FORD F150 ECOBOOST CHARGING SYSTEM SERVICE NOW DIAGNOSIS
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- In today's case study, we have a 2018 Ford F-150 Ecoboost 2.7l V6 turbocharged engine. The vehicle came in with a complaint of low power and a message displayed on the instrument panel that reads "CHARGING SYSTEM SERVICE NOW". The vehicle had previously been to a local Ford dealership for this concern and they replaced the battery. This did not fix the issue. The customer was concerned that he may have a bad alternator at only 50,000 miles. The alternator is over $750 us dollars and the vehicle is no longer covered by the manufacture warranty. Needless to say the customer wanted to be 100% certain that the alternator would fix his issue. Follow along as I take you step by step through the troubleshooting process and diagnose this vehicle. Along the way you will learn system and circuit design, and how to apply that knowledge in your diagnosis.
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There is great technicians that work in privately owned shops. Just because you go to a dealership doesn’t mean your getting the best workmanship. Some great technicians can’t work at dealerships for personal reasons. But you sir, definitely know what your doing. I’d definitely go to your shop for everything my vehicle needs. Great job on the diagnosis of the vehicle.👍
Great job on the diagnostic. One thing seems very apparent to me, and that is the dealer did nothing to diagnose the problem. All they had to do was the simple test you did of connecting a voltmeter to the battery to see that it wasn't charging. But they saw an opportunity to make money, so they sold him a battery that he probably didn't even need
@Flatus Antiquitous Either that, or they were just too flat-out lazy to do a diagnosis, and just wanted to make some quick and easy money by selling a battery. They don't call 'em "stealerships" for nothing...
I got my battery replaced three times b/o the power shedding (i.e. switching off none essential consumers). Only after I charged the battery and let the car rest for 8 or more hours, the problem seems to be gone. The car dealership didn't tell me about this requirement, I found it in the manual.
The technician at the dealership needs to go back to school and get more training. Better yet have him watch this video!
I’m soooo mad 😡. I’m on my third battery. The aftermarket company and the dealership are giving me the run around.
😮
Thank you for this video. My son owns a Ford F150 and had the "Charging System Service Engine Now" come up on his dash. He took it to Autozone to have the battery and Alternator checked in which Autozone said they checked out good. I looked at it and checked the three wires that went to the Alternator to make sure they were not broken and they were fine. My son then brought his truck to a Ford dealer who had it for 5 days and they told him that everything is fine and that they cleaned things up and it is OK. The next day the "Charging System Service Engine Now" came back on and I did some research and came across this video. He was going to take it back to Ford and I said lets just go buy an Alternator and put it in ourselves which we did and now everything is fine. What is ironic is that my son had his oil changed a week before this problem showed up and they forgot to put the dipstick in and oil blew out under the hood. I cleaned the oil up never suspecting it had anything to do with the Alternator but after watching the end of this video you said the customer had his oil changed as well and they forgot to put the cap on. I concluded that if oil is spraying out under the hood and it gets into the Alternator that it will ruin the Alternator.
Thank you again for this video
Best channel out there for diagnosing car problems! Super in depth please keep it up
I agree 100%
Yes I loved how he read everything off to us. That info is critical in the diagnostic process. Other channels read it off camera and don’t share with us.
I work for Ford and I really love this video. You enlighten me on a lot of other things that I somehow seem to miss. Thank you!
When testing the the Gen lines you need to put things on and the activity will move faster the more you put power on.
I noticed the oil soaked rubber cap when you put the camera on it. Definitely the reason the alternator failed and I really appreciate you going over the system description. I wasn’t used to studying the way a circuit worked when I worked in the dealer but now I see that reading and understanding the system is the most important part of the challenge! Thanks Eric!
Yeah, I would agree that understanding the system is a very important step on fixing anything. I also hate modern 'smart' things. like the smart phone, why do we have so many stuff in them? I only use my phone to make a call, or watch video, nothing more. Modern life is just crazy.
Thank you Eric. Good job. With Ford smart charging systems, you can monitor GENCOM and GENMON in Engine live data Duty cycle %. If the alternator was good, you should be able to unplug the alternator connector, KOER, the alternator should default charge at about 13.7 VDC. You can also test the GENCOM and GENMON wires by installing a fused jumper wire across the two harness side terminals. KOER, monitor the live data Duty cycle for both GENCOM and GENMON. They should mirror each other, as long as the wiring is good. Have a blessed and safe week.
Thanks for the info!
I have a "charging system service now light" new battery, alternator,and PCM relay or fuse #82 2017 mustang gt
@@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO also im seeing 15 volts
Great job Eric. I enjoy watching your case studies. Continue putting out the diagnostic videos. I learn so much.
Thank you very much. I have been a fan of Scotty Kilmer, I started my interest on cars about a year ago. I would say your channel is better to me than Mighty Scotty. You have much more insight diagnose than those from Scotty. My back ground is that I came to this country from China ~30 years ago, my highest education level is a ECE Phd. I have worked hard to advance to my career, now I am in a middle age wondering and I put my interests in cars. I do not feel difficult on electonic stuff, I only need to accumulate my knowlwdge on mechanics. I have a big rant on 'modern' cars, too much electronic control, which may intimidate normal Joe. Nowadays, every thing becomes 'smart'. I just hate those smart stuff. What is wrong wit a generator, just charge the battery. Sign.
That dirty alternator was suspicious, thanks for the back story and diagnostic.
Why would the dealer put a battery in this car with a “ charging system “ complaint and not have the decency to take 30 seconds out of their time to put a DVOM on the battery terminals and see that the battery is not getting replenished?! Unbelievable if you ask me! And then they wonder why more and more people can’t stand going to them! Great video brother,thanks! 👍
That's what I don't understand. How did they miss that problem? Thanks for watching!
The truck never made it inside the ford shop. Most likely the customer did not have the patience to have a proper diagnoses, and instead chose to "wait" instead of leaving the vehicle. So the job got handed over to a hourly lube tech who was told to replace the battery a sap. Dealership more concerned with getting the vehicle fixed quickly then correctly. Partially customers fault for being impatient and not leaving vehicle for proper diagnosis and repair.
Still a simply volt meter across both battery terminals would have showed a problem.
@@nissanneal You have no way of knowing this is what happened unless you work there. If that's the case might as well say it!
System description was not boring! Explained much of how complicating a system it is. Not done the way the vehicles use to charge. Without this info, we would have not understood what to really look for. The type of activity would have made no since to me without the description. another great video!
Thank you!
Ya nailed it 100%. Had to do this on a Taurus. You can rebuild the 6G alternators but it can be a PITA to get the right version of the regulator. also the slip ring is a PITA to replace.
Best to just get a new OEM one.
All aftermarket alternators have the wrong regulator so they default to the full system charge voltage which puts the CEL on and takes a toll on the battery in no time.
You might want to check for battery reset in your scan tool' so you don't rely on sleep mode by customer. You do not want to ruin new parts. Great case studies I like your work.
GREAT VIDEO” on how to check All the connections on the electrical Charging components’ before you come to the conclusion that it is the alternator which is the most expensive item throughout the charging system besides a battery I am having the same issue with my 2013 eco-boost F150 my charging system when I change the battery was fine at first and then it started not charging the battery Maintaining his self at 12.8 the voltage’ but my charger system is not showing any problems in the dashboard so I was kind of wondering how should I go about checking anything first? This video is very helpful with the proper information on how to check the system for any malfunctions and how to determine, which is the failure in the system and how to replace the proper item without spending any more money than what you have to.thank you’ this is very instructional and helpful
Thanks for your informations. I have had this charging system service problem for 6 years but not even the dealership could tell me what's wrong. Thanks again.
Great diag. Well explained as always. That alternator is crazy expensive. No warranty from the dealership then. And an airbag light on top of it. Thanks for sharing Eric! 👍
Nice ! Must of been a little nervous not knowing exactly what you should of been seeing ! But what you did know was enough to make a educated/executive call !
Your video was super helpful. ive been through 2 batteries, 2 reman alternators, starter, $120 diagnostics fee from a shop and still no charge. With your video, I know where to start troubleshooting. you cant get help from anybody, they just want you to bring it in. Thanks again Eric for this informational video!
If the owner told before you start diagnosing maybe you decided to clean the alternator if the oil gate inside it difficult to dry it isolated between two parts anyway thank you for for sharing this i learned a lot yours videos,,
100% of dealership mechanics that I had to go to screwed up my vehicles - wrong spark plugs, loose and missing bolts, etc.
I had to learn to do all maintenance and minor repairs - thanks to YT DIY videos.
excellent video.....small oversight caused this man to pay big bucks to repair....that's why I change my own oil and filter and I make sure everything is back properly when I'm finished...
Great Diag. Eric, I think NTB should refund the cost to the customer.
If this is a 2018 truck shouldn't it still be under warranty? The dealership should pay for the cost of the alternator and labor since they were given a fair chance by their "factory trained" mechanics/technicians. Or that oil change shack should pay for all the repairs since it was their fault.
I remember I took my ford windstar to mr.lube for an oil change and got the transmission fluid flushed, this was on a Sunday on Friday I went and got new tires installed at Canadian tire and they told me there was transmission fluid all over my engine. Mind you at that time Indid a lot of driving including on the highway. I go back to mr lube and the guy who did the job said he did not connect the line bAck properly and had come apart. That killed my transmission had to end up getting rid of my van at that point.
Great video and you figured it out so easily you are a very honest mechanic and you replace only what needs replacing!
Great video and so glad you went through the description. I have a 2016 model with only 35K miles doing the same thing. Battery replaced a year ago and have not sloshed oil on the alternator!!
Great diagnosis, my 2015 just did the same thing. My alternator is covered in oil also. I'm going to bet that is what damage the monitoring system. My fault,I spilled some oil when filling without a funnel. Thanks for the info!
Good info! The exact thing happened to me. My alternator gave out after the Ford Dealer in Oxnard CA forgot to put the oil cap back on after an oil change. Can’t say for sure that that’s what caused it to go out, but it makes perfect sense.
Thanks for the info on the last wire, it’s nice to see what we should looks for.
Your'e welcome!
Another great find and reasonable explanation of how the oil contaminated the alternator components
Useful Equipment.
Functional Hands.
Excellent Verbal and Mechanical Troubleshooting.
Simply marvellous case study.
Thank you so much for this! Exact problem I’m having with my 2018 F150 I just bought, taking it back to the dealership as soon as they open.
I saw something suspicious on the alternator and turns it as I thought! Amazing content on this channel Eric and keep it up! God bless!!!
You did a very thorough explanation and demonstration. I had this same issue with a customers vehicle this week and I only had a basic idea of how the charging system worked. I had to do research as well but when I was trying to explain it to someone they were confused and I found your video and showed them and they understood what I was saying. Well done. Only mistake I noticed which is not a big issue at all is you stated the engine is a 2.5L and it is actually a 3.5L v6 twin turbo. In my opinion ford had a good idea but it’s a horrible design and engine. Too many electrical components for everything timing system is known to have issues with the phasers and chain stretch, turbos fail quit often. And the list goes on. I work on these trucks daily. 2009-2022 ford f150 and f150 raptors. They do make excellent power and torque though considering it’s a smaller v6 instead of the v8 but in my opinion they are crap. Thanks again for your video.
I drove my first Ford f150 V6/ sounded like a boat motor! I have a 5.0 coyote f150 and will stick to them.
Great diagnostic man!!straight to the point,usually ford have prertty good alternator,I have seen them go 200k miles before giving up
one of the best diagnostic videos i have ever seen. great work
Awesome video. You and Oz are my new fav car diag channel because of the quick and straightforward videos. Seriously when you have 50+ channel subscriptions it's really hard to find time for the long multi-part or longer than 15-min videos unless they're absolutely phenomenal lol
Thank you! We both appreciate it!
Measure twice cut once
You did an outstanding job making damn sure the alternator was bad
Sad to say these shops that do half work don't care and will blame the customer
Its why I try to do all the work myself
Nice video!
Load shedding in electrical systems means switching off non-vital loads so that a high priority load does not overload your incoming service.
On a vehicle, the PCM switches off the alternator under WOT conditions to gain a few extra HP at the wheels, lower 0-60 time.
Many vehicles run electric water pumps for the same reason.
Also when system voltage is low, non-vital accessories may be turned off to minimise battery load.
For example on some vehicles the HVAC blower will not operate without the engine running.
Radio disabled after 20 mins KOEO etc.
Eric Thank you for your open heart to schare this with us. God bless you brother and all your family.
Thank you! God bless!
Thank you for explaining how systems work
Great job guy. Great diagnostics on finding the culprit on this customer’s truck👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks Eric, appreciate your time and expertise.
Thank you!
I noticed the oil on the alternator also. You did a great diagnosis and showing that waveform on the return to pcm. Ridiculous price for an alternator. Yes if you were a parts changer you would got lucky changing the alternator. But if there was a broken wire from input or output a person be stuck with 700 dollar alternator. Great fix.
Yes. That's why I think it's important to understand system design, so that we can properly and easily diagnose these systems. Thanks for watching!
I love your electronics knowledge when you want to catch a waveform usually I put it on a signal Trace that way it'll trigger on an event to catch a tough pulse in many ways like I've been saying in today's computerized vehicles you just can't use a voltmeter you have to use a scope love you channel
A few of us remember a time when one could remove the alternator from the vehicle and test a full field voltage and current output, on the bench. If the tech messed up by missing a voltage drop in the line, he'd have one last chance to find his mistake before buying a new alternator. Some of those had separate voltage regulators, so you could replace only what was needed. Now with all the built in electronics, you end up having to replace much more, even the one way clutch.
I also remember a time when alternator didn't cost $750!! Thanks for watching!
I remember a tech who replaced a gm alt that was not charging only to find a blown fuse after. I also remember a tech installing a alt in a 3.4 DOHC Lumina only to find out it was defective.
I remember selling rebuild kits for alternators and starters. I also remember being able to remove the negative cable from the battery on old cars to test the alternator.
Eric, excellent video. Thank you for walking us through how the system works. The customer is very lucky he only needed an alternator and not an engine YET. Wonder how much oil was left in the crankcase after a 300 mile trip with no oil cap. Probably the best is yet to surface. For the customer, I hope not. Anyway, Eric, your videos are excellent and thank you. Artie 👍👍👍
Excellent job bro....best channel out there....
Its sad that the dealer couldnt figure it out and just put a battery in it and sent the customer on his way...
Either way excellent job!
Yes I wondered how they missed the real problem. Thank you for watching!
i thought I saw the oil on the alt in the beginning of the video.Great video.
Venture Electronics was all over the connector.
This makes total sense that at NTB they forgot to put the oil filler cap back on.
ERIC, You are Awesome ur thought process is awesome really enjoyable to watch and learn and always appreciate ur time to show all this keep at it brotha thank you and cheeeeeers.
The phone understood it’s assignment as soon it fell😂
Wow, this channel is way better than a lot of similar more know channel out here.
Excellent work in nailing down the root cause of this issue!
Always take something out of every case study. Wish you were here in dogs. Keep up the great work
Great charging system case study on this near new ford. Cheers.
Soon these vehicles won't be so new and we will be dealing with them at independent repair shops. It's good to know ahead of time how these newer charging systems work. Thanks for watching!
@@ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO knowledge ahead of time. Well thought.
Thank you for putting together such a comprehensive video. I know it’s not easy. It was very helpful.
THANK YOU FOR THE SAMPLE GRAPH TOO
Good video bud. These new style alternators are called “Smart Alternators”
Great Job I ALWAYS enjoy and learn from your videos, keep up the Great work !!
thx for the video. i believe GENMON is just representation of field coil being energized by alternator controller
Kudos to you for being top notch in your field and spreading the info. Hands down the best technical breakdown video I have ever seen. Following for sure. Flawlessly done. 💯 wish you were in my town.
As always, very useful information
The system that uses has been in UK for quite a while called smart charge. You may not get a charge reading if the battery is fully charged or vehicle not driven. It will only show battery voltage unless the battery goes low. It's designed to charge while driving to cut down on emissions. If the alternator is on at idle it creates a load on the engine increasing the emissions. So some systems only charge when driving . Obviously this alternator was faulty buy the return wave pattern. Good video as always I feel a claim on that company who left the oil filler of coming !!
I am shocked it wasn't covered up warranty
Great video.. Got me smiling when the camera was looking at you from the lower engine ;). Learned something new. Besides not leaving the oil cap off lol. Great diagnostics and repair. Thanks
VERY GOOD VIDEO - wow.. thank you !!! Having similar drama but the alt is pushing too many volts - 15 - had alt rebuilt - still same drama...
lol @ 2:24 - now I know how a tool/nut/bolt feel when ya drop it.
Haha!
Leaving the oil cap off seems similar to HVAC where some guys over the years have left gas valves off or even the gas pressure taps off after maintenance. Leaving either a no heat symptom or most of the wires in the furnace burned. Hopefully they helped the guy with the bill and the fact he went 300 miles with an oil cap off is unreal. Amazing he didnt notice any noises or literally anything 😂
Good job on the diag! I’m on the Ford technician review panel for Houston region. We do see these fail from time to time and usually it’s the internal electronics that go bad.
FordAngelo J Ford Technician review panel.What is it you review?
Great content and through job of diagnostics, I learned a lot
You the best!! 👍🏼. Great video I learn everytime
Sensei ! 🙏 Thank you for passing on your knowledge
Hopefully this will help me tonight. Similar problem on my 18 3.5. Battery died, now alternator is going from 12.4 to 14.4
I was wondering why the alternator crapped out on such a new truck, I was also curious about how miles were on it, roughly. Now I know! I agree that SERVICE INFORMATION is so vital, especially knowing that the command line only sends out burst of data command packets instead of a steady stream like the older ones did. Great video I know it has to be difficult to video in tight places and have decent lighting.
Thats the right way to troubleshoot!, good job
Wow crazy prices for new crap. Oustanding diag pal. Regards.
Thanks!
Very useful information.Please keep posting,you help lots of people.
Wow good job but $700 think I’ll stay with my ‘56 1/2 ton pick up. Lol. I really enjoy your videos
I very enjoy wen a watching you, thinks again.
You have an excellent show. Thank you for a clear presentation.
Always a story, I was thinking maybe he tried to jump someone or vice versa and fried something. I was wrong. Great case study. Any other info in the on the system operation of the alternator
Good stuff... keep them coming
Thanks bro!
Awesome video! Bet they hosed alternator down with brake cleaner to clean up oil. So much for the alt. winding insulation.
Ford also says to do a new-battery reset using the Ford software - Forscan works too I've read. Something about how the battery charge profile is ecm changed to accomodate an aging battery.
Anyway, fabulous breakdown of how the system works and how you do your diagnosis.
I need to get a scope.....multimeter is clearly not enough these days.
Another excellent video from you. Thanks for sharing.
Great diagnostic!
Hey Mr advanced level you could've made a huge simple mistake with your alternator dionastic by not checking the alternator case ground..I would say you got lucky on that one buddy, but anyways great job keep up the good work love your videos keep in mind simple mistake cause alot..
You re a Master Bro..
So helpful! Great approach.
😳
🥺
That was the look on my face for about 10 minutes of this video. Hahahha
It’s a lot of info to process, but definitely helpful. Great job.
Wow,that's lots of reading right there..keep it up brother
If memory serves, quick test to see if smart alt working, disconnect the plug and alt should default to back up strategy, about 13.8V. Give it a try next time you work on one! Cheers
Another excellent case study. Thanks
THANKS ERIC AWESOME AS ALWAYS 👍👍
Brilliant as always
Another good reason to keep changing your oil yourself.
And void your warranty
Load shedding refers to multiplexing in a electrical system. Meaning there's a noid in the circuit and if Battery voltage is too low. The bcm will start shutting random system's or circuits down to try to maintain voltage
I think mine is shuting down the electric power steering. I have been having this light thingy come on and off all different times, not when driving just at start ups. Today was real bad. First real cold for Houston today, and the steering was intermittent.
@@jassun681 check your charging voltage at the alternator. Write that number down. Then check charging voltage at the batteries. It should be the same pretty much. Now use a amp clamp around the positive battery cable while still having the voltmeter hooked up reading volts. Start the truck and write down the voltage you see and what the amperage is. Then turn on all your loads, lights, blower motor, flashers etc. Anything that can really put a strain on the system. Then watch your voltage and amps. If the readings start to drop. Then you know you probably have a bad alternator
@@feeneysmechanical6215, yes thank you. I am going to try this. Chris Fix had a real good video detailing this check. I will do the load test on it. And everything I am seeing, is the alternator going bad. That internal regulator.
otro gran video Erik. gracias por por darnos la oportunidad de aprender de tus vídeos. saludos desde el valle.
Thanks for the vid really helped me a lot!!
great job thank you eric