My girlfriend's Ford Explorer (2003) is having trouble and I'm trying to do things as cheaply as possible until I can scrape up enough money to get to the mechanic. My budget is very tight. I'm living paycheck to paycheck. When I get my finances squared away, I plan to get it fixed properly. Right now, I just need to get the car on the road.
We were driving along and, all of a sudden, the engine just died.
It was only about 1/4 mile from home so we pushed it back to the driveway.
At first, I thought it was the alternator. I replaced it with one from a wrecking yard. ($25 vs. $150 from the auto parts store.)
Charged up the battery using an external charger. The car started right up.
I took it out for a spin and noticed that the volt meter on the dash board was reading only a little bit above the bottom red line.
The needle should be somewhere in the middle of the scale. Correct?
(There are no numbers on the scale. Only "H" and "L" with red lines above and below.)
I'm trying to determine whether the car's battery is bad or if the alternator and/or charging system is bad.
I used a volt meter and took some measurements from the battery terminals:
• Engine OFF: 12.18 v (A little low but in range. Should be between 12 v and 13 v.)
• Cranking engine: Drops below 9. (To be expected. Just so long as it doesn't totally conk out.)
• Engine RUN: 11.75 v (Too low. Should be between 12 v and 14 .)
• Turn ON Lights: 11.50 v (Lights are visible. Not too dim but it's daytime out. Hard to tell. It's brighter than just the filaments glowing.)
• Turn lights OFF: 11.75 v (Normal for the situation.)
• Measure from alternator post to battery while RUN: 11.78 v.
I'm wondering whether replacing the battery would solve the problem or whether a bad charging system would just kill a new battery.
I have a hunch that it's just a completely dead (sulfated) battery.
When I brought the battery into the basement, I hooked it up to a charger and the ammeter only read 1-2 amps at first.
It took 10-15 minutes for the meter to go up to the usual 5-6 amps.
I disconnected it and let it rest for several hours then reconnected it. The meter immediately went up to 5 amps as I expected.
I let it charge overnight. By morning, it went back down to 2 amps. I disconnected it and let it rest for a couple of hours before installing.
When I put it in, the engine fired right up. No hesitation at all. Just like it should.
I took it out for a test drive and that's when I noticed the low voltage meter. I high tailed it home before it could stall again.
The car has been in the driveway, since.
I'm trying to figure out whether I have a faulty charging system or whether I just have a sulfated battery.
If the alternator/charging system is bad, I'll wait until I can scrape up the money and get the car fixed.
My mechanic is only a couple of miles down the road. I can charge the battery up and drive it there with no problem.
If it's just the battery that's not taking a charge, I can go to the wrecking yard and get a replacement for $25.
Then, when I have the cash, I can go get a new battery from the auto parts store.
What do you think? Is it just the battery?
I'm leaning in that direction but I want to be sure.
Thanks!
We were driving along and, all of a sudden, the engine just died.
It was only about 1/4 mile from home so we pushed it back to the driveway.
At first, I thought it was the alternator. I replaced it with one from a wrecking yard. ($25 vs. $150 from the auto parts store.)
Charged up the battery using an external charger. The car started right up.
I took it out for a spin and noticed that the volt meter on the dash board was reading only a little bit above the bottom red line.
The needle should be somewhere in the middle of the scale. Correct?
(There are no numbers on the scale. Only "H" and "L" with red lines above and below.)
I'm trying to determine whether the car's battery is bad or if the alternator and/or charging system is bad.
I used a volt meter and took some measurements from the battery terminals:
• Engine OFF: 12.18 v (A little low but in range. Should be between 12 v and 13 v.)
• Cranking engine: Drops below 9. (To be expected. Just so long as it doesn't totally conk out.)
• Engine RUN: 11.75 v (Too low. Should be between 12 v and 14 .)
• Turn ON Lights: 11.50 v (Lights are visible. Not too dim but it's daytime out. Hard to tell. It's brighter than just the filaments glowing.)
• Turn lights OFF: 11.75 v (Normal for the situation.)
• Measure from alternator post to battery while RUN: 11.78 v.
I'm wondering whether replacing the battery would solve the problem or whether a bad charging system would just kill a new battery.
I have a hunch that it's just a completely dead (sulfated) battery.
When I brought the battery into the basement, I hooked it up to a charger and the ammeter only read 1-2 amps at first.
It took 10-15 minutes for the meter to go up to the usual 5-6 amps.
I disconnected it and let it rest for several hours then reconnected it. The meter immediately went up to 5 amps as I expected.
I let it charge overnight. By morning, it went back down to 2 amps. I disconnected it and let it rest for a couple of hours before installing.
When I put it in, the engine fired right up. No hesitation at all. Just like it should.
I took it out for a test drive and that's when I noticed the low voltage meter. I high tailed it home before it could stall again.
The car has been in the driveway, since.
I'm trying to figure out whether I have a faulty charging system or whether I just have a sulfated battery.
If the alternator/charging system is bad, I'll wait until I can scrape up the money and get the car fixed.
My mechanic is only a couple of miles down the road. I can charge the battery up and drive it there with no problem.
If it's just the battery that's not taking a charge, I can go to the wrecking yard and get a replacement for $25.
Then, when I have the cash, I can go get a new battery from the auto parts store.
What do you think? Is it just the battery?
I'm leaning in that direction but I want to be sure.
Thanks!
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