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  #1  
Old 08-20-2011, 11:02 AM
huffa12 huffa12 is offline
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Default battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

My battery gauge i noticed was running very low in town so i went on a drive to see if it would come back up and after about 10 or 15 min all of a sudden it jumped back up then i turned around start heading home made a left turn and it dropped again went all the way down that road and it came back up then pulled in driveway and shut the truck down and i started it back up just fine. posting pics any help would be great thanks.



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  #2  
Old 08-20-2011, 11:08 AM
FireRanger FireRanger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

Is the battery light coming on when the gauge is reading low?

Sudden drops from normal to low or sudden jumps from low to normal indicate whats most likely an alternator failing. If the light is on, this is for sure. If its not on, you could have a connector problem too but I'd still bank on the alternator.
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  #3  
Old 08-20-2011, 11:21 AM
huffa12 huffa12 is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

No battery light on.

----------

also i didnt have the AC on or headlights only thing on was the radio (stock)
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1994 Ford Ranger 4.0L 5 speed 4wd
2009 Ford f150 4x4 v8
traded 2009 Mercury Mariner 2.5L I4 FWD
Sold:1996 Ford F150 4x4 300 6cyl 5 speed
Traded: 2003 Ford Ranger XLT Auto 3.0L V6 Flex fuel Extended Cab 2WD
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  #4  
Old 08-20-2011, 02:08 PM
dads truck dads truck is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

Voltage regulator is going.
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  #5  
Old 08-20-2011, 02:12 PM
TrainedTiger TrainedTiger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

It's the voltage regulator. It is capable of doing some major damage to your electrical system when the motor is at high RPM's thus making the alternator generate a large amount of current.

http://www.fordrangerforum.com/elect...my-ranger.html

The regulator is built into the alternator, a new alternator would have a new regulator installed.

The voltage regulator alone runs about 60.00, while a whole new alternator runs about 110.00, but has a core charge and warranty. Makes sense to just get a new alternator.
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Last edited by TrainedTiger; 08-20-2011 at 02:17 PM.
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  #6  
Old 08-20-2011, 04:42 PM
FireRanger FireRanger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

You can't push too much current. Current is not pushed, it is drawn. The regulator failing would cause voltage to rise or fall. Falling would just result in a dead battery. Rising could indeed wreck your day.
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  #7  
Old 08-20-2011, 09:17 PM
TrainedTiger TrainedTiger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

Well... Not exactly Fireranger, alternators dont produce voltage, they produce current, the high current is what causes the damage. V=IR, more I, more V... Current is niether pushed nor drawn, power is what is drawn, current flows.
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Last edited by TrainedTiger; 08-20-2011 at 09:38 PM.
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Old 08-20-2011, 10:35 PM
FireRanger FireRanger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

mmmmm no. Current is drawn by the load placed upon the supply. You can not make something draw more current simply by there being more available. In fact, as the voltage increases, the current required by the load placed upon it would decrease. If the voltage regulator in the alternator were malfunctioning, it would cause fluctuations in voltage. And those fluctuations in voltage can damage components designed to operate within a given voltage range. Current is irrelevant in this case because it is drawn, not pushed.
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How to: Aux light wiring, relays, & fuses
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  #9  
Old 08-20-2011, 11:08 PM
TrainedTiger TrainedTiger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

Why do you have to take the know-it-all jerk stance on every post you make. Current is the flow of negatively charged electrons through a conductive medium. The brushes inside the alternator create a magnetic field that supplies constant generation of electrons. these electrons FLOW to the battery that powers the electrical system. The increase in voltage is a byproduct of the increase in current. It's not wrong to know less than someone, until your a ******* about it...
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  #10  
Old 08-21-2011, 12:06 AM
huffa12 huffa12 is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

you guys are making my head hurt :P
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2009 Ford f150 4x4 v8
traded 2009 Mercury Mariner 2.5L I4 FWD
Sold:1996 Ford F150 4x4 300 6cyl 5 speed
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  #11  
Old 08-21-2011, 03:20 AM
FireRanger FireRanger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

I'm just explaining how it works, you're the one taking it personally and calling names over it. And inbetween getting worked up and calling names, you're still incorrect. I don't care how technical you try to sound or what names you want to call me to make yourself feel better in the process.

But anyway, huffa it def sounds like your alternator is on it's way out. Since it is intermittent, it may or may not test bad if you have it tested.
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How to: Aux light wiring, relays, & fuses
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  #12  
Old 08-21-2011, 09:47 AM
TrainedTiger TrainedTiger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

Quote:
Originally Posted by FireRanger View Post
Is the battery light coming on when the gauge is reading low?

Sudden drops from normal to low or sudden jumps from low to normal indicate whats most likely an alternator failing. If the light is on, this is for sure. If its not on, you could have a connector problem too but I'd still bank on the alternator.
Initially you didn't even think it was the voltage regulator.

I'll make this as simple as possible; voltage is the pump, the wire is the pipe, current is the water, the faucet is the load. When you turn the faucet on, it doesn't suck the water through the pipe.
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  #13  
Old 08-21-2011, 11:31 AM
FireRanger FireRanger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

Quote:
Originally Posted by TrainedTiger View Post
Initially you didn't even think it was the voltage regulator.
Also not true. I said it was probably the alternator. In which, the voltage regulator is integral. The problem could be that or any of the other many internal components of the alternator. All of which would constitute an alternator failure.

Your continued babble about electricity is still getting your nowhere and trying to make up things to make me sounds wrong is not helping you either. Have you nothing else to do? If not, please find something other than trying to turn this thread into your personal outhouse. It's interfering with people actually trying to help the OP. I doubt you will though, so hopefully a mod will do it for you.
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2003 Edge 4.0 4wd

How to: Aux light wiring, relays, & fuses
Info: 300+ intake threads here on FRF
Info: HID Projectors
How To: NO HEAT Troubleshooting Guide
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  #14  
Old 08-21-2011, 11:48 AM
TrainedTiger TrainedTiger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

Quote:
Originally Posted by FireRanger View Post
You can't push too much current. Current is not pushed, it is drawn.
This smartaleck and incorrect remark is what started it. A little research goes a long way, and who is ever benefiting from all of your posts of this nature? I could quote more than a hundred comments you have made in this manner.

Arlo, the answer is you should get a new alternator since it has a new voltage regulator installed, and it should be sooner than later before it does permanent damage to your truck's electrical system.
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Torch Red 2004 Ranger Edge 4x4, 4.0 SOHC w/5speed manual, R7-8.8 LS 4.10 diff
Quote:
Originally Posted by edgeman4.0 View Post
Its a Vatican warlock assassin.

Last edited by TrainedTiger; 08-21-2011 at 11:50 AM.
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  #15  
Old 08-21-2011, 01:53 PM
FireRanger FireRanger is offline
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Default Re: battery gauge low then jumps back up then low again

Which is what I said in the very first reply to this thread. And the quoted statement is correct and factual. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time with this. In the short period of time you've been a member here, you are not qualified to be judging anyone else in this form. I don't know who you are or what your beef is. But its uncalled for.
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2003 Edge 4.0 4wd

How to: Aux light wiring, relays, & fuses
Info: 300+ intake threads here on FRF
Info: HID Projectors
How To: NO HEAT Troubleshooting Guide

Last edited by FireRanger; 08-21-2011 at 01:56 PM.
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