Alternator Problem

[piratepress]

Was driving my car Saturday and noticed the battery light suddenly came on. Since my Fusion only has 65K on it, I figured it must just be a glitch. However, the ABS and Traction Control lit up and the car began behaving erratically. As I tried to make my way back home, it suddenly began surging and refused to shift out of fourth gear. I eventually made it back to my garage and now it won't even crank.

 

Just wondering if any one else has had alternator issues with their Sport? The last time I had to replace an alternator was twenty years ago on a vehicle with 160K miles.

 

Would appreciate any input as I'm weighing having the alternator rebuilt versus buying a new one. I realize replacing the alternator on a Sport is a major PITA so I'm pretty angry and frustrated that it's gone out so prematurely.

[bbf2530]

6 hours ago, piratepress said:

Was driving my car Saturday and noticed the battery light suddenly came on. Since my Fusion only has 65K on it, I figured it must just be a glitch. However, the ABS and Traction Control lit up and the car began behaving erratically. As I tried to make my way back home, it suddenly began surging and refused to shift out of fourth gear. I eventually made it back to my garage and now it won't even crank.

 

Just wondering if any one else has had alternator issues with their Sport? The last time I had to replace an alternator was twenty years ago on a vehicle with 160K miles.

 

Would appreciate any input as I'm weighing having the alternator rebuilt versus buying a new one. I realize replacing the alternator on a Sport is a major PITA so I'm pretty angry and frustrated that it's gone out so prematurely.

 

Hi piratepress. Going by your description of things, the most likely culprit is the battery. The number of miles on the vehicle are essentially irrelevant. How old is the battery?

 

Have the battery tested. A full, professional load test, not an old fashioned battery meter test.

 

Keep us updated and good luck.

[WKelley]

My $.02.  Alternators in modern cars work much differently in regards to the voltage regulation.  The ECU controls the voltage and charging so it is far less likely you have a bad alternator.  In today's world if you get 5yrs out of a 12V starting battery you've done well.  My car has really low miles but is on it's 3rd battery.

[piratepress]

Thanks for the info, guys. I have a Diehard battery from Advance Auto that I bought 2 years ago (May 2021). It still has one year left on the free replacement, so I'm hoping to get the Fusion jumped off and driven up there so they can test the battery and the alternator.  Fingers crossed it is just the battery, as that would save me a ton of money and frustration!

[akirby]

Buy a lithium ion jumpstarter - $79 and you never have to wait for a jump.

[piratepress]

Had the battery tested and it tested good. I'm now in the process of having the alternator tested and am afraid it will need replacing.

[mozz]

On 5/22/2023 at 4:54 PM, bbf2530 said:

Have the battery tested. A full, professional load test, not an old fashioned battery meter test.

What do you mean old fashioned battery meter test? A regular meter? That will tell you voltage. A load tester puts a load on the battery and while it does that you read the meter, nothing old fashioned or new about it. My 25 year old load tester will test my new battery. When you are replying to these people with battery problems, tell them it needs to be load tested, simple. Or do you work at a dealer or repair shop trying to drum up money?

 

Maybe you should write up a article on how to clean your battery terminals on a regular basis and you won't have 95% of these problems.

Edited May 25, 2023 by mozz

[bbf2530]

1 hour ago, mozz said:

What do you mean old fashioned battery meter test? A regular meter? That will tell you voltage. A load tester puts a load on the battery and while it does that you read the meter, nothing old fashioned or new about it. My 25 year old load tester will test my new battery. When you are replying to these people with battery problems, tell them it needs to be load tested, simple. Or do you work at a dealer or repair shop trying to drum up money?

 

Maybe you should write up a article on how to clean your battery terminals on a regular basis and you won't have 95% of these problems.

 

Hi mozz. It means exactly as stated. A simple "Old fashioned battery meter test" alone no longer offers an accurate representation of battery efficiency in modern vehicles. This is due to the reasons already stated previously. Or to use your terms, battery voltage alone, while not under load, no longer gives an accurate representation of battery efficiency.

 

And even your example of "...A load tester puts a load on the battery and while it does that you read the meter..." bears out the information previously stated. A battery meter test alone does not offer an accurate representation of battery efficiency in a modern vehicle.

 

This is one of the reasons so many owners go to AutoZone etc. and are told their battery is fine. Because most of those types of shops, many less sophisticated independent repair shops, and many less up-to-date shade tree mechanics simply slap a battery meter onto a battery, test it while not under load, and state the battery test shows the battery is good, when it is not. Then the vehicle owner comes back here or on other forums and says the battery was tested and they were told "It is good".

 

Therefore, that is why the explanation about how an "old fashioned battery meter test" alone is no longer an accurate battery test needs to be explained. So I explain it in order to help those learning about their vehicles to hopefully understand why they need to get a full, professionally administered load test, not simply an old fashioned battery meter test. Unless of course they can perform a full battery load test themselves. Pretty self-explanatory.

 

And by the way, the Internet is a very big place. So me telling people with possible battery issues to have their battery load tested, not a simple battery meter test, would not "drum up money"...even if I did "work at a dealer or repair shop". ?

 

Now you can help everyone and "...write up a article on how to clean your battery terminals on a regular basis and you won't have 95% of these problems.". ?

 

Good luck. ?

 

[piratepress]

Motorcraft alternator is arriving on Wednesday. It was $200 cheaper through Rock Auto than the local Ford stealership. 

I also plan to swap the accessory belt since it's original also. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly!

[piratepress]

Alternator arrived but my plans to replace the serpentine belts hit a snag. Dealer does not have the water pump belt in stock and said there is such a severe shortage that there are currently only two in the entire nation!

 

Given that, it looks like I'll be going aftermarket on the belts but it might be for the best. Stealership wanted $110 but Autozone has the Continental brand for $40.  

[piratepress]

Spent about 7 hours this weekend replacing the alternator and it was a nightmare!

 

I won't go into all the gory details, but suffice it to say if the water pump ever does go out I won't be fixing it— I'll simply sell the car at a loss rather than go through that expense and frustration again.

 

On the plus side, car is running great now but I still can't believe the alternator failed at 65K miles!