Wouldn't a bad alternator trigger the check engine light?

[birch]

So I'm coming home from a trip on the dyno. Get about half way home (60 mile drive and 98 degrees) and my battery light comes on. I make it home, park in the garage, and try to turn it over to see if it would start, and no dice. The starter is clicking, but then I try to roll up my windows and they barely rolled up. Would the battery light come on for the alternator too, or just the battery? I guess that little light would be for the whole charging system huh?

Thanks for the help.

Vic

 

[JMD0346]

My alt. went out a few monthe ago. I didnt get any lights. It just started to die going across any intersection. Bogging like the when the TC kicks in. It died a block later.

 

[ugotbit03]

yeah its the charge indicator lamp sometimes it will come on sometimes not its just another ford great idea that dont work

 

[birch]

Well I went back 45 minutes later just to see if it would crank, and sure enough it turned over. (with a slight hesitation). Maybe with my dyno pulls, the temp hovering around 100, and bumper to bumper traffic for 60 miles might of done it in. Oh well, we'll see what she fires like in the morning.

 

[flyn high again]

I would bet it's the alternator. Ford has alternator problems. When mine went, the battery light came on but no other lights. The radio and radar detector started cutting in and out. The battery had a red dot in the window but when I put a charger on the battery, it accepted the charge so I figured it was the alternator. A charging test confirmed that the alternator was done.