Some of you know of the mess of a wiring scenrio I have on my Mk2 and things are now becoming a patch job. I have installed several in line fuses to crucial areas such as the main line to the line switch, the main power grid and my fog rangers.
I had thought that my alternator is bad and I should have just jumped a wire directly from it to the battery but… I was getting 12.4 at the battery and no readings at the alternator. I believe the battery readings were just residue amperage from being on the battery tender all night.
Found out that none of the local shops could test the alternator without knowing the make and model of the car. I knew the model of the alternator but they could not handle that. I drove to a neighboring town and had an old school electrical shop test it with a result of 13.9 - 14.0 volts.
Mind you that my vehicle was converted from the old generator which had at best a 16 gauge wire and those genny’s put out minimal amps. The alternator was hooked up to this same wire and I also experienced a “minor” wire fire on our trip to Yellowstone. (My fault for not fusing the line to the radiator fan).
I replaced the alternator and still did not get a reading from the one wire terminal on the back UNTIL iI connected it to the battery. My theory is that the alternator needs a battery to complete the circuit by sucking power when power is needed. Correct me if I am wrong on this idea.
I installed a six (6) gauge wire from the alternator to the battery and the gauge is now showing
a solid 14.2 amps of charge. The fan and wipers move a bit quicker too!