2002 Ford Windstar alternator

2002 FORD WINDSTAR
189,000 MILES • 3.9L • 6 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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FARMER50
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Output at alternator is 21 vdc. Causes wire to burn. Battery charged to 16.6vdc. What would cause this to happen?
Jul 21, 2015 at 3:01 PM
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CARADIODOC
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The voltage regulator is shorted. Through the '90s Ford had a pretty nice generator design that was easy to service, but the engineers couldn't allow that. By around 2000 they put another cover over the back where the voltage regulator is bolted to. I haven't had one of those apart yet to know what is involved in replacing the regulator. The alternative is to replace the entire generator.
Jul 21, 2015 at 6:26 PM