[oscrfsh]

so heres my story..........the radio was starting to go on and off, then the abs light came on , then the emergency brake, then the traction lite, and by the time i went another ten miles all the gauges on the car went blank, and the car would almost die. i creeeeeped home doing about ten miles an hour in 2nd gear cuz the car wanted to stall in 4th or 5th. turns out we got it home and it wouldnt start. the battery was dead. so we jumped it and let it charge like that after i cleaned the battery terminals, and it seemed to be fine. well we drove around all day sunday after and monday i went out to ware.....got back and the volts dropped to 9 volts, and finally died out. jump it and got it started and when you turned on lights, or radio or heater it killed the battery.


so i am pretty sure its the alternator. anyone think anything different??? my question is how, and how hard is it to replace the alternator myself. has anyone had to do this?? its a 2005 foucs zx4 st

 

[bluefront]

Well it sure sounds like an alternator problem. If you measured 9V while the engine was running, that's a sure sign of an alternator problem.

Next thing to check...the wire connections at the alternator. Sometimes the plug melts/frays/comes loose. The big wire that goes to the battery and starter....sometimes it comes loose. Check the nut that holds it tight. Be sure to disconnect the battery while you're checking.

The negative battery wire goes to the block somewhere down there....be sure it's tight also.

If the wires check ok, I'd suspect the alternator. You should also recharge the battery with an external charger.....take it to a car parts place and have them load test it. Taking the alternator off for a beginner....might be too much for you. Hard to say.

The only good thing here.....if the battery is good, after you charge it up, you can drive the car for a while, maybe a few hours in the daytime, more if you disconnect the stupid headlights that are on all the time. That should give you enough time to take the car somewhere to have it fixed.

Good luck...

 

[bluefront]

Double-post

 

[petes05st]

I am Having the same problem....lil diff but its the alt. and im about to do mine next week. if your mech. inclined the it will not be that hard easyer if you have small hands and arms....sux for me. but theres a thred in here about it and if that doesnt help...(1.dismount radiator res. & power steer res.
2. unbolt heat shield and remove."or bend out of way..."
3. there are (3) bolts holing it on and the belt.
4. Reasemble

 

[[email protected]]

yes its your alt ive just changed mine at 110,000mi.....and its a bitch to change you have to take out your passanger side motor mount& bracket put a jack with a block of wood under your engine to support it....than loosen the alt and the only way it will come out is if you jack up the engine and move it forward so you can get a big enough gap to fit the alt out of....good luck[wrenchin]

 

[oscrfsh]

man is it really that hard??? i feel like it should come right out the top this sucks. how much you think a mechanic will charge??

 

[[email protected]]

they will charge around 400

 

[oscrfsh]

400 just to change it, i already bought the part, 180 plus 75 core charge

 

[oscrfsh]

does anyone know if the alternator should be under warranty? my girlfriends car only has 57k on it. she supposedly has a 100k mile warranty because its a certified pre owned from ford. im not really sure what that warranty covers...probly nothing. i never pay for the extended warranty.

 

[[email protected]]

400 just to change it, i already bought the part, 180 plus 75 core charge

well if you aready got the part it should cost 2-$300 to install and you should get a gatorback belt while its being done..

If your in cali i would change it for you for $60 it takes me less than a hour.

 

[oscrfsh]

how come i should change the belt. and what makes a gatorback better then others?

 

[oscrfsh]

fixed the alternator. my first time it took about 2 hours. thanks to those who helped with the info. but just to let you know you have to undo 8 bolts for the heat shield and it was a pain in the a** that was the worst part!! but thanks to all who helped with info. saved me a bunch of money!!!

 

[Pediavet]

Alternator and Decoupler Pulley Replacement

Why hasn't anyone discussed changing the decoupler pulley with the alternator? When is this changeout required? [scratch]

 

[amc49]

No need to discuss, you get a new one when alt is changed. Garbage part anyway, first thing I'd be converting away from if I had one.

A one way clutch, it either works or it doesn't. Easy enough to check one.

FYI, Gatorback belts suck. Had new one go in like a month or two, it cracked across one of the notches, upon close inspection EVERY NOTCH ON IT was cracked same way. Replaced belt only for Gates un-notched and car now running for like 3 years with no trouble, nothing else changed there. You be the judge. I remember thinking at the time when I put it on the notches were a gimmick, firmly convinced of it now. I paid WAY too much for it too after Autozone filled my head with tales of how good they were. Buyer beware...............