![]() The battery charge will go down as you drive since all the on-board electronic controllers and accessories are now solely powered by the battery. Yes, you can drive your Escape with a bad alternator, but only for a short distance. Can you drive Escape with a bad alternator? If you see numbers between 13.5 volts and 14.8 volts with no major fluctuations when you turn on the accessories in the vehicle, the alternator is functioning properly. If the voltage drops below 12 volts with the engine running and the accessories turned on, it means the current supply from the alternator is completely cut off and all the electronics are solely powered by the battery.If it drops and remain below 13.5 volts, it indicates a problem with the current supply from the alternator. The voltage should remain around 14 volts.Switch on the accessories in your Escape, for example, headlights, AC fan at full speed, and interior lights.The voltage should be between 13.5 and 14.8 volts with the engine running.Connect the black cable of the multimeter to negative terminal of the battery, and the red cable to the positive terminal.The easiest method to check the alternator is by measuring the voltage at the battery terminals when the engine is running. Before replacing the alternator, you must rule out other causes that may stop or degrade flow of current from the alternator, for example: bad electrical connection or damaged wire. It has a + and a -.Alternators can fail at any time, but generally they last over 100,000 miles. The battery light is right square under the tach. It looks kinda like a battery, but it's supposed to look like a radiator with a cap on it. That was most assuredly the coolant light that came on. Oh, and one other thing, about that low coolant turning on the battery light. Some charging faults are detected only at low rpms, some are only at higher rpms, and others are at all rpms.ĭefinitely have your battery tested, if you can replace a bad battery and avoid the expense of an alternator you'll want to jump right on that. The reason this light will come on and go out is because you'll have different output voltage at different engine speeds as you're driving. It marks the first time I'd ever seen Ford produce a part replacement video, to show technicians how to get that thing out of there. Also, if it's the 3.0L V6 it's one of the trickier ones to replace. Hey, I'm a tech at a ford dealer, and for some reason, Escapes get this battery light on and bad alternator more commonly than other models. PS: the owner's manual might state what the blinking battery light means. With the car running the bat display will probably fluctuate a little by a tenth or two. The bat reading should go up to around 14.4 or thereabouts. perhaps a tad less.Īt this point you can go ahead & start the car. I'm not 100% sure, but with the engine off it should be around 12.7 volts or thereabouts. You'll have to press & release the odo reset button ~10-20 times to get to it. The battery output is abbreviagted as bat. Now you can press & release the odo reset button to scroll thru the various outputs. The gauges will sweep to the maximum positions then return to their starting points, and the LCD display will change to GAGE. Don't start the car.Ĭontinue pressing/holding the reset button until the LCD display shows tESt in an LCD font. Press & hold the trip reset button on the odometer, then turn the key to the accessory position. Insert the key into the ignition switch but don't turn it - just slide it in. Some auto parts stores can check your battery & perhaps your alternator.Īlso, you can use the cluster diagnostics to see what the battery voltage is: engine off & engine on.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |