This 2003 Ford Expedition came in with the complaint that the alternator had been replaced twice and the charge light light indicator was still coming on. The shop that had installed the alternators had called in desperation as their customer was becoming quite upset. They also stated that the light may stay out all day or only about an hour. When their customer showed up with the vehicle I was a little surprised. The shop usually sends vehicle on a flat bed and drops them off. Time to try and make everybody happy (except Me) while the customer waits(I was trying to eat lunch). I did a quick visual inspection of the wiring at the alternator and everything looked okay. I checked codes and found a code P0620 stored (alternator problem). I then looked at the wiring leading to the alternator and I saw this telltale sign. A wire with discoloration against a metal object.
The metal object in this case was the a/c low pressure or suction line that runs along the lower edge of the battery. I lifted the wiring up and could tell from the amount of discoloration that I might have found the problem.
Yep there’s the problem. I removed some more tape. Wrapped the damaged wire. Rewrapped the harness.
Installed some split loom and cleared the codes. Rechecked the system and all was okay. Back to my lunch.
Solved my problem as well! As one of the posters said…”that could have been my vehicle.” Exactly the same spot. I did not cover with the tube as illustrated. I routed underneath near the foam/rubber and away from the AC tubing. There are many frustrated people with this issue. I know because I went to every search result I could find. I replaced my alternator tonight due to a flashing battery light. Auto parts store told me it was the alternator. After the replacement, the battery light came on steady, but the load on the system seemed fixed (the AC would bog down and headlights would dim prior to new alternator). Rechecked all my connections, cleaned posts…etc. Found this information and solved my problem. The prior issues lead me to believe the alternator still needed replacing, but I am not 100% sure. The uncertainty sucks…I guess it’s a $200 learning experience. Either way, I am thankful it is fixed. Thanks Sparky!
Joe
Just want to say that I had the same problem. Exactly as described in the post. 2003 EB Exped. Thank you
Hi Janet,
Assuming the charging problem was not there before the other repairs were done, the common sense approach would dictate that the parts number be checked to insure that the correct fuse box was installed. Check to make sure that all connectors are fully installed. All fuses are present as compared to the original fuse box. If all of that is okay then the charging system problem will need to be checked as a completely separate issue that happens to be very coincidental. I am assuming that you have checked the wiring along the a/c lines as outlined in the above article?
our 03 EXP Freddie wouldn’t crank, mechanic said, fuel pump was bad. Fuel pump installed and then the truck wouldn’t start, changed fuse panal (fried) and now the charging system error comes on, replace alternator – and now the battery is dead – can you help
The first thing to do is hook up a voltmeter to the battery and see what the voltage is while the engine is running. From your description I would suspect that the alternator is faulty.