Its a 2005 F150 Lariat with 58,000 miles and I just bought it this week. I tested the 4x4 High for half a mile and about 15 minutes later the check battery light came on. But, in the bottom right hand corner of the gauges where it gives mpg/mile til E/ etc etc it said "check charging system." Can anyone tell me what this means? Its still under the dealer warranty so it wont cost me anything but I dont want to get fed a line of B.S. and only a temporary fix. I'd like to go in with some knowledge of the problem so I can get it fixed properly.

Thanks,
Eaton

 

For some reason the battery either is not being charged by the alternator, or the battery is just bad. Have them do a charging system check to see if the alternator is outputting the correct voltage and amperage. Also ask for a load test on the battery to see what the state of the battery is. They should load the battery to 1/2 the cold cranking amps and the voltage should not drop below approximately 9.6 volts. When load is removed, the voltage should go back above 12 volts very quickly.