Charging conundrum

Asked by GuruLX6FB Apr 02, 2019 at 10:50 PM about the 2002 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XL Standard Cab SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

2002 ranger 2.3l, starts and runs when jumped or fully
charged, battery charges for a few minutes, about 5 or so
idling where the meter reads 14.4v 0at the battery and at
the b+ alternator post.  After that, the battery light comes
on and the alternator no longer has output.  Field wire,
ignition wire and and battery b+ output wire at alternator all
read battery voltage now at 11.8 or less.  Once the engine
cools down, jump it again and the same process repeats.  
This is the third alternator and second battery that is doing
this. Any thoughts?

2 Answers

43,930

Having replaced both the battery and alternator several times tells me they're not at fault. I once read that the alternator output, on Fords, is regulated by the PCM. That sounds odd to me but keep that in mind. Maybe a code scan may confirm that something like that is going on. Good Luck.

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