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So the alternator on the '92 just up and died. Was able to get the car to my local mechanic on battery voltage. He removed the alternator and noticed that it was one of those Duralast ones sold by AutoZone....with a lifetime warranty. Took the old one to AZ and they swapped it out. Came with a bunch of paperwork saying that it was tested and inspected and performance rated and blah, blah blah. Friendly mechanic re-installed the new one and informed me that he thought that it wasn't 'quite right' and that I should watch the gauges, 'just in case.'
He wasn't kidding.
Fired up the old Swede and notice that the voltmeter I installed is now fluctuating between 15.5 and 17VDC with all the electrical systems (fan, wipers, headlights and gauges and gauge lights) fluctuating in kind. Car is impossible to drive at night and I'm not about to be having my new battery boil out from over-voltage.
Q: At this point I'm pretty well convinced the the regulator in the new alternator has failed, and I'm going to pick up another replacement today. HOWEVER, I'm just wondering if there is anything that friendly mechanic may have done in the install to cause this problem.....like connected it improperly, for example. Seems to me unlikely, since I'm looking at a main battery wire, a smaller red wire with a spade connector, and a ground wire. Seems that Ray Charles could do it. Is there some connection quirk or trick that I (and he) needs to know about?
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