Alternator Question

[Meyers]

I have a 2005 Focus, and yesterday it was running fine. Today I started it and the battery light was on and it drove for a little while before it died on the road. Got it home and checked the battery it was dead. I charged it and did a load test on it and it checks out fine.

I put my DMM on the battery terminals with the car running and it is at like 12.30 volts. No changes with engine RPMS. I am curious as to how the alternator would go just like that, no warnings or anything. Could there be some plug or wire that may have come unplugged? I did pull the plugs yesterday and re-gapped them and cleaned the TB as well. When I pulled a scan on it I got P6012, Field generator winding but that is not in the computer now, and I have scanned it a few times to see if it came back. Any ideas would help

[rambleon84]

Seems the 1.5gens have just had bad luck with alternators. Mine was replaced last year and my sister had to replace hers the summer before that. Both happened with around 55k...


Search around here for some more ideas and others experience:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/s...archid=6744760

[Meyers]

Interesting this one just hit 60k the other day.

[kbrownfocus]

Sad to say there is no warning when an ALT. desides to go bad, but one thing you should do before you spend the money on a new ALT. is have the BATT. checked to make sure it doesnt have a bad cell, also you might want to check your belt tensioner to make sure you have enough tension, oh yeah there is a pig-tail on the back of the ALT make sure that is tight and not loose..... hope this helps

[Meyers]

Yeah I have a load tester and the battery checks out fine, will check that pigtail. They didn't make this alternator easy to get to that is for sure.

[sailor]

Not in an easy location for sure....

Double check for voltage AT the main alternator connection as well, there is an inline fusible link that is unlikely to be bad, but you never know....

Luck!

[Magus2727]

If the Alt is bad, find a local rebuilder. It will likely cost less and use higher grade parts. Only down fall is that you will be down for a day or two longer...

[amc49]

A substandard battery will for sure and definite pop these alternators quickly after you put a new one in. The alts put out a whopping amount for the size but intended only for a short time, extended overcharging trying to keep a dead battery up will toast the alt regulator quick. The diodes commonly overheat to separate their soldered connections too, I have saved an alt by simply resoldering those diodes to put it back in service. That one now going on a couple years now for maybe $0.30 worth of solder.

Field winding code could be regulator which powers up field, PCM doesn't see the field and logs code. Or could be field winding itself, you'd have to disassemble alt to check that. You check rotor, more rare for that to be bad.