I have noticed my battery gauge takes forever to come up to 14v now, the "check gauges" light stays on sometimes a minute, and seems to crank slow enough that it cranks over 2 or 3 times some days.

Battery or alt issue?

 

try cleaning every connection on the batteries and starter, maybe new battery clamps, etc

 

Tap on the voltage regulator if it kicks up time for a new one its the black box on the back of the alternator the regulators don't really go bad but when they act up its usually the alternator

 

isnt the voltage regulator in the computer? you can get a regulator off an older ford or something and wire up your own voltage regulator instead of buying a new computer

 

Nope the regulators. The little black box on the back of the alternator

 

pretty sure they are in the computer, i have that black box bypassed, i had a problem with my original regulator in the pcm so i wired up the external 2 wire on straight off the 2 6mm alternator pegs, then i got a new pcm and i just cut the wires from my external regulator and butt connected them back to the blue and green wires in the factory harness coming to the alternator and it works like a champ

 

That works as well the computer has 2 diodes one as a 12 volt and the other a 5.1 volt Wich prevent the ecm from cooking if the voltage regulator fails my bet is the alt is crapping out the only ways to find out is test the alternator or smack that black box with a wrench and if after small king it the voltage jumps back up its an alternator

 

this weekend I will clean thoroughly the cables, and give everything a once over.