[bluesfella]

A week ago, I topped off the coolant in my '66 (due to a leak that I've since fixed). I apparently didn't put the radiator cap back on tight enough, and some coolant sprayed all over the engine compartment while driving. I cleaned up the mess as best as I could, but the next day my battery was dead.

I had the battery tested, and it had a bad cell, so it was replaced. I also replaced the voltage regulator and battery cables for good measure (they were in rough shape anyway). The truck started right up, and I drove it around that day.

The next morning - dead battery again. Looks like I have a short somewhere.

Using a multimeter, I figured out where the battery drain is coming from - the alternator...at least I think. It's a standard three-wire alternator, and if I unplug the little plug (with 2 wires), the battery drain disappears.

Now, here's the question...does that mean the alternator is bad? It's no more than 6 moths old, so I don't want to replace it if I don't have to. But, could the spray of coolant have cause some sort of internal short or something, or should I be looking elsewhere?