Wednesday 21 September 2011

98 ford explorer, changed battery and alternator. car runs well after jump start but will not charge battery?

can't seem to get battery to charge. have checked connections etc. any thoughts assuming alternator and battery are good. both are new. 98 ford explorer, changed battery and alternator. car runs well after jump start but will not charge battery?Sounds like a bad connection at the battery, clean and inspect the cables again.
98 ford explorer, changed battery and alternator. car runs well after jump start but will not charge battery?
the battery cables are bad, most likely the ground cable. that corrosion you have seen building up on the posts gets drawn into the cables just behind the the the clamp ends and brakes up the wire bundle. why does it start perfect and run? because the car jumping you has a good ground and there for finishes the curcuit for you to your starter. I as a mechanic can set your starter on the ground and simply by attaching a cable (pos) to the power post and a ground to the housing spin the starter off the car.
98 ford explorer, changed battery and alternator. car runs well after jump start but will not charge battery?
if the battery and alternator is good then maybe the voltage regulator is bad.
I would suggest one of the parts if not both are defective. starting with alt. because most are imported from china. just b/c you replaced the part does not mean it's not defective. other thing you may want to check is the belt. a long time ago i had an s-10 same issues. found out the belt tensioner was bad. it still held in place but when running it would not hold the belt tight enough to constantly spin the alt. simple test pull on belt with engine off and keys in pocket. if it moves more than an inch your not getting enough friction.