Recently the battery light has been lighting up about 30 seconds after the car is started. Battery and alternator are both only a few months old. Volt meter shows the voltage climbing after start to about 14.9 volts (seems high). Battery sits at about 12.5 when not running. Oreilly checked and said everything looked ok. Car is 2005 Tribute with 2.3.

 

Common for the main power wire to corrode where it bolts onto the alternator.

14.9v isn't ok.

 

I agree the 14.9 is not ok and I will check for corroded connections first chance I get. Thanks

 

grim_reaper, your advice was spot on. It wasn't so much a corrosion problem as the connection was slightly loose. I took it all the way off, cleaned the connections and reinstalled with star washers. Now the voltage never goes higher than 14.6 and most of the time tops out at about 14.3. Thanks for the tip.
Now if I can only get my after market cruise control working.

 

Just an update to this thread. The alternator has finally failed completely. The battery light started lighting up again and that prompted me to start monitoring voltage again. Two days ago I was running errands and noticed the voltage would never go above 12 volts. Stopped in to have it checked and found the regulator to be shot. Warranty on the alternator was honored.