Hi from a newby to the site
Just got myself another Mondeo after 4 year break lol.

2003 1.8LX petrol hatchback, with 95k miles on.
All in brilliant condition.

Anyway, it seems i've picked one with the old battery light failing to stay off

I've had it 2 weeks, first thing on a morning, 7am ish, it starts first time and generally no light, even when using the headlights etc. The light may flash a couple of times for the short journey to work and that's about it. When the light does come on A/C and heated screen won't turn on.
After i finish work 2pm, again starts first time, but light flashes more, not using headlights etc, just radio.

I've had the alternator and battery tested at 2 garages, all saying the battery is been charged and don't think it's either the battery or alternator
I've read as much as i can from this site, re-checking earth points, wiring on the alternator, checked and cleaned the P30 (actually R30 on my car ??) 7.5amp fuse in the box under the bonnet.

I'm now stuck to what to do next

The battery i'm using is from my last car, Omega 2.2 petrol and is 8 months old, it's not a silver/calcium one, do i really need one ??

Any advice is most welcome
Cheers

 

on some of the newer fords the voltage regulator for the alternator is in the ecu itself, so even if everything else checks out, the ecu could be faulty

have you tried asking on www.talkford.com ?

they tend to specialise on mondeo's above all else and there may be a wiki link to this problem

 

Thanks for the reply Dojj, no i haven't but i will
Cheers

 

Does the alternator have a 3 pin plug? 'smart charge' type?

When you start the car, does the light go off then comes on 20secs or so later?

If you remove the 3 pin plug, the alternator should revert to a default charge setting around 14 volts, check across battery terminals.

If it does, the alternator is fine, its a fault with the smart charge circuit - wiring,ECU etc.

Officially yes should have silver calcium battery on it.

 

Thanks GVK, i've not checked the alternator re the 3 pin plug, smart charge' type thingy, but will do asap, is it bolted in or just inserted ???

Forgot to mention, generally the light comes on when the car has warmed up, if that makes any difference ?????

Think i'll get the Lion 075 calcium battery from ECP, Ł40 tomoz, then i know it's not the battery

 

It's clipped in, you may need to get a small screwdriver in there to release the catch.

On a lot of Fords the wiring to the smart charge plug gets damaged or can corrode.

If the wiring is damaged there's a repair loom available for a Transit Connect that can be adapted to fit other models.

 

Yeah i gave the wiring on the alternator a little tug and all felt well, but didn't release and clean them, will check asap.