Alright guys. Heres the deal. Last weekend i drove my truck to my grandparents house in kansas. I got home and was one my way to walmart when all of a sudden my battery light comes on and the display says check charging system. So i change the display on my edge to show my battery volts. It was reading 12.3 kind of normal i think. So i kept it there so i could watch it and it slowly went down. It is 24 miles from my house to walmart. when i started my truck at walmart it was at 11.9 and by the time i got home it was down to 10.2. is the alternator whats causing this to happen? if so how hard is it to replace?

 

With an alternator that is working right, volts should be 14 to 14.5. Definitely sounds like an alternator, but I would pull it off and have a local parts store test it to make sure that's what it is and you don't have a popped fuse or something. An alternator on your truck is easy to replace. It's on the front of the motor, top middle.

 

Sounds like your alternator. Normal voltage should be up around 14V.

Removal and Installation:

NOTE: The 5.4L engine is shown, the 4.6L engine is similar.

Disconnect the battery.
If equipped with the 4.6L engine, remove the air cleaner outlet pipe.
If equipped with the 5.4L engine, remove the air cleaner inlet pipe.
Rotate the front end accessory drive belt tensioner clockwise and position the front end accessory drive belt aside.
Release the generator harness locator from the generator bracket.
Remove the 4 bolts and the generator bracket.
To install, tighten to 10 Nm (89 lb-in) .
Loosen the 2 generator bolts and position the generator aside to access the electrical connections.
To install, tighten to 25 Nm (18 lb-ft) .
Disconnect the generator electrical connector.
Position the generator B+ protective boot aside and remove the generator B+ nut and terminal, and remove the generator.
To install, tighten to 8 Nm (71 lb-in) .
To install, reverse the removal procedure.

 

scale of 1-10 how hard is the removal and install? I need it for work so i am wondering if its something I can do in a couple hours or if i should have the ford shop do it?

 

As long as you have the tools, and get the replacement alternator before you start, you should be ok at 1-1.5 hours for your first time, taking your time.

Alldata lists the shop time as .8 hours.