete and useless. Spent too many danged hours on that bench sitting in a swivel seat with high backrest. I had four butterfly air guns dangling by coil hoses custom setuo for a particular alternator group. Swivel 180 degrees and there was the test bench. I had a digital dash out of a Crown Vic. Ready to test the white regulator 3-G models. Transformer carbon pinzer soldering aid with needle air for desoldering. Bare bearing roller shaft for rotor balancing and I turned slip rings to half-a-thousandths LS rotabrator and hot water washing machines an LS rebuilder's 10 HP rebuilder's press. A truly vertical learning curve. Would I do it all over again? Some ten or fifteen thousand alternarors? Oh hell yes. My record is (43) CS-130 alts in one day. I had a helper to carry bins to the washer and rotabrator.

[westend]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
For westend

Just as I thought the original is a 3-G and the replacement is a 4-G

Idiot! Parts counter personnel. That 3G is a 130 amp model. I would not patronize that business again.

Nor I.
I ended this fiasco by returning the Motorcraft alternator, the new connector, the new (incorrect) pulley, and visited another store that had the exact replacement alternator. All installed and pushing 14.35V after start up.

Mex, thanks for your help on this. I learned a few things about alternators and learning new things is always a plus. This also gave me a moment to clean up my battery tray, polish up the connectors, and check electrolyte--along with a charge and equalization session. Hopefully, good for a few thousand more miles.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

For westend

Just as I thought the original is a 3-G and the replacement is a 4-G

Idiot! Parts counter personnel. That 3G is a 130 amp model. I would not patronize that business again.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

To senor RJ
For a fast fixit there is nothing wrong with your suggestion. Have you got a T10 Torx male socket to remove the brush holder reg assembly? Parts store prices are stupidly expensive for bearings and brushes.

You find a bit of brush left. Time to reassemble the alt?

Alternators using a 2000XX rear ball bearing love to eat out the slip ring end bearing bore. Delco went to far as to incorporate a one-time-use tolerance ring to compensate. For durability and reliability it is one tough job to beat a new or reman factory alternator.

For fun call your parts store and ask them the price of a set of bearings for oh say a 1992 Ford pickup with V8.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Exactly correct senor Westend. If you get battery but no test light in either of the remaining connectors check for a glowing ALT light on the dash. A glowing when probed ALT light means that alternator volt reg connector is seeing good signal to fire off the reg. Volt reg should climb to 14.4 then sag as reg temps climb unless you have a really hot day.

[westend]

RJsfishin wrote:
I'd still wonder why not a set of brushes and a bearing in the old one ?

Ok, I must have missed something.

Because there are other issues besides or not including the bearing and brushes.

Pictures as requested.

The original alternator and picture of the three pin connector:









New alternator and new connector:







Edit--Picture of new three pin connector and pigtail (my ink on the connector):

westend wrote:
If one terminal is to battery voltage reference and the battery is installed and connected, I should have 12V on that wire, correct? Would I also have 12V on the other wire when the key is turned on?

Connected battery and this is exactly the situation with the old connector---one wire having constant 12v and the other with voltage present only when the key is turned. I'm going to start soldering the new connector pigtail onto the original wiring. If I get it wrong, hopefully someone can correct me.

[RJsfishin]

I'd still wonder why not a set of brushes and a bearing in the old one ?

Ok, I must have missed something.

[westend]

Thanks Mex, this now seems resolvable. No digital dashboards in this F-250. No alternator warning light, either. I can get some pictures up later today.

If one terminal is to battery voltage reference and the battery is installed and connected, I should have 12V on that wire, correct? Would I also have 12V on the other wire when the key is turned on?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

A. Battery voltage reference

S. Switch or stator used for excitation

I. Ignition signal

The aux terminal which uses a slip-flit push on mini terminal is only used on some models. Most leave the pin exposed. Where it goes is to an unrectified stator terminal. FYI

The A terminal is battery voltage unswitched. The S terminal is ignition switch switched. 2 out of three and you're home free almost. Some digital dashboards demand unique voltage regulators in order to work properly. If your original regulator is say, black, and the replacement is white check with Ford before installing it. A different agency. Or call ROMAINE ELECTRIC in Chula Vista or Newcastle, CA.

My mention of the 240-amp unit was a general info insertionand not a recommendation for you. The different plug makes me nervous. The 3-G and the 4-G use different plugs. Can you shoot some images of the alts and post them?

[westend]

This has just been a cluster-f&^%. The dealership counter guys wouldn't sell me a 115 amp alternator because there book showed only 110 amp in that year. After some discussion and a cross reference to a Motorcraft number they found the alternator but wanted $100 more than web price. Good bye Ford. I next went to Oreilly's and bought the Motorcraft replacement. They matched the web price. Bought a new pulley, too. Got it all home and ready to install but the three pin connector is different. Back to the store for a three pin connector with pigtail that mates with the new alternator. Unfortunately, I can't find the pinout of the original and this alternator has an additional single connector on the case.

Can anyone lead me through the wiring change so I can use this new connector with my original vehicle wiring? Somehow, I believe I've gone from a Ford 6G to a Ford 4G (at least some connector images show that to be the case).

[westend]

If I had a truck camper or needed lots of amps to my travel trailer, the 240 amp drop-in would be attractive. As it is, the 115 amp original has served well for 180,000 mi. and a replacement of the same output should keep me going.

Now, if I can just convince the knuckle heads at the dealer's parts dept. what I need, all will be good. I had a phone conversation with them that didn't end well. I'll need to bring the bad one in for matching. There will be some shuffling and grumbling and I'll get what I need.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

A perfect fit retrofit 240-ampere hairpin alternator is available for the OP's application.