TxBucki Posted September 25, 2023 Report Share Posted September 25, 2023 Noticed my1998 Explorer was getting hard to start and checked battery, and just sitting not running, read 11.4V. It was at the end of the warranty period and figured, it's time. Went and got a new one, popped it in, read 12.5V. Tried starting the car, and it would crank, but not turnover. This is when I noticed the red battery light on dash. Any ideas where to start checking? Alternator? (seems pretty easy to take off and go get it tested). Fuses? Seems strange just replacing battery with a new one caused red battery light to come on... Thanks in advance.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabangsta Posted September 25, 2023 Report Share Posted September 25, 2023 So the engine is turning over with the new battery, but it won't fire/start? The battery light will be on if the engine is not running and the alternator is not putting out more than 14v (a battery at rest, even at 13.1 volts if just charged and no loads at all will also mean the light is on). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted September 25, 2023 Report Share Posted September 25, 2023 Just FYI - it’s not a battery light and it doesn’t mean the battery is bad. It’s a check charging system light and it means the alternator isn’t charging the battery properly. It doesn’t mean anything unless the engine is running so fix that first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxBucki Posted September 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2023 OK..so basically forget about the battery light on dash, and get the thing running. Seems strange it would fire/start, albeit it was struggling last 2 or 3 times b/c it seemed low battery, and now...it just won't. Any suggestions on even where to start? Air/Fuel/Spark...Check fuel rail to see if it's getting gas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxBucki Posted September 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2023 OK..not sure why I posted this in the Edge forum..Sorry about that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted October 1, 2023 Report Share Posted October 1, 2023 @TxBucki dont need the alternator to start the vehicle, the battery should be plenty strong. i assume the cranking is at normal speed, not slow. of course each attempt without a successful start will drain the new battery further. what happens when you use starting fluid? does it turnover then? if it does, it is a fuel problem. did you have any signs of that with the old battery? i dont know if the explorer has the same setup as an f150, but this is one possibility unless you tried jumpstarting the vehicle before replacing the battery, there shouldn't have been an electrical issue created by the battery. should definitely check the alternator. since it is an obd2 system, check codes with a code reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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