intermittent charging problem

fred flinn · 04-21-2008, 01:26 PM

I have a 2001 excursion with 7.3 diesel that has an intermittent charging problem.The check battery light comes on and voltage indicator gradually goes down until the battery goes dead. On four occasions I have headed for a ford dealer but before I could get there, the light went off and the truck performed normally for a week or two. Any ideas of what could be wrong? Can an alternater start and stop like this.? Thanks Fred

delaware74b · 07-15-2008, 04:05 PM

I had similar thing happen on my '04 ranger 3.0[110k miles] Turned out the alternator brushes had worn down. I ended up replacing the alternator.

p-71 · 07-19-2008, 10:48 AM

yes the alternator can act like that i would also have the batteries load tested @ an auto parts store if you dont have a load tester reason being is the alternator needs 12 volts at all times to excite the alternator to charge

Bowtiebreaker · 07-20-2008, 11:47 AM

The alernator could be bad. check for loose wires and corrosion and the such. There could even be a problem with your voltage regulator. Grandpa had a caddie that was checked and the guy stated bad alternator. Found loose ground problem solved. Troubleshoot it prior to replacing parts. Alternators do not charge all the time. They start and stop unlike a generator. You could even have a bad battery.