Was getting ready to upgrade the Big 3 for my audio stuff and wanted to make sure my battery and alternator were good to go prior to doing the work. I went to AutoZone (where I bought the battery) and had it tested (they were still in the truck). He said my battery was good, but my alternator was ready to be replaced. He said it was registering at 14.4V but only putting out 53 Amps. Time to replace?

My truck is a 5.4L V8 SuperCrew FX4. Your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

 

What all did you have on when they tested it///

 

If an alternator is putting out 14.4V (which is good) it should be keeping the battery full and how many amps does he think the regulator would let it put out unless you had the stops all pulled out on everything you could put on in the way of load. Are you sure he knew how to test Amp output accurately?

 

I agree with code 58.
seems like your alternator is working fine.
how many cca's is the battery pushing?
there should be nothing to worry anout...

 

If the alternator cannot support the load, battery voltage will drop. You can run a simple test yourself. Turn on your headlights, max fan speed, and your interior lights, and any other load (heated backscreen if avalable, radio of it will draw anything, etc). Check voltage at the battery. If anything less than 14v then your alternator has a problem.

One symptom if your alternator is weak is that your base idle speed will increase 50 - 100 rpm's (depends on vehicle). Also, your battery will die eventually.