📚 Viewing historical archive from: 16.08.2026
Mawnin everyone. My 2015 Ford Ranger battery light popped on the dash while driving through some deep water puddles yesterday, and now the truck won’t start. It just clicks. Could the alternator be completely dead from the water splash or is it just a blown fuse?
If it clicks, your battery is drained because the alternator stopped charging it. When you cross deep water or heavy mud, grit gets trapped inside the alternator brushes and destroys them, or the voltage regulator shorts out completely. Check the main alternator fuse in the engine bay box first, but most likely you’ll need to pull the alternator out and have a shop rebuild the internal regulator.
Always make sure your engine splash guards (skid plates) under the front bumper are secured! A lot of local mechanics throw them away during oil changes, but without them, muddy water shoots directly onto your belts and alternator every time it rains hard. It saves your electrical components from failing prematurely.