so my battery died completely the other night. charged it up and no go still. went to get it towed to ford and the tow driver boosted it. took it in and they put a new battery in and said nothings wrong. i said it should shutoff when it gets low in the voltage but it didnt this time

before i took it in i put it in engineering test mode. idle voltage 14-14.1

driving 12.8 and driving hard 12.5. coasting it would go up to 14 randomly

weird how it went down when i floored it

got the truck back today and it has the same voltage readings. is this normal?

on a side note the passenger mirror wont fold now goes like 10 percent of the way and stops. gona take it in again tomorow hopefully they dont try to charge me up the *** again

73000kms and 14 problems so far. what a quality vehicle

 

also it should be noted that when it was dead and i put a charger on it and put the key in it did some weird stuff. 4 ways on, relays clicking all over, the chime noise was slowed down then normal randomly

3 year old battery shouldnt be dead already right? i left it 4 days 2 weeks ago with no problems

 

That seems like normal charging system behavior. Its not an "on-off" system like the old days, its variable and can can produce voltage and current on an as needed basis. My truck starts cold at 14.0-14.2 and can dip as low as 12.5 driving around. The charging system is only used when its needed and even when its on its not always used to its full potential.

As for the battery, 3 years on the factory battery is about normal. OEM batteries from any manufacturer aren't known for being very reliable, getting 3 years out of one is pretty good in my book!

Get the mirror fixed and try to enjoy the truck!

Sorry for the bad luck so far..

 

Sounds like you left something on.... And when the battery dies completely it damages the battery. As for the **** that was happening when you where charging it. That sounds like low voltage/amperage stuff. With all the computers in the truck they hate low voltage. And for charging anything above 12.5 is OK and the PCM controls the voltage output of the alt and so it's normal to see the voltage go up and down depending on electrical load and engine load. You are WAY over thinking this!!!

 

Mine runs anywhere from 11 volts to 14 (I have a voltage gage where the coin holder was) when driving. Seeing it below 12 going down the road used to bother me, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

 

just went into ford (DAMS langley bypass) they wont even look at the mirror without me paying. they said the work they did has nothing to do with my new mirror problem. awful big coincidence the mirrors folded normally right before it went in. im really getting the feeling that i need to stop using alot of the features once theyre out of warranty because they will all break due to low quality. really dont see myself buying another ford and considering selling this truck.

 

It sounds like your alternator brushes are worn out, and they are losing contact at higher RPMs. Your voltage should stay in the 13.8V - 14.2V range with your engine running, independent of RPM.

 

they ran their tests and said the alternators fine

 

Uhhh, what do you drive, I assume a Ford truck but what year, what trim level, engine etc.... the more we know about what you drive the better an answer you might get.

Do like I do and put it in your signature.
.

 

Hah that's the dealer I used, not anymore though. I think some of their techs are forgetful. Beware.

Definitely don't use their surrey location. That's where I bought my truck originally. Worst dealer ever.