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Ford Repair - Check Charging System Message
Expert: James - 10/22/2009
Question
I have a 2005 Ford Explorer V-6. In June the check charging system message began to appear and immediately disappear. Within a couple of days the message would stay in the information system for longer period of time and the voltage would begin to drop and would recharge when the message disappeared. I took it to the dealership and they said the alternator was bad (even though it had been replaced 11 months earlier). I began have the message appear again about 2 weeks ago. The message immediately disappears and I haven't noticed any change in voltage. I took it to an auto parts store and they said the battery was bad so I had that replaced two days ago. The check charging system message appeared and immediately went away again this morning. Any idea what could be wrong?
Answer
This is a really aggravating predicament you must be going through. It was irresponsible for the dealership to have charged you for a second alternator without at the least replacing the battery as well. You see, this two parts are really tied at the hip more than most people know. What happens is that when one goes out, it has a tenancy to take the other with it. The weaker of the two is the battery in most cases. Also, if a an alternator is replaced on a battery that is not fully charged, it is as good as dead immediately. What I would recommend is this, go back to the auto parts store first. I say this because they do not charge the labor that costs so much. They can test the battery and alternator. However, know that you should not test a battery repeatedly. Doing this will void the warranty by killing the battery. The battery cannot recover from such repeated drains and charges. It should reiterate what I stated in the beginning. The charging system on your Ford has three parts, an alternator, a battery, and a starter. The first two are like I said joined at the hip. The starter, however, is the third piece to the puzzle, that must not be overlooked. I am not saying that it is defective, by any means, but it has to be considered. There is only one other possibility, one which the dealership may have overlooked, for good reasons.You took the truck in for a charging system problem. Not saying that it is either your nor the dealerships fault, well, maybe they are at fault. There is no excuse for a vehicle having the same problem within a year, and then coming back a few weeks later with another problem. That after all is why you pay the higher rate to go to a dealership, to not have any more problems. The other possibility is the ECM. With the advanced readings that the display has, the ECM controls the charging system through sensors. Go to the parts store and tell them to run a gauntlet of tests with their portable, roll around tester. Then, go home and charge the battery. As soon as the battery is back up to par, take the truck back to the dealership is ask to speak with the service manager. Call and make sure that he is there. He is a person just like us, and he values customer service appove anything!
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