Sorry about that - it is the 5.4 L.
It's the frustration of the whole situation that has my mind jumbling around the numbers. I have 2 vehicles both Ford and both are having issues.
I also have a 04 F-150 Heritage also and its the 4.2 L (not 2.4 L). Again I got the numbers switched around in my head because I'm having other issues with the F150 and I am trying to figure out what is wrong with it too. I have 2 different P0 codes on it that happen to not be cheap or easy repairs to make.
Trying to fix two vehicles with little to no funds left that neither are running right while having to still use them and baby them is frustrating to say the least.
Also - It takes me a while to get back to my posts I live in a small rural town and our internet connection is sporadic and drops frequently. Some days it wont work at all and on good days it only drops connection 3 to 4 times a day. Typical of AT&T phone company issues here. The IPS here doesn't want to make improvements to fix their dropping issue and there are no other IPS's here Their technicians have told me that they are planning on leaving the area and shutting down the copper market here within the next few years thus killing the DSL connection we have. So I have to find a time when I can get online when the connection is working so it may take me a few days to respond back.
I'm still having the same problem with the "Check Charging System" message with battery symbol. I have checked and replaced anything that is suspect: every fuse, wire, terminal connections that I know to check. I even took the battery and had it tested and got a print from the store that I got it from that the battery was good and within design specks. I'm wondering if the new alternator I bought is bad - even though I'm seeing 14.2 volts when the engine is running. When I plug in the OBD-II analyzer it doesn't bring up a single P0 code.
I have spent around $300 for a new alternator, belt, battery terminal clamps, and battery to alternator wire assembly on the thing so far and I'm out of money to work on it now. The only other thing I can think of is if the new alternator isn't bad then the computer may be damaged somehow. Its a waiting game to get the time to take it back off and drive the 100 mile round trip to the next town over beyond the next town over( = 2 towns over) to get it checked if the F150 can make it. Its the next thing on my list to do on a weekend when I'm not working.
I checked the link out that stamp11127 sent but I had already seen and read through that page before posting this call for help for the much needed knowledge.
I wish I could afford new vehicles. But with 5 kids and all their needs and the 7 of us to feed that's not happening anytime soon unless a divine miracle happens.
The attempt to contact the parts store that is in the next town over 30+ miles away for knowledge and advice is futile. They only seem to hire kids that have only had a semester of shop class in high school of which they either barely passed or dropped because they couldn't read or write and put them behind a counter to sell parts. And the "auto repair" shop wants me to bring them my car and leave it for a week so they can charge me $350 to just check fuses and then tell me that they don't know whats wrong with it. They seem to hire the kids that cant make it work at the auto parts store sales counter while the boss at the auto repair is in the back office hitting the bottle with the owner of the auto parts store.
Sorry for the frustrating venting rant. Its been a very rough couple of months with loads of bad news at every turn.
Any ideals what to check next on the vehicle? Any advice pertaining to the charging system issue is much appreciated. I promise not to rant/vent frustrations any more.