what could be the problem

25

Asked by gal Jan 03, 2008 at 10:27 AM about the 2003 Ford Focus SE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

my ford focus seems to act like my altenator is going. my lights dim out and my heater dies out and i've changed the altenator and no one seems to know what the problem is.

5 Answers

555

it sounds like possibly a grounding problem,was your alt bad when it was replaced?

0 people found this helpful.
83,885

Could also be a battery issue, if your battery is dying, the alternator may quit charging it when it drops below twelve volts. Most newer cars have a cut-off to avoid burning the alternator out -- the alt. recognizes input current and won't attempt to charge if the batt. is less than 12 volts.

1 people found this helpful.
555

actually in most cases the alt will continue to charge until it wears out also.

0 people found this helpful.

a new rebuilt alt can be bad when they check them and tell you nothing is wrong,they do check it under a load,get a new replacement and try it also have your battery checked without a load if good will be 14 volt range if not check under load,if drops belo 12volts need a battery.

Just for thoughts: 40 years ago my friend had a car that would start and run perfectly but none of the lights or anything in the car would work. We finally found that the cable from the engine to the car body was bad. Solved everything.

Your Answer:

Focus

Looking for a Used Focus in your area?

CarGurus has 5,331 nationwide Focus listings starting at $700.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2003 Ford Focus

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Savoy_1800
    Reputation
    3,270
  • #2
    dandyoun
    Reputation
    2,600
  • #3
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    2,380
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Ford Fiesta
153 Great Deals out of 1,877 listings starting at $2,995
Used Honda Civic
1,360 Great Deals out of 29,290 listings starting at $1,299
Used Toyota Corolla
1,493 Great Deals out of 22,564 listings starting at $950
Used Ford Escape
2,494 Great Deals out of 46,682 listings starting at $695
Used Honda Accord
1,501 Great Deals out of 29,963 listings starting at $1,634
Used Ford Mustang
952 Great Deals out of 21,872 listings starting at $1,651
Used Toyota Camry
1,936 Great Deals out of 31,174 listings starting at $1,299
Used Hyundai Elantra
909 Great Deals out of 27,792 listings starting at $1,588
Used Mazda MAZDA3
569 Great Deals out of 12,153 listings starting at $1,500
Used Ford F-150
6,227 Great Deals out of 135,093 listings starting at $1,100
Used Volkswagen Golf GTI
164 Great Deals out of 3,728 listings starting at $3,995
Used Ford Explorer
2,401 Great Deals out of 60,321 listings starting at $1,000

Used Cars For Sale

2018 Ford Focus SE For Sale
31 Great Deals out of 401 listings starting at $5,166
2017 Ford Focus SE For Sale
34 Great Deals out of 369 listings starting at $4,490
2016 Ford Focus SE For Sale
31 Great Deals out of 334 listings starting at $4,595
2015 Ford Focus SE For Sale
15 Great Deals out of 255 listings starting at $2,991
2014 Ford Focus SE For Sale
25 Great Deals out of 436 listings starting at $2,500

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.