Getting + Voltage On The Neg. Terminal

[69 Short Fleet]

I got my battery charged up and its at 13.2 volts. I hooked up the pos. side only and checked for voltage between the neg. battery terminal and the end of the neg. battery cable and I'm getting 11.2 volts right away and then it quickly drops to about 5.8 volts and holds there. I pulled all the fuses (one at a time) and kept checking and it is still the same? I tried disconnecting everything I could think of horn relay, horn, emergency flasher, signal flasher and still the same. Can someone steer me in another direction, I don't get this at all..... Thanks Doug (key is in off position and everything is shut off)

[franko72]

check cables for good grounds and condition of wires(green and corroded)

[john]

You could disconnect the alternator to rule out a bad diode, glove box light?
good luck john

[Tx Firefighter]

digital radio?

[69 Short Fleet]

-Franko72, I have checked all grounds (and even added a few) unless I'm overlooking something. All shiny metal to shiny metal.

- John, Good point on the Alt. I'll try that (my 2nd new alt.) & no glove box light

- Tx Firefighter, I have no radio

Thanks for all your help & thoughts though, Doug

[69 Short Fleet]

Hang on here, I started to think some more on this (actually I have not stopped, lol). I had my horn relay connector disconnected?!?!? I thought hmmmmm, there is a really large red wire going in and a large green wire going out of this thing and I'm thinking that there must be a main power splice running through it. The wires are too large for it to be horn related only (their like 8 or 10 Ga.) Is this how the thing is designed? Its too late tonight to start the truck up but I'll be under the hood first thing tommorow, Doug