cthomasparr

Right... I am going to do that after the alternator gets tested. I want to make sure that it is not something going on in the voltage regulator. Saw a reference to that somewhere.

I don't see any issues at the wiring by the connectors, so it must be somewhere else. If the alternator checks out, then I need to cut off those wire looms and inspect the wires. I assume that that power distribution box's 20A fuse for the ALT is probably a single wire that goes to the alternator. That should be easy enough to trace.

Chromeshadow

I agree, it may not be that hard to spot, I'd look for frayed wiring and black arc marks. If all else fails, replace the fuse, run the car at night with the hood open and look for sparks.

cthomasparr

Thanks for the great advice to check for shorts in the wires. The alternator checked out OK at Advance Auto. Not sure if my issue is a heat related short. I will probably retest at a different store and if it is OK there, reinstall and look for arcing when the fuse blows.

Another thread or two pointed toward a bad three wire connector. Do those typically fail at higher miles? If the short is inside the connector or internal to the voltage regulator, probably it would be tough to see?

At least now I have some tests to keep me busy for a while and I will buy some bulk fuses.

cthomasparr

Today I had the alternator tested again and it passed again. The salesperson said that the test would detect any shorts inside the alternator.
I put it back in the car and decided to run it at night and look for a spark from a short that was blowing the fuse. The car idled for about a few minutes. My son revved the engine a few times and I saw a spark inside the alternator, inside the case by the copper windings close to where the voltage regular is. The fuse was blown
Is there any way that I can be causing this? Is the alternator clearly faulty.

cthomasparr

I replaced the Driveworks basic alternator with a Tough One brand after being told by employees in several stores that the Driveworks is junk. Was able to drive around without having any blown fuses. Problem solved.

I guess the moral of the story might be those expensive alternator testers may be good at telling when well built alternators go bad, but don't seem to be able to tell much about crappy ones.

Daehawk

Had a battery drain. had the alt and bat checked. Alt checked fine so replaced the bat. Then got a new drain and replaced the battery and and took the alt to a place who rebuilds them. He has done it since high school and is about 60+ years old now. She found two bad diodes and needed a brush or something. He repaired it and no more problems. You think then one place says good and another says bad that the second one may be just after money..but not always the case.
Sorry no one caught your's.

Chromeshadow

Intermittent problems are the hardest to find, glad you have sharp eyes.