FLEET GUY Posted November 10, 2023 Share Posted November 10, 2023 I work on a fleet of transit connects. I was working on a 2020 with 2.0l towed in. the engine over heat on dash and stalling out/ hard to drive. it eventually died. I un plugged the small connector from the back of the alternator. not the main battery wire and seams to have cleared the over heat condition. Have an alternator on order from ford, has a new part number from the last one i put in so maybe an update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 You're a fleet mechanic, so you probably know more than the average car owner. As most of us here are simply car owners. It's an interesting set of circumstances. Is the van actually overheating? Or are you just getting a dashboard display which says it's overheating? I wish you luck. If a new alternator stops the van from overheating, then please report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLEET GUY Posted November 13, 2023 Author Share Posted November 13, 2023 No it is not overheating. Just the message comes up on the dash. It it always on even cold start. After i un plugged the small connector on the back of alternator, the vehicle is driveable to the point i can get it in the shop and charge the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted November 14, 2023 Share Posted November 14, 2023 It sounds like you have to do an electronic diagnostic. There is a sensor sending a signal which is not correct. The computer is receiving a signal that the van is overheating, so it acts accordingly, by stopping the operation so that you don't blow the engine. When you unplug the power connector, you're temporarily resetting items in computer's memory. Then the cycle repeats. That same faulty sensor signal is being read by the computer, and the computer shuts down the van's operation. You need to find that sensor, inspect it, and inspect the wiring connection harness for the sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLEET GUY Posted November 18, 2023 Author Share Posted November 18, 2023 Thanks for the input Fifty150. Problem is solved . It was the alternator .This system uses 1 power wire from the battery/main fuse. But only has a single LIN wire to sense and activate the alternator. This wire was sending a shorted signal back to the PCM, which caused all the issues. The same wire also goes to the active grill shutter system. Hope this helps if anyone has the same issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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