My escort again! Battery light on permanently

If the battery started out fully charged, you might be able to drive all day in daylight before it finally cave out.

Easiest way to check is with a voltmeter (DVM) connected across the battery. With the engine running it should read approx 14 volts.

Look under the bonnet - See if the belt is still on ? Or the alternator plug is fully home. As Dave says it could take a fair while to drain a good battery.

Graham

Interesting that the battery light and the temp gauge happened simultaneously. Could it be a wire pulled of the alternator or an earthing problem?

alternator belt slipping or snapped. thus the escort water pump and alternator, which both depend on this belt to be driven, are no longer turning.

no water pumping could very easily lead to engine seizure.

how long did you drive the car in this condition?

please let us know how this turned out.

It did turn out to be the alternator that had gone, the battery gave up just as i was pulling into my work car park. Luckily they had a battery charger so i was able to get home. I've had an alternator go in an escort a few years ago and if i remember correctly it drained the battery after about 5 miles thats why i didn't think it was the alternator that had packed up.

In regards to the temp gauge packing up at the same time i've had a look at it and all the connections seem fine but the needle still stays past red even with the battery disconnected sp could it be the gauge itself thats faulty and not just the sender?

On a seperate note, i've had a go at fitting a new alternator today and what a total nightmare it is. On my last escort it wa fairly tight but it was a case of unbolting the old one and putting a new one in, now it looks like i've tot ake the exhaust manifoild off and start unbolting the radiator to get to it. Something tells me ford don't like people doing their own repairs.

Got the new alternator fitted today after much faffing about, started the engine and the battery light was still on. We almost gave up and i was practically resigned to having to spend several hundred pounds getting it sorted at a garage until i remembered a small wire near the passenger side headlight i had plugged it a few weeks back. Basically i'd been involved in a smash just over a year ago and the front of the car had to be rebuilt, when changing the air filter i noticed a plug and connector that matched but weren't plugged in, i plugged them together and thought nothing more of it. Anyway, unplugged them today and the problem went away instantly. Who'd have thought some tiny little wire could cause so much bother.

If there is a lesson to be learnt it's if something not plugged in but everything works fine then leave it as it is.

Now have an escort alternator if anyone wants one.

Kris

well i guess what important is that its sorted out with no large expense.