Why is the charge gauge on my 1985 ford f150 reading very high?

Asked by Myrna Mar 30, 2014 at 10:27 PM about the 1985 Ford F-150

Question type: General

After I installed a new alternator in my 1985 Ford F150 about a month & half ago the
charge gauge started to fluctuate, a mechanic friend checked the voltage & said it was
fine. Last weekend my daughter stopped & put gas in,truck would not start. She
thought she had flooded it, did what she was suppose to do when you flood your vehicle
truck still would not start. About a half hour later I went to start truck & it did not start
up right away like it normally did, when it did start a very loud squeal was coming from
under hood & the charge gauge was all the way to the right (past the c). I ended up
having to replace starter. The charge gauge is still all the way to the right, I also put in a
new voltage regulator thinking thats what the problem was. Old voltage regulator was
fine. What is causing charge gauge to read so high?

3 Answers
40,145

James answered 10 years ago

when charging, the alt. works hard and takes a lot of power to turn ,resisting against the belts, slipping a little to squeal. once battery gains full charge the regulator senses this and backs off the heavy current . you may have a bad battery sending the wrong signal to regulator calling for more amps. volts are one thing amps are another you can have 12 to 14 volts as normal but amps will vary to the needs, lets say 30 to 90 the amps give it a workout. you may have an amp gauge instead of a voltage gauge like most later models have

1 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful
58,565

Tracy answered 10 years ago

It's best to recharge a battery (with a battery charger) after a large drain like that. A full day at 6 or so Amps will bring it back up to snuff. If you rely on the Alternator to do the job, you will be replacing it sooner than you had planned. In other words: charging a dead battery with the alternator alone is a great way to bear out a new alternator.

2 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

Your Answer:

Related Questions

  • Why is the charge gauge on my 1985 ford f150 reading very high? 3 Answers

    After I installed a new alternator in my 1985 Ford F150 about a month & half ago the charge gauge started to fluctuate, a mechanic friend checked the voltage & said it was fine. Last weekend my daug...

    1985 Ford F-150

    -

    General

  • 1985 ford f150 weight 2 Answers

    what is the weight of a 1985 ford f150

    1985 Ford F-150 XL Standard Cab LB

    -

    General

  • why is my 2012 ford f150 shutting down while I'm driving? 2 Answers

    why is my 2012 ford f150 shutting down while I'm driving?

    2012 Ford F-150 Platinum SuperCrew 4WD

    -

    General

  • 1985 Ford F150 1 Answer

    1985 Ford f_150..... Have replaced the fuel pump, all gaskets in carburetor... ignition module, etc...While the Truck will crank and run until the Heat gauge comes up to half way which is within a ...

    1985 Ford F-150

    -

    General

  • Why is my temperature not reading? 4 Answers

    1991 Ford F150 5.0 My tempature gauge reads randomly. Usually doesnt go over the cold line. Rarely goes to normal temp. Cant seem to find problem Issues started after changing thermostat. New sendin...

    1991 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat Extended Cab SB

    -

    General

F-150

Looking for a Used F-150 in your area?

CarGurus has 15,103 nationwide F-150 listings starting at $1,712.

Postal Code:

Shortcuts

Search Ford F-150 Questions

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    OJ
    Reputation
    42,510
  • #2
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    16,040
  • #3
    Rowefast
    Reputation
    15,860
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Ford F-250
6 listings
Used Ford Mustang
65 Great Deals out of 1,258 listings starting at $4,995
Used Ford Ranger
21 Great Deals out of 1,523 listings starting at $2,888

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.