2005 Ford Focus Battery & Air bag light

SHELLILEE1

MEMBER
2005 FORD FOCUS
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
65,000 MILES

My battery and air bag lights are on. I was told by a mechanic that it is probably my alternator. However, every time we check the battery charge, it is fully charged. This has been going on for about a month now. I figured if the alternator was going bad it would have by now. Any suggestions? Thanks so much in advance.

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 AT 8:51 AM

3 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
110,176 POSTS

Start by taking the vehicle to a nationally recognized parts store and having them check the alt output. They will most likely do it for free.

Let me know what you find.

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Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 AT 10:47 AM

SHELLILEE1

MEMBER
2 POSTS

I already did that. They said that everything is ok until the load is put on the battery. However there is also an extreme ripple.? Dont know what that means. Last night I noticed the loghts inside dimming. I am assuming it is the alternator but can they be rebuilt or bad parts replaced? I am looking for a reliable but the least expensive, ethod of repair. I am on a tight budget.

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Monday, June 7th, 2010 AT 9:48 AM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
110,176 POSTS

Ihave no idea what they mean by a ripple. If it fails when they put a load on it, then it must be bad. If you notice the lights getting dim, then either there is a bad ground, the alt is failing or the voltage regulator is bad. Did they tell you it was bad after the test? Have them quote you a price for a new one. They aren't that hard to replace. Maybe you could do it yourself to save.

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Monday, June 7th, 2010 AT 10:28 AM