1985 ford LTD - replaced alternator & battery, checked wiring OK. Car will start but cuts a few minutes later, also not holding a charge.

Hotrod, Recheck,clean and tighten all connections. If you say you had new alternator tested and is working OK, the new battery must be defective. With the van running, use a DVO meter and check the battery, if it shows above 14 volts then the alternator is OK, a good battery should show 12.4, that leaves either a faulty battery not holding a charge or you have a parasitic draw(something draining battery). Which would have to be diagnosed by a good Tech.
Check the attached links,instruction and guides, Good luck
"I hope this helped you out, if so let me know by pressing the helpful button. Check out some of my other posts if you need more tips and info."
How To Check Charging System EricTheCarGuy
How To Perform Parasitic Draw Test EricTheCarGuy
Battery or Alternator How to Tell Which one is Bad and QandA
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electrical issues since replacing alternator & battery - Mazda 6 ...

forum.mazda6club.com > Mazda6 (Atenza) > Newbie Section

Dec 24, 2010 - Exclamation Battery Light after Replacing with New Alternator ... TheBattery Light stays on after I start the vehicle. It comes up after ~2-3 secs of ...

Battery light flashing, air bag light on, after alternator pulley ...

https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=343786

Feb 11, 2012 - Battery light flashing, air bag light on, after alternator pulley changeTDI 101. ... Almost a week later I am driving home and the battery light flashes on, then off, .... Seat belt light stays on, no air bag light. cjharris02892, TDI 101 ...

Battery Light Due to Damaged Alternator Wire Harness ...

repairpal.com > Problems > Ford > Crown Victoria

Battery Light Due to Damaged Alternator Connector on Ford Crown Victoria ... how can i turn off the airbag light on a 1991 crown victoria made by ford ... the battery light onreplace alt and batt light still what else can it be? thaqk. it sat for two weeks when we had snow i used my truck staqrted car light comes on and stays on.

Airbag light = bad battery - Maintenance, Recalls and T

There are few possible reasons why battery is not holding charge.May be its weak battery or there is loose connection between battery to alternator.There are few troubleshooting help links,related directly to these types of problem,with there troubleshooting procedure.--------Click the link below and go through its troubleshooting details to resolve the issue:---Car battery loosing its charge overnight? http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/11/car-battery-loosing-its-charge.html
--------How to troubleshoot car battery?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-troubleshoot-car-battery.html

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After replacing Alternator, the battery indicator light Comes ON dash? http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/after-replacing-alternatorthe-battery.html
----------1998 Ford F150 pickup Battery Drains overnight due to Alternator? Alternator drains car battery? http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/02/1998-ford-f150-pickup-battery-drains.html---------- 2002 Ford Focus sits over night and battery goes dead? http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/02/2002-ford-focus-sits-over-night-and.html----------- Charging system problem on Chrysler LHS car? http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/02/charging-system-problem-on-chrysler-lhs.html
-----------Toyota Corolla: Battery Drains out? http://howtobyme.blogspot.in/2012/05/toyota-corolla-battery-drains-out.html--------- 1999 Ford Taurus: Battery not holding Charge? http://whoisbyme.blogspot.in/2012/06/1999-ford-taurus-battery-not-holding.html
-------------How to Inspect Car battery? http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-inspect-car-battery.html------------ How to Test Car Battery? http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-test-car-battery.html--------- Car Battery Servicing? http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/car-battery-servicing.html--------- How to Replace Car Battery? http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-replace-car-battery.html-------- How to Inspect Car battery Terminals? http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-inspect-car-battery-terminals.html---------- How to clean car Battery terminals? http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-clean-car-battery-terminals.html---------- How to Replace Broken Car Battery Cables? http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-replace-broken-car-battery.html
--------------These details and procedure will help.keep updated for more help.Thanks.

the alternator gets power on big wire battery voltage the wire runs to starter, fuse box .alternator fuse goes to automatic shut down relay to relay control in ecm/pcm the field wire comes from ecm /pcm to alt.other field goes back to automatic shut down relay back to charge battery . if not charging at alt. try new alt. and retest.

alternator needs to be replaced, fitted lots of them

The wire connected to the alternator is a fusible link (wire that is designed to burn or melt just like a fuse). Cut out damaged section & splice in a new section. Most likely alternator is still ok.

Check the alternator is not faulty.
The battery terminal voltage when engine is running should be approx 14.5V with headlights or venilation blower motor running.
The battery light indicator 'on' usually means the alternator is not charging.

Check the connections at your battery. If they are OK, suspect your alternator.

If you live fairly close to a good parts store, (call them first and see if they will test your battery and alternator), have someone jump your car.

Note: Don't just start the car. Let your friend have his/her car sit running for at least a half an hour, If the car runs good after this, you can really suspect that the alternator is bad. Drive it to the store and have them do the test.

Remember to check your connections first because if you have a lot of corrosion on the terminal, a good alternator may not be able to charge your battery.

Hope this helps.

Tricky ... Was the alternator replaced with a 2nd hand one or a new one?

A defective alternator can allow the battery to discharge within a few minutes (the diodes in the rear of the alternator can burn out and cause the problem. The diode pack can be replaced). When this happens recharging the battery only replaces the power in the battery - which drains straight back to earth via the alternator, flattening the battery again - often within a couple of minutes or less.

Does the battery lose its charge when the car is standing or just when the engine is fired up?
If the battery loses its charge overnight, try disconnecting the wiring from the rear of the alternator (also look at the electrical connector that fits into the back of the alternator - look for melting/burning marks which suggest something may be amiss inside the alternator).

Let the car stand overnight with the alternator wires disconnected. Will it start up ok and drive (with the alternator wires still disconnected) the next morning?

You could also try just disconnecting the alternator wires, firing up the car and then driving it -
If the car drives ok without dying out and gets further down the street than it usually does, then it probably is the alternator at fault. The car should drive until the battery drains and has insufficient power to trigger the ignition. You certainly would get further down the street with a charged battery and disconnected alternator than you currently do.

It does sound as though you've had an alternator fault to begin with. If it has been replaced with a 2nd hand unit that unit may also be faulty. Rather than replace parts in desperation, visit an auto electrician's - within a few minutes they will be able to test the battery/alternator output and also identify where the lost current is going. It will be cheaper in the long run to have an auto electrician look at the charging system. It only takes a few minutes.

In the 1995 and later Crown Victoria's, there is a fuse in the fuseblock that controls the alternator's charging of the battery. If that fuse is blown, your car will drain the battery and cut off as you stated.
Check the fuse block under the hood and the one located on the left driver side above the hood pull.