Ford Focus electrical problem.

[giant_mtb]

So, a friend of mine is having electrical issues with her '02-ish Focus.  I'll just copy and paste the message she sent me on Facebook...I'm stumped.


..It all started when my battery light came on... so then I was driving aand I stopped at the shop and shut the car off, and when I went to go start it.. obviously it wouldn't start..
..so I just charged the battery and all was good.

I had to go to the movies that day, so after I charged it I started driving to MQT and alll was good.. until I got by LOWES at my radio shut off. And then I turned it on, and it shut off, and over again, over again.. you know...

...so I got by Culvers and my gauges quit... and then they turned on full blast... so then I was like.. "uh, oh".. "sorry, we're not goign to the movies.. if I shut my car off it's going to die.." so I went past econo with my engine disengaging and my gauges shutting off, blasting full, and being normal like every 10 seconds it would change... like, my engine would completely tune out for a second every 10 seconds..(so, i was chugging home.. like.. literally killing my car trying to drive the jerky thing home)... it got really bad and I was on 480 struggling to get home, as it's all hills and my car was lacking power... and I got by the ice arena and it died out.... SO, i jumped my car with Katies and made it home..


SOO, i was reading online about my problem and decided it was the alternator.. I took it off, brought it to my dads friend Gus at Northern Electric.. he fixed it, gave me the upgrade and all was good. I drove my car for about a day before it started to do it again... and then I took it to Ishpeming and back once.... and when I got back, it smelled like sulfur.. so I popped the hood and the battery was just boiling and steaming..
... eventually, (YESTERDAY).. my dad suggested I get a new battery since the one that was in it.. we didnt know if it was too good...
..so I spent 100 dollars yesterday and bought a new battery.. I connected it, and something inside my engine turned on and started running..(my dad says its normal for things to turn on, but this was constant)... so uhh, anyways.. we started the car, it did the same thing with the gauges.. (which, here's the weird part... everything will be fine until the RPMS go past 2,000... then things shut off and stuff)... (or go full blast..)..

....My dad put a meter on the voltage and it's at 24 volts... he said something is over charging...
I just tried to call this reliable guy my dad knows at Fox Mqt but for the millionth time in a row, "he's out til tomorrow" .

I read over and over online about ford focus's charging problems.. some people have gotten their alternators replaced 3 or 4 times.. so I dont think it's that... do you have any ideas?!.... thoughts?

[JWC]

Alternator....still.

[S204STi]

Yeah the alternator is overcharging big time.  24v? really?

She needs to get a new FORD alternator (don't let her mess around with the aftermarket crap or with rebuilds), and obviously the battery is now also toast so she needs another one.  Just check and make sure that the voltage regulator is integral with the alternator... I'm sure it is, but just in case.

[VTEC_Inside]

Its entirely possible that the voltage regulator was not replaced when the alternator was "fixed".