Hey guys. Haven't posted in a while. My car has been down for over a year and Im trying to get the old cat going again.This is a long story, so bare with me.
A few years ago, I was chasing a "drainage " problem. The battery just kept draining. I searched and searched but couldn't find why it was draining. I was advised that it might be a faulty alternator, so I replaced it. I gave the alternator in for a silly $10 core charge. Stupid.
As it turns out, with the advice of a forum member, he told me to replace the battery with a new one. I said it had tested good but he told me " change the battery, sometimes they test good but won't hold a charge".
He was right. Ive learned over the years that when a battery gets drained below 6 volts, its never good again. Please remember this but its not really pertinent to my problem…
The good alternator that I got rid of was a GM alternator that had the large battery cable on the charging stud and also had a small wire going to one of two connections on the alternator. I believe it went to stud #1 but the other end definitely was connected to the original regulator plug blue/black stripe wire (original regulator removed).
So I buy another GM alternator and replace the original wire ( #1 terminal wire) with a new wire to clean things up. I measure the blue/blk stripe wire and it is switched 12volts, so I just connect it to a switched 12v source I have in the back and not to the blue/blk wire on the regulator harness. The alternator works but the motor keeps running when the key is switched off. I didn't realize that the original wire had a diode in it. in the meantime, friends are ridiculing me because this is simple. So I take it to Quebec During a planned visit) and let an electrical guru look at it. He says, I don't know what da fack is wrong, so I put a relay in the circuit and it works.
All good for a couple years, then while Im coming back from the races, I punch it and the engine dies. Long story, still really long,fuse F12 is blown and this feeds a few things in the back, along with the alternator "field" cct.
I then install a multi fuse block and fuse all the branches. I take it out and the alternator "field" cct at 15a has blown.This, to me, is the fuse blowing issue. Must be something wrong with alternator. Since then, Ive been told that having a relay in the alternator cct is very bad.
SoI go to the alternator place and he says "why don't you get a true one wire alternator"? No wiring other than the battery cable to the charging stud. How can I go wrong? I install it and its not charging. 12.4 volts and going down at idle.
I removed the cable from the back of the alternator and there was only 1.2v at the stud. Does the alternator need a "load" to operate properly?
I don't know what else to do.
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