The "new" car stopped charging about 30 miles from home in the pouring rain last night. We made it to the end of our street before it finally died. I replaced the battery with a known good one; removed, dissasembled, tested and reassembled the alternator. Then I put that alt. on my truck. It charges fine. Put the truck alt. on the car, no charge. Car is a 1990 IROC 305 TPI.
I have checked all the fuses with a test light including the one underhood for the fans. I have battery voltage at the back of the alternator. I have also since taken the alternator apart and checked it out then reassembled and put on my truck, it charges mint. I checked all the fusible links and wiring under the hood to and from battery, starter, alternator, relays etc. I am getting frustrated here. Any ideas? (Besides rolling it into the lake.)

 

With the engine running at idle, are you getting 13.8~14.2 volts at the battery???

 

No. The alternator is not charging at all. The battery just runs until the voltage is too low and the engine eventually dies.

 

You might have a fusable link that bad???

 

I checked all of the fused links with a meter and they test ok.

 

this happend with my 87 a couple years ago and turned out being the wrong connector on the alternator or somewhere along those lines.

 

It crapped out as we were driving though. It worked ok for the first 1000 miles and quit for the last 30 or so.

 

yeah thats what mine did. ***** up and take her to an electrical shop

 

No way. I found the problem this morning. Brown wire to the regulator was broken inside the plastic loom where a previous repair had been made. Eastbound and down again!! Yeehaw!