I'd like to share my experience and ask your best guess. Yes, I've searched and found a few leads.
Started my '03 V8 and it cranked fast and started normally. While warming up I notice it has a new front end whine, like a power steering whine (but the fluid is full.) Made a mental note to check into it and drove off. Right away I noticed the display said "check traction control' and the abs light was on. Wonder if it’s connected to the whine. Get to a stop light and while idling the "Check Charging System" message showed up. As soon as I get on the gas and the RPMs climb even slightly the message goes away.
Dash starts more blinking antics and the whine increases. I notice the electrics are weak, rolling a window, it’s going in slo mo. So I return home and park it, use another car for the trip. On return home try the LS and battery isn’t just slightly dead, it’s completely and totally discharged. Battery won’t operate anything on the car. Try to jump the car no, no go. Will crank slowly but that is it.
Remove battery and place on trickle charger; put known good battery in car. Exact same thing as above. Weird things are the super-fast discharge and the totally dead battery, like a nasty short. Figure I’ll remove them and take the battery and alternator (generator) to AutoZone for testing, assuming it’s the alternator. (Yes, joegr I should have used the DMM to test voltage and amperage but did not.)
Found and liked this post:
The generator is a really tight fit. I got the lower mounting through bolt off (massive torque required to break it loose. It was ridiculously tight.) The upper smaller bolt is very hard to get to and it’s partially blocked by a wiring harness running right across it. With the help of a mirror, I finally get a 6pt 13mm socket on it and it’s all I can do to keep pressure to keep the socket on the nut (it’s not a bolt as shown in the Ford Manual.) Trying to keep the socket on the bolt against the pressure of the wiring harness and pushing on the ratchet lever is a bugger. Multiple attempts lead me to believe I’ve got a much better chance at effing up the nut than removing it.
With the lingering doubts about the dead short I decided to bail (fail) and take it to a mech. Doing that today. Any bets on the issue? Dead short/chewed wiring? Alt/generator failure? (Can one short out as it fails? With the whine and discharge, it’s probably it.) Original battery? (It’s 8 years old but was rock solid until now. Plus condition was same with a second battery, so I’m guessing no. This episode prob killed it for good though, my luck.)
Started my '03 V8 and it cranked fast and started normally. While warming up I notice it has a new front end whine, like a power steering whine (but the fluid is full.) Made a mental note to check into it and drove off. Right away I noticed the display said "check traction control' and the abs light was on. Wonder if it’s connected to the whine. Get to a stop light and while idling the "Check Charging System" message showed up. As soon as I get on the gas and the RPMs climb even slightly the message goes away.
Dash starts more blinking antics and the whine increases. I notice the electrics are weak, rolling a window, it’s going in slo mo. So I return home and park it, use another car for the trip. On return home try the LS and battery isn’t just slightly dead, it’s completely and totally discharged. Battery won’t operate anything on the car. Try to jump the car no, no go. Will crank slowly but that is it.
Remove battery and place on trickle charger; put known good battery in car. Exact same thing as above. Weird things are the super-fast discharge and the totally dead battery, like a nasty short. Figure I’ll remove them and take the battery and alternator (generator) to AutoZone for testing, assuming it’s the alternator. (Yes, joegr I should have used the DMM to test voltage and amperage but did not.)
Found and liked this post:
Got the LS up in the air, pulled the lower valance and air deflector, removed the serp belt tension using a crescent wrench and got the belt off the alt using a looooong screwdriver while holding the tensioner (fun job solo.)
The generator is a really tight fit. I got the lower mounting through bolt off (massive torque required to break it loose. It was ridiculously tight.) The upper smaller bolt is very hard to get to and it’s partially blocked by a wiring harness running right across it. With the help of a mirror, I finally get a 6pt 13mm socket on it and it’s all I can do to keep pressure to keep the socket on the nut (it’s not a bolt as shown in the Ford Manual.) Trying to keep the socket on the bolt against the pressure of the wiring harness and pushing on the ratchet lever is a bugger. Multiple attempts lead me to believe I’ve got a much better chance at effing up the nut than removing it.
With the lingering doubts about the dead short I decided to bail (fail) and take it to a mech. Doing that today. Any bets on the issue? Dead short/chewed wiring? Alt/generator failure? (Can one short out as it fails? With the whine and discharge, it’s probably it.) Original battery? (It’s 8 years old but was rock solid until now. Plus condition was same with a second battery, so I’m guessing no. This episode prob killed it for good though, my luck.)
