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The problem showed up on my truck when I went pick it up from my dad. He only drove it occasionally for the last 5 years or so, and almost never at night. There was no ground from the battery to the body, only to the engine. I added one. I had just installed a new alternator (old one had, the original, had a bad bearing) and didn't think that was the problem. If the voltage pulses across the battery terminals, it's probably the regulator. If it pulses only from the positive battery terminal to the body, probably a grounding problem. One of those little digital multimeters that Harbor Freight puts on sale for $2.99 is ideal for this sort of thing. I was getting the truck ready for the 400 mile drive home and needed reliability.
I say all of this because if you take it to a shop that does not offer free diagnostics, they may charge you if the alternator they sold you is not at fault. Hopefully they won't. That, and I just like being able to figure this stuff out for myself when possible.
Also, at 14.8 volts, my battery had been overcharged for an unknown period of time and could have had it's life greatly reduced. Went to Wal Mart and got a new battery too, just in case (400 mile drive home and all).
Patrick
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 '71 C20 Camper Special
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