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Charging System Upgrade

15K views 17 replies 5 participants last post by  Phil G. 
#1 · (Edited)
Thought I'd post some info that may be of interest to some folks.

I've owned my 2004 F350 since new. It now has 58,000 miles. In the past 30 days I've been experiencing difficult cold starting if the ambient temp is less than about 35 degrees. That has NEVER been a problem in all the prior years. And, my driving habits have changed during the past 6 months. My in-town trips tend to be very short and there are quite a few of those trips. I'm certain the charging system is being strained and never really recovers from the many short drives. Plus, I've had an aftermarket sound system with an amplifier for a number of years.

The DEKA batteries are my 3rd set and these are less than 2 years old. During a cold start my voltage is dropping to 10.2 volts.

I tested the glow plug circuit several days ago and they all appear to be functional. When my pre-programmed Scangauge arrives in a few days I'll pull codes and check FICM voltages. The FICM has probably been affected and may be the root cause of the hard starting.

I talked with the nice girl at FICMREPAIR yesterday and have a more powerful than stock alternator and a battery cables set coming. I fully expect to be sending my FICM to them soon. Needing a new pair of batteries won't be a surprise. :winking:

I'm looking forward to the upgrade of the battery/charging system. If anyone has suggestions about additional things to test or look for, please let me know.

Thanks,
David
 
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#2 ·
Sounds like a good plan, get the power in order then upgrade the FICM. I hear you can't go wrong with FICMrepair.
 
#3 ·
Add a ground between one of the alternator mounting bolts and the chassis ground lug and a secondary supply between the alternators charging post and the RH battery. Use at least 4 gauge wire for these. This both ensures a good ground for the alternator, removing resistance from the system, and provides a solid path from the alternator to the batteries so that when load is highest you are getting the most out of what the alternator is putting out.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Thank you for your info. Those additional cables you recommend are included in the cable set I purchased from FICMREPAIR. There are 5 pre-made cables in the set; 3 power and 2 ground. UPS is delivering the new cable set and alternator today. A Schumacher BT-100 battery load tester arrives tomorrow.

I can't get the truck fully in the garage because its too large, so I nose it in and leave the garage door up. Here in Maryland the weather is forecast to be 50 degrees this Wednesday, so I can get into the upgrade.

David
 
#5 ·
Yep, I'm in Delaware, so I'm right there with you. Finally got the heat in my shop working right over the weekend. I must have cleaned a coffee can full of soot out of that thing.
 
#6 · (Edited)
The Pieces

Here's a shot of the pieces that arrived yesterday. Certainly a bit of overkill here, but I guess more is better than less.

The Leece Neville alternator is rated at 230 amps. It has an optional overdrive pulley that provides 180 amps at idle. The longest cable for battery to battery interconnect is a hefty size 4/0.

 
#7 ·
That's a great looking setup you got there. Lets see a pic of your finished install as well as your thoughts on it's performance once up and running.
 
#8 ·
Overkill is underrated. Looks sweet!
 
#9 ·
Did they have instructions on where to mount the fuse, etc. i am thinking of doing it myself. Thanks.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Instructions



Yes, there are several pages of well written instructions. The ficmrepair.com website also has 14 photos of Alternator Wiring.

It all went well with minimum effort, except the final ground cable on the driver side. One end attaches to the frame where the existing battery cable is attached, which is beneath the air filter. The other end bolts to front of the engine cylinder head. Had to loosen the degas, remove the air filter (that thing is awkward to pull out), and I removed the CAC tube for easier access. Even then there wasn't much room to clean up the frame connection area and the front of the engine. Actually the whole engine bay reminds me of someone who stuffed 7 pounds into a 5 pound bag! Having to do all this revealed that my Isspro oil temp gauge's sending unit wires had been chafing and I was soon to have a failed gauge. I wouldn't have seen that problem otherwise.

I'll finish up the installation this afternoon and post a photo or two.
 
#11 ·
Nice stuff, I put the same wiring kit in my '05, along with a new 185 amp alternator. Those wires are definitely beefy! I also sent my ficm to Ed for full upgrade and the Atlas 40 tune. Truck ran better, especially on start up.
 
#12 ·
All bolted in. Still have some diagnostics to do, some of which I'll wait to do when the next cold spell sets in. Tomorrow I'll plug in the new Scangauge and pull any stored codes.




David
 
#13 ·
Looks awesome!
 
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#15 · (Edited)
Scangauge II

I plugged in the new Scangauge today. My FICM will be going out for repairs. The lowest voltage registered was 23.5v. Better engine starting is probably certain in the near future!

David
 
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#16 ·
Looks awesome. Where does the ground from the alternator go? to the frame or battery?
 
#17 · (Edited)
It connects against the passenger fender, with an existing bolt that attaches the fender to the frame. Look at the 2nd photo of the three I posted. About 3" below the new 250 amp fuse box between the red cables, that bolt and ground cable are somewhat visible.

Thanks to everyone for the compliments!!:grin2: I was driving a bit this morning to get various FICM and battery voltages for Ed at ficmrepair. Ed requests all the following items powered up when the truck has reached operating temperature: headlights on high beam, fog lights on, both electric seat heaters on, and if you have one (I do) the stereo system with its 600w amplifier powered on. The voltage gauge registered 14.0v. The voltage gauge with my prior OEM alternator might have displayed 12.8 volts with this same load demand.
David
 
#18 ·
Wow... 14v at full tilt power draw... thanks alot, another update to add to my list.:icon_rolleyes:
 
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