Whimsey
Thread starter
OK, I got a chance to do the AC voltage test that StevieC attached the video of, thanks Steve!. With the car running my DC volts were a steady 14.5 at idle. When I measured AC voltage, at the battery it ran the gamut from nothing to over 90 volts and did it back and forth. I swear it looked like it got WELL over a 100++ volts numerous times. But it continuously and quickly varied. I checked the meter afterwards in an AC wall socket and it was a steady 116.6 AC volts without fluctuation. I'm thinking the diodes in the 22 year old alternator have given up the ghost. This hopefully explains the 'sudden death" syndrome of the new battery after less than 3 days unused. The battery was at 12.6 volts when I connected the negative terminal to run the test. From this test it seems like the alternator diodes are bad and I need a new alternator, not the end of the world. I can get a reman Denso for ~$110 from RA including the core return shipping. Any feed back from you "guys" is appreciated, thanks!.
Whimsey
Whimsey