Battery Light

Tiny
FRANKLIN GRIFFIN
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 FORD F-150
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 166,110 MILES
I have a 1999 F150 v-6 engine. Battery light is on. I had the battery check and voltage: 12.61, Measured: 1160 CCA, Rated: 675 CCA, Temperature 159 F.
Thursday, May 26th, 2011 AT 2:36 PM

21 Replies

Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,757 POSTS
That's not what the battery light is telling you. It's telling you that the battery is not being recharged by the truck. You need to have the charging system checked. It's usually a bad alternator but could be other things too. this guide can help fix it

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator

Please run down this guide and report back.
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Thursday, May 26th, 2011 AT 2:50 PM
Tiny
MUT
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1999 FORD F-150
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 160 MILES
I took the truck on holidays this year when in the middle of nowhere the check battery light came on. Ten minutes later I was stuck on the side of the road. A long story short, a 4 hour delay, a $200.00 tow, a $580.00 bill for rebuilt alternator and I was on my way again. But the check light keeps going on off.
I have been to 2 dealerships and 1 private repair shop to have alternator and battery checked. All said alternator is good and a load check and voltage check of battery confirm it is good.
Now I don, t trust the vehicle on a long drive or to drive it out of the city.
Any suggestion a what the problem is.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
DAVE H
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,383 POSTS
TEST C
Ensure good connection at generator 3-pin electrical connector. Repair as necessary and check system operation. If connection is okay, go to next step.
With engine at 2000 RPM, measure voltage between generator terminal B+, Black/Orange wire (Yellow/White wire on F250 Super-Duty and F350 Pickups) and ground. See Fig. 1 . If voltage is less than 16 volts, go to next step. If voltage is 16 volts or more, go to TEST G .
With engine running at 2000 RPM, measure voltage between generator 1-pin connector terminal "S" (White/Black wire) and ground. See Fig. 1 . If voltage is 5 volts or greater, go to next step. If voltage is less than 5 volts, replace voltage regulator. See VOLTAGE REGULATOR under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION.
Turn ignition off. Disconnect generator 1-pin connector terminal "S" (White/Black wire). See Fig. 1 . Start vehicle. With engine running, measure voltage between generator terminal "S" and ground. If voltage is 5 volts or greater, repair White/Black wire between generator 1-pin connector and generator 3-pin connector. See WIRING DIAGRAMS . If voltage is less than 5 volts, replace generator. See GENERATOR under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION.

TEST G
Turn ignition to run and measure voltage drop in voltage sensing circuit "A" by connecting voltmeter positive lead to battery positive terminal. Connect voltmeter negative lead to generator terminal "A" screw. See Fig. 3 . If voltage is less than .5 volt, go to next step. If voltage is .5 volt or greater, voltage drop is excessive. Repair circuit "A" and check system operation. See WIRING DIAGRAMS .
Start engine and turn off all accessories. Increase engine speed while measuring voltage between battery terminals. If battery voltage stays at or less than 15 volts, go to next step. If battery voltage increases to greater than 15 volts, go to step 6 .
Turn ignition off. Measure voltage between generator terminal "F" screw and ground. See Fig. 3 . If battery voltage is present, go to step 5 . If battery voltage is not present, go to next step.
Disconnect generator 3-pin and 1-pin connectors. Remove voltage regulator and brush holder. See VOLTAGE REGULATOR under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Measure resistance between each generator slip ring and ground. See Fig. 4 . If resistance is greater than 1000 ohms between both slip rings and ground, replace voltage regulator. If resistance between one or both slip rings and ground is less than 1000 ohms, replace generator. See GENERATOR under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION.
Start engine. Measure battery voltage and observe charge indicator while increasing engine speed. If battery voltage increases to greater than 15 volts, or indicator light flickers, repair "A" or "I" circuits from generator. See WIRING DIAGRAMS . If battery voltage is 15 volts or less and indicator light does not flicker, replace generator. See GENERATOR under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION.
Measure voltage between generator terminal "F" screw and ground while increasing engine speed. If voltage increases with engine speed, replace generator. See GENERATOR under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. If voltage does not increase with engine speed, replace voltage regulator. See VOLTAGE REGULATOR under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION.


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/266999_1_3.jpg



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https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/266999_3_5.jpg

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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
KENTAYLOR4
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1999 FORD F-150
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 80,000 MILES
I just replaced the battery and alternator and my truck ran for a day, but the battery light came back on. The following day I started the truck and made it about 100' and it died. Any suggestions of solutions?
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Hi entaylor4 and TY for the donation and Merry Christmas

Check fuse no. 11 20amp and fuse no. 30 30amp

Battery light coming on means a problem within the charging system-could be the alternator not putting out or the battery is not taking it-Double check wiring/connections if okay get the alternator load tested.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
STEVEBROWN65
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1999 FORD F-150
  • 162,000 MILES
The alternator went out on my truck and I replaced it, now the battery light stays on and battery will not charge- even had the new alternator tested and was good as well as the battery. Why will it not charge?
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Check the fusible link off of erlay to battery, there are two an dthey are a rd wire that goes to gray wires. If one I sburnt it won't charge. They ae available at auto parts stores.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
CADELFC8
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
  • 1998 FORD F-150
  • 4.6L
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 225,000 MILES
Whenever I press down on the gas the battery light comes on. It is either constant for a few seconds or flickers or a combination of the two normally. The headlights also dim down when that happens. It will happen almost every time I give it gas unless I am very very light on the gas pedal. I got my alternator tested and they said it was good and they also tested my battery which they said was good and fully charged. Also, when I turned my truck on yesterday I backed out of my parking spot and the truck shut off but it restarted immediately after I turned the key again.

I don’t know if this additional information will help but a year and a half ago I put a rebuilt engine in it. Three to four months ago I got a new battery which was what the worker at O’Reilly recommended for my truck. I have aftermarket speakers and an amplifier in the truck as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
BMDOUBLE
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,139 POSTS
This sounds like ground problems that I see pretty regularly on F-150 trucks. Remove the left and right kick panels and remove the 8mm bolts from the grounds and inspect. I’ve had lots of rust issues in these areas. Also check to make sure the ground at the passenger side frame is attached and tight, I see these left loose when engines are replaced. Another thing to try is attach a jumper cable from the battery negative to a clean spot on the chassis and drive it to see if the problem goes away. Hope this helps.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
CADELFC8
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Thank you. I was talking to someone else and they were saying about the grounding from the engine. I will definitely look into what you have said. Thank you for taking some time to answer this.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
CADELFC8
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Thank you. I was talking to someone else and they were saying about the grounding from the engine. I will definitely look into what you have said. Thank you for taking some time to answer this
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
BMDOUBLE
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,139 POSTS
My pleasure, let us know what you find.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
2CP-ARCHIVES
  • MEMBER
  • 4,542 POSTS
  • 1998 FORD F-150
  • 125 MILES
Battery light on, battery gets drained while driving, reman alternator did not cure. What's next?
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,738 POSTS
Check for a blown 15 amp fuse under the hood. If it's okay, measure the voltages on the wires and tell me the wire colors and the values you get. We already have one valuable clue when the battery light circuit is working. That's the "turn-on" circuit for the voltage regulator.

The voltage on the white wire has to be measured when the engine is running.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:48 PM (Merged)
Tiny
SANDPOND
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1994 FORD F-150
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 113,000 MILES
New alternater, charges good. But battery light on dash stays on
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:49 PM (Merged)
Tiny
DAVE H
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,383 POSTS
Alternator Light Stays On With Engine Running

Loose or worn alternator drive belt. Check alternator drive tension and condition,

Loose alternator wiring connections. Check all charging system connections

Short in alternator light wiring. Check wiring

Defective alternator stator or diodes. See Bench Tests in ALTERNATOR article
Defective regulator. See Regulator Check in ALTERNATOR article
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:49 PM (Merged)
Tiny
FORDKING92
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
  • 1992 FORD F-150
  • 5.8L
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • MANUAL
  • 145,000 MILES
Here we go, after a new motor swap ( 4.9l to a 5.8l ). I'm having major electrical issues. My alternator (New) isn't Charging, my power (motor on or off) cycles, meaning it turns on and off by itself hearing a click just before it turns off. And when I turn on the head lights on I lose power to everything else. Turn them off and it comes back on. I've checked every ground I know of and they seem fine. It begain doing this shortly after I rebuilt and reinstalled the transmission. Also the relay in the interior fuse box on the left side of the box is getting very warm during any electrical use. And during the motor swap I found my wires off my alternator were melted all together. Are there any hidden ground wires that I don t know of? I'm lost please help!
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:49 PM (Merged)
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Ground "B" are most of your grounds for this vehicle including pcm and trans. Unless you have the 165 amp Leece Neville alternator that is how yours is wired. Check the things I've pointed out in pic the grn wires off of starter are fusible links you have one that is either burnt, not connected or is partially making contact. Twirl them around as you check them if they break contact replace it especially how old they are. Also I am assuming that you hooked up all the sensors to the new engine. Make sure you have a ground from battery to engine and engine to body as well as battery to body and they all make contact. If you did the trans and problems started after that check for pinched harness or wire.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:49 PM (Merged)
Tiny
FORDKING92
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Sorry for the delayed reply. I've searched high and low for this ground problem I have, and thanks for the alternator advice. Fixed the problem I was having with charging. Now this electrical flashing problem I have started shortly BEFORE my old motor blew up. Lights fllickering, radio cycling, gauges going crazy, ect. I've looked everywhere I can think of for a bad ground wire somewhere and I can't seem to find it. Are there any INSIDE the cab? Or hidden ones on the frame?

Thanks!
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:49 PM (Merged)
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
The flickering of power may be just to abad connection like the junction block at firewall, etc. You might try running a ground wire form engine to body or battery to body. I've sent a pic of ground locations that says where they are. Try the one on cowls and cross members. Cowl Is part in front of windshield
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 AT 6:49 PM (Merged)

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