Re: [DML] A letter of thanks and a little more

[srubano@xxxx]

NO...this is the worst thing that you can do! You can damage your 
alternator just by doing this. The alternator monitors the battery 
voltage and adjusts itself accordingly. If the alternator 
doesn't "see" the battery it will think it's dead and begin to put 
out full power. Keep the battery off long enough and you can burn the 
alternator out. This is why when you get a new alternator there is 
always a sticker on it warning you to make sure your battery is fully 
charged before installing the new alternator. 

To test the alternator simply, just get a multimeter and put it on 
the outputs of the alternator (while the engine is ideling). The 
reading should read about 13-14 volts. For a more accurate test i 
would bring the car to a mechanic with a load tester to test your 
charging system. They will be able to pin point the problem.

--- In dmcnews@xxxx, "sk1pper" <sk1pper@xxxx> wrote:
> A sure way of testing the alternator is to start the car then 
remove one of the battery leads (preferbally the positive), then test 
the pos and neg for 12-17vDC. This will tell you if the alternator is 
producing electricity. I had to change my alternator and all was ok 
partly due to the old motorolla only producing 68vDC and the old 
rusted nuts causing resistance shorting out the charge. If you need 
to change the alternator, I have a list of part numbers that will get 
you a straight replacement from your local parts store, OR if you are 
like me, more power is always the way to go. I will have a new web 
page up in about 2-3 days @ www.sk1pper.com that has pic of mine and 
how i put a 140a alternator on.
> 
> Let me know if you need any more info or if this even helps ...
> 
> 
> sk1pper landry