Hey, im about to purchase a '00 f-150 extended cab 2wd 4.6 auto for DIRT cheap (couple thousand dollars) from a dealer as it was a trade in.

when u turn the key on nothing happens, no dash lights nothing, so they hooked a charger to the battery and are able to start the truck, but soon as the charger is remvoed the truck dies. im thinking alternator and baattery are toast. what do you think? is it hard to replace (alternator)??

im about to find out tommrow after the dealership inspects it to find out more, it needs to be cleaned up abit but should be a good truck??

 

Well, it could be the alternator, however I would put in a fresh battery so it would sustain a charge momentarily, at least to see if it is electrical as far as bad wiring etc... even if the alt is dead a fresh bat should at least run dash/radio/head lamps...

 

Hey MoshNet, do you go to VSU?

Good2Go, Is it still at the dealership? If you already bought it, I'd replace the battery, and see if the alternator is working or not. You can do this by turning on your lights while the engine is running, and then shut the engine off. If the lights dim, then the alternator is working. You can also use a multitester. If the battery volts are higher with the engine running, then the alternator is working.