2003 Ford Taurus BATTERY LIGHT

2003 FORD TAURUS
81,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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ABAJAN
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I HAVE A INTERMITTANT BATTERY LIGHT WHICH IS ON FOR FEW SECONDS AND GOES AWAY. I HAD THE BATTERY REPLACED AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS CHECKED WITH LOAD METER AT SAMCO AND WALL AMRT. THEY SAID THE ALTERNATOR WAS OK. BUT I AM STILL GETTING BETTERY LIGHT EVERY FEW A DAYS SPECIALLY AFTER LONG DRIVE(30 MINUTES OR MORE) BAFFLED. ABE
Mar 21, 2010 at 4:51 AM
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CARADIODOC
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 34,412 POSTS
The battery light means the battery is not being recharged, not that the battery is bad. The alternator has to be tested while the problem is occurring. When the light goes off, the problem is gone, so the alternator will test good.

An intermittent no-charge condition is often caused by worn brushes in the alternator. 81,000 miles is a little soon for this to happen unless you drive on a lot of dusty roads. The voltage regulator also could be intermittent but it is more common for them to fail completely.

Other potential problems include loose or corroded pins in the electrical connector. If you can catch the problem while it is occurring, measure the voltage on the yellow wire and the green wire with red stripe. Both should have battery voltage while the engine is running. The green / red wire will have around 2.0 volts when the battery light is on.

caradiodoc
Mar 21, 2010 at 7:09 AM
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