alternator not charging but good ?

I have a ford windstar 3,8 1996
I have tested the alternator at partsource its good, i have 11.5 v with ignition off. and 11.5 power to both with the ignition on but I have no power from the yellow wire, I shood be getting 1 volt. I have checked fuses. tried diffrent batteries. I dont think the reg is turning on. Should i have 1 v at yellow wire and 11.5 at the other two. would it matter if the alt is used out of a 99

I got the alternater from a 99 windstar- I hear they have a 4 phase charge system that might not work for the two phase in the 96 windstar.
maby? please i need some expert advice?
Thanks

Two other questions not to importent - but

- If i have 296 000 on my van does that meen its a good one, no head probs.?
- Does coolent get corosive when it get older- could it eat through the seals to bleed in the oil?

You have a good one, I have 118000 and Im have all kinds of problems, A knocking that sounds like the mains, codes coming on, replacing parts, A hiccup in the motor when you step on the gas sometime. But one thing I can say is that is all ways interesting when you leave to go someplace in it. We might not make it back or what will we here next. By the way it is a 1999. Oh humm

beuthling
I'm no expert, but will tell you what I THINK. Your voltages, if taken with engine running, sound very low to me. I would expect 14v on a running system.

If the '99 alternator will match the '96 mounting bolt holes, and the belt pulley is right, and you can hook up to the harness... it should work just fine.

Just for comparative info, my old '70 4x4 came with an alternator and an external voltage regulator. As years went by, I could not buy a replacement alternator & regulator that would give enough voltage to keep the battery up.... only 13 volts or so. So I looked for a more modern replacement.... I discovered that the alternator for a '89 Mazda 323 was a bolt-up replacement. Luckily the v-belt pulley was located correctly also. The electric hook-up was straight forward, since the regulator is inside the alternator. This thing is still working today ... years after the conversion. I tell this story just to make the point that the modern alternator is a stand alone, self-sufficient device.... all ya gotta do is hook it up and spin it.
EDIT UPDATE: Apparently some of the earlier Windstars have a external fuse circuit for protecting the (internal?) regulator.
.
Read thru the below for some info on coolant passing by gaskets:
.
http://www.babcox.com/editorial/ar/ar90134.htm

All fuses are good -
relays good-
With ignition off I get my 1 volt at I and 11.5 at b+ nothing from A-so far so good
= now ignition on, not running i get 11.5 at a nothing at i and 11.5 at A- That seems wright. I start it, no voltage change at battery, I still have power at b+, and A about 11.5 v and draning til stall.
I asked partsource and they said the 99's had diffrent altrnater then 96. They tested it it was good. Thanks for the link 12ounce

main question in case - is a alternater compatable from a 99 winstar to a 96.
THanks

I am no expert either but I agree with 12Ounce in that at one time a lot of vehicles had external regulators and thus what came out of the alternators may not have been common amonst different cars but of course these voltages went to the regulators and the output of the regulators was much more standard.

These days most vehicles (all that I am aware of) have built in regulators and so the outputs of theses alternator/regulator combinations are pretty much standard voltages.

The real question for alternator compatability besiides mechanical fit is output current capability. The more electrical demanding devices on a car the higher current capable the regulator needs to be. A high capacity regulator can be used in a less demanding vehicle but the problem arises when one tries to put a lower capacity alternator into a vehicle that draws excessive current.

I am not too sure if Windstars offer more than one type of alternator but if a vehicle is equipped with 2 blower motors, headlamps and a rear defroster then this is as high of a demand as one would normally encounter. (expcept for the addition of some aftermarket subwoofer amps...)

So anyway to more answer your question I do not see any obvious problem with a 99 being used in a 96 as long as the mechanical fit is the same and the current rating is the same or better. (this is not a guarantee in anyway or a recommendation but rather an opinion.

If you are expereincing low voltage from an alternator that is known to be working then the problem is most likely that the output of the alternator is being loaded too much. I assume you are taking the measurements while everything is hooked up correctly. The prper voltage at the battery terminals of a running car should be about 14 volts or so as 12 ounce suggested. Once the engine is shut off the battery voltage should drop to about 12.6 Volts. Your 11.5 volts suggests that you may have a battery problem.

The alternater is not generating anything- I have tried three batteries
from various vehicals. I think a battery should still get some sort of charge even if its a liittle week. My old alt seemed to die out gradually, on and off, over a week or so. Thats when i changed it. What can i check for if its the ignition switch? The battery light stays on when it runs and then the van dies a few minits later from dead battery?

I bought a 130 amp alternator for my '96 from Advance Auto Parts for about $135 (US). I do not know if the '99 is compatible or not. The '96 does have the internal regulator as mentioned above.

There are a couple of threads on here that mention voltages under different conditions. If you can see your headlights dim at idle....then that would be one sign that you may have a problem. With a known good battery (and good connections), the obvious place to look....is the alternator.

now im getting with new battery -- 12.4 (b+)
0 at (I)yellow and 2.3 v at the (A) green and red .
the (a) and (i) voltages seem to have changed.
I use to get 12.5 at the (a) now 2.3v and no 1 volt from (I)
with ignition on and when it runs. Just power to b+ when it sits.
--- Could it be a ground ?
--- Or the wire to starter being rusty?
--- Could the voltage reg be stuck
--- maby ignition switch
--- dosent seem to change when i wiggle fuses wires
--- I read somewhere that you can wire the (A,I) conection to the battery with fuse(Im probibly wrong on this
---I dont think it is the alt becouse the one that i thought was bad
was tested and came up good?
---I read, and read, and read till my eyes bleed, someones got to have this problem at one time or another how did you guys/girls fix
thanks

now with ignition on -
12.4v b+ ,1v (I), 2.4(A)
with ign on, and when its running

for the (A) side of plug I should get full volts 12.4
for (I) i should have 1 v and about 12.4 when the ign on -
when running i should have full voltage at al terminals?

I keep thinkin ignition switch ?
if the circit is messed in the ignition will it still let me start, but not alow my alt to charge?
or voltage reg - Im running out ideas please help the needy?

In that link that you published, (very good info, by the way, thanks!) there is much reference to the external fuse (T?) and circuit that connects the fuse to the internals of the alternator.
I would check that fuse very carefully. Lubricate the fuse base. Then follow the two conductors (that hook-up to the fuse) all the way back to the alternator ...checking connections and condition of the wires along the way. I suspect that there is some problem in this circuit.

Scroll down to "New Alternator not charging".
Obi-Wan mentions a problem that sounds a lot like yours....ended up being a 15 Amp fuse in the "engine fuse block". The fuse is in the "T" position. Definately worth looking into.

I have not had this same problem (I hesitate to EVER say that.....).

Does the ignition switch and or the instrument panel ,under the stearing column complete the cicut in the alternater for the regulater to turn on. That seams to be the wire(red/green) im not getting enough power from 2.5 v instead if 12.5 when the ignition on but running not running.
All fuses have power - none are blowing- tryed relays-

The problem is is that the red/ and green wire running from the (T)15amp fuse.this wire goes to the alternater. He just cut the old wire out from the fuse box in the engine compartment. And ran a wire from there strait to the alternater. 69.00 later

- he said that the wire wase getting the some voltage but little amps- so the wire was probibly burnt or coroded along the way!
anyways thaought you should no -thanks