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2003 Ford Escape

Question: Changed battery and altenator 12 months ago, now battery charging light on

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Visitor, 3.0L V6, Trinity, NC, August 01, 2011, 21:13

Light gets brighter during acceleration. Voltage on battery while running is 14.2 volts, even with all accesories on, so assume regulator is working.Belt tension seems ok, no loose connections, battery cables good. Last few days, gauges will drop out, at night cluster lights go out, engine will hesitate slightly day or night. This alternator was new NAPA brand and took 2 days for me to install, could it have a bad diode? I don't trust the auto store checks because last year it recorded no problems with altenator even when regulator was bad and voltage would drop with each accessory turned on. I have read quite a few threads on this and everyone had a different answer. NAPA part has lifetime warranty, but dread the change again.

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  • Answer #1

    patrick mannion from Greg Solow's Engine Room, August 01, 2011, 23:19
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    Check all connections are clean and tight, look up on Youtube "voltage drop test" make sure you have no voltage drop, but finally I would suspect if all else is well I would like to see a diode pattern, we use an old Sunscope Engine Analizer a lot of people have thrown out years ago. See the symptoms you describe and look at diode pattern only to see it is bad.

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