Alternator Issues

Asked by rschlottman1 Mar 01, 2019 at 10:32 AM about the 1998 Ford Contour

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

We have a 1998 Ford Contour that will not stay charged. We put a brand new battery in. A new Master fuse. 3 new alternators. 1 alternator was used but the others were brand new and car still will not hold a charge. You have to give it a jump just to be able to put it into neutral to move it. The car is actually killing the brand new alternators as they are no longer good after 1 start. Any ideas?

3 Answers

1,375

You obviously have a drain on the system when parked. Determining where will take some multimeter troubleshooting and isolation of the systems.

9,500

Check the battery wire at the alternator with the engine off. If this wire is broken the alternator will make a Hundred volts or more trying to charge an open circuit the stator in the alternator will cook in minutes. You can temporarily install a 10 gauge wire between the alternator battery stud and the battery positive terminal to see if it solves your problem. I hope this helps. Take care.

1 people found this helpful.
250

I would check the condition of the battery wires to alternator. Sounds like you have an exposed or melted wire immediately grounding out causing the alternator to pop.

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