In desperate need of help!! Alternator dead!!

[kylebgt]

Guys please help me! I was heading to Iowa city today when all of the sudden my radio went dead. At first I thought that my cd player crapped out on me, I told my girlfriend "This better not be broken, I don't have the money to buy a new one" Not even a minute after I told her that my rpms dropped to nil and I found myself coasting over to the shoulder. I got a tow truck and after he dropped it off in a parking lot he jumped me. It ran but I left it there(40 miles from home ) I am positive that my alternator is dead, the car is only 8 years old Does anyone know how hard it is to change an alternator on a pi 4.6? I have never done the job before, I am mechanically inclined but this is new to me. Is there a write up or how to guide anywhere online? Thanks everyone for reading and if you can please help me out.

 

[Shiroelex]

It is easy as hell. You gotta remove like 4 bolts, one nut on the 12v line, and a harness. I'd pull up some Ford service sheets for ya, but I am wasted right now and would probably give you something for a Tempo or something.

Oh, and once you get it off, if there's an Autozone near you, they will test it for free.

 

[40th GT]

It is easy as hell. You gotta remove like 4 bolts, one nut on the 12v line, and a harness. I'd pull up some Ford service sheets for ya, but I am wasted right now and would probably give you something for a Tempo or something.

Oh, and once you get it off, if there's an Autozone near you, they will test it for free.

Do alternators go out without warning?
Getting stranded sucks..

 

[Shiroelex]

Do alternators go out without warning?
Getting stranded sucks..

Yeah it does. My dad's went out on his Explorer a week ago, and he had no signs of it coming at all. He said his dash went crazy when he was on the freeway, and then it was downhill from there.

 

[kylebgt]

*Update

I went back to my car today with a new battery, hoping to plug it in and run it until I got my car back home. Well before I plugged the new battery in I decided to give the alternator a test to see if it was dead. I turned it on and unplugged the positive terminal and it kept running wtf! I guess the alternator is good, about 30 seconds later I smell smoke and see it coming from the bottom of the car. I am completely confused now. What could kill the battery and have all the symptoms of a dead alternator but not be the alternator. I am sick to my stomach over this problem

 

[40th GT]

Yeah it does. My dad's went out on his Explorer a week ago, and he had no signs of it coming at all. He said his dash went crazy when he was on the freeway, and then it was downhill from there.

Sorry for the thread hijack but,

How old is the explorer?

 

[n0v8or]

When you say "unplugged the positive terminal", does that mean you ran the engine on the alternator alone without a battery connected? If so, that's not a good idea. The battery is an important part of the charge control system. Without it, the alternator can put out excess voltage, damaging sensitive (and expensive) electrical parts.

Your alternator may be failing only when hot, which would explain why it seemed OK when you returned.

 

[jstreet0204]

Alternator is an easy job. I've swapped them out in 15 minutes in a parts store parking lot. Best bet is take it off, then take to a parts store to have it tested. Call around to before going, I had to call several in my area before I found a store that had one in stock.

 

[SilverBullet00]

sounds like the alternator to me. How old is the battery? If its more than 5 years old, I would replace both.

 

[mransr]

When you say "unplugged the positive terminal", does that mean you ran the engine on the alternator alone without a battery connected? If so, that's not a good idea. The battery is an important part of the charge control system. Without it, the alternator can put out excess voltage, damaging sensitive (and expensive) electrical parts.

Your alternator may be failing only when hot, which would explain why it seemed OK when you returned.

EXACTLY...unplugging the battery to check the alternator went out with mechanical voltage regulator

if you're not sure, replace the battery and the alternator or take it to someone that can check the system

 

[kylebgt]

EXACTLY...unplugging the battery to check the alternator went out with mechanical voltage regulator

if you're not sure, replace the battery and the alternator or take it to someone that can check the system

But what could cause the smoke? It seemed to be coming from either under the car or near the firewall. My x-pipe might be loose but I havent noticed smoke before. God I hope whatever it is its not bad

 

[Shiroelex]

Sorry for the thread hijack but,

How old is the explorer?

His is a 2003 with the 4 liter. It had alot of other really weird symptoms too, but the alternator was the whole problem. Are you having similar problems?

But what could cause the smoke? It seemed to be coming from either under the car or near the firewall. My x-pipe might be loose but I havent noticed smoke before. God I hope whatever it is its not bad

It could be the starter wire smoking for some odd reason, because that is the only thing that I can think of being down there that would smoke like that. Maybe your starter is shorting out?

 

[n0v8or]

I can only guess about the smoke. I am thinking perhaps high system voltage caused the oxygen sensor heaters to cook.

Another possibility is that whatever is smoking is the original cause of lost electrical power, not a bad alternator. You might not have noticed the smoke while the car was moving.