Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweet72
Your ammeter indicates the load that is on the system. A short is seen as a "load" by the ammeter and will peg or at least cause it to indicate a high current draw. I'd start by pulling and reinstalling the fuses one at a time and watch the ammeter. A fuse will blow if it's rated current is exceeded. It may be an "unfused" circuit. There may be a chaffed wire somewhere that's causing an intermittent short to ground. Inspect your wiring and fuse block. I don't think it's your alternator install. Ever heard the story of the guy who replaced a blown fuse in his jeep with a .22 long rifle shell?
|
That's probably it. I did take the alternator back and their tester was broken, so they gave me a new one free, which is cool.
So now the battery is reading 14.5 volts while running, but the ammeter gage is still showing a high charge rate. The battery is also bubbling a bit still. It reads about 13.2 volts sitting, so it still is getting overcharged, I think. All the fuses are good, nothing blown.
I'll go out tonight and disconnect the heater wiring, as that looked jury rigged from the PO. The heater is working just fine, though. So if it's a short that's causing a high load, can that tracked down with an ammeter? Could I check the amps with the key turned on but not running? Is that just putting an amp meter between the negative terminal (disconnected) and the battery? and turn the key and see what happens?