2006 Ford Escape V6 Alternator Problem in HOT Weather

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hello!

Since summer has arrived I’ve been having a recurring problem the last few weeks. That is, on really hot days, 85" +, my battery/alternator light will come on. If I’m sitting in traffic, I put the vehicle in neutral and rev the engine and it goes off (for short while).

However, one day, after being on the highway for an hour all signs pointed to an alternator failure as systems started to go off. Then I buried my foot in it and suddenly all was good again. Went right to a repair shop after this (the same one I had been to a week before), and again they tested alternator and battery and found both to be good.

It was only after this last visit that I made the correlation between hot weather temperature and the problem occurring. Any suggestions on how to remedy this?

2

If you can’t remember the last time the serpentine belt and tensioner were replaced, that’s where I’d start.

You can’t tell if a belt requires replacing just by looking at it anymore.

http://www.gates.com/programs-and-promotions/auto-blog/looks-can-be-deceiving

Tester

3

Thanks for the advice re the belts. However, when I took it to the garage the second time they checked those and all is good. Also, I failed to mention that the alternator is new as of last September. So this is the first warm weather exposure.