I am having problems chasing down these electrical gremlins in my 1995 E-150 van and my 1990 F-150. My charging system is not doing the job in either vehicle.

I have checked the basics in the E150 van (electrical connections, new battery, alt. checks out good for a 100 amp load) but I cannot get it to charge. The battery light comes on when you start the van but does very little to explain the problem. the only thing I haven't tried is bypassing the main wires and go straight from the alt to the battery with both a red and a black wire.

The F-150 has the same problem, but I have not gotten the alt checked to see if it is cause of the problem. I also have lost control of the electric door lock and window on the passenger side of the vehicle. I think that this might have a minor effect on why the truck doesn't hold a charge, but not a major one.

Is there anything I haven't checked on these vehicles that I should? I don't see any fused links on the line from alternator, is there even one? At this point I'll really take any suggestion I can get as long at i don't have to start seperating wires in the loom... again.

 

I would check your ground to your engine. I had the same trouble with a few Fords. Take off the wire bolted to your engine and clean it with a wire brush. I had a ground wire fall off from my voltage regulator. Check that and good luck.

 

What is the voltage at the battery with the engine running?

 

The voltage drops on both vehicles, and can drain a battery in about 10-30 minutes. I haven't put a multimeter on it yet, because I had to come in and warm up (Michigan winters suck).

I know that in some ford systems I need to have the van charged up to 12 volts or better to get the alternator to work, so we have tested it each time with a fully charged battery. I haven't checked the ground yet, nor have I checked the relay, which everything seems to go through except the starter.

I'll check back for more info later, thanks for the input thus far.

 

Well, when you get the chance, put a meter on it and see what the voltage is at the battery with the engine at idle and at 2000 rpms. Post your results.

 

Ok so here is the details of round 2.
Idle rpms volt reading 11.59
2000 rpms volt reading 11.59


I checked the ground wire and the all of the wires leading to the battery. None of the ends showed any signs of corrosion which led me back to the alternator. I pulled the alternator and found that it had a loose wire. After re-testing it with all of the wires attached we still ended up with the same problem.

I have both alternators pulled now. I plan on bringing them to autozone to get tested tomorrow along with my s-10 which is having brake issues.

Wish me luck.

 

This morning I took both alternators to get tested. The alternator off of the van tested ok, again, but the one off of the f-150 had a bad rectifier. I was also told to replace the pigtail that comes goes from the alternator to the solenoid by a reputable source. He said that the connections that plug into the alternator tend to spread and not contact the terminals. He also said that that anyone considering replacing that type of alternator should consider doing the same.
Anyways I replaced the alternator on the f-150, without the new cable, and it works. One down one to go.

 

Fixed them both.
The van's alternator had somehow eaten thru the controler cable and was not allowing the signals to get to the alternator to have it charge.


Thanks for your help guys I really appreciate it.