CincyFin Posted July 22, 2021 Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 So I got a message on the dash to check charging system. It's a 2014 Sport with 100,000 miles. The battery is a 3 year old Motorcraft that tests fine so I figure maybe it's the alternator. Not out of the question given age and mileage. But when I run a voltmeter test while running I get 13.7 volts. Would this be low enough to warrant the dash warning? I know ideally it should be 14 or higher. Anyone with any experience on this? I plan on taking to get looked at next week and will probably just end up replacing the alternator and belt for piece of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1004ron Posted July 22, 2021 Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 You're correct to suspect the alternator - the charging voltage should be around 14.2v Don't be tempted to purchase the cheap refurbished ones from Autozone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 Check the battery cable connectors for corrosion. Test the battery running a LOAD test (test the actual CCAs). Check for DCTs. (Anything that turns on the IC warning will set a code). The voltage being output to the alternator can be controlled by the PCM. Codes will tell you if either of these are involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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