Well I had the alternator checked this morning and sure enough it is toast. It failed every test (diode, regulator, etc.) except for the rectifier. I asked the guy at Auto Zone if their replacement starter would be a Bosch and he said he wasn't sure. That told me I need to take this one to my local repair shop and have them take care of the problem. Thanks to all of you guys I was able to be certain the problem was in the alternator before taking it off of the car. One thing I hate doing is "troubleshooting" by throwing parts and labor at the problem.
As I said in an earlier post I am new to auto mechanics but I have been restoring old John Deere garden tractors for a few years. Because of that I'm not new to pulling wrenches and testing things but sheesh.....the electrical system on a car is one heck of a lot different than on my old John Deeres. It just gets pretty overwhelming when I look under the dash or under the hood. I keep seeing everyone mention the Bentley manual for this car and am wondering how it compares to a Haynes manual. The first thing I did was buy the Haynes when I bought the car but so far it's been a pretty big disappointment as far as troubleshooting goes.
Also, concerning the engine wiring harness. I'm trying to work out a deal with a guy in California for an upgraded wiring harness for the car. He has given me the part number on the harness and after checking other sites it is the same one they are selling as the upgraded one. He's only wanting $150.00 (shipping included)which sounds like a pretty good deal.
So tomorrow I guess I'm off to the electrical repair shop and Saturday off to the salvage yard. I'm really getting anxious to get this thing on the road and start enjoying it. I've been working for the past three weeks after work and have just about fixed everything that has shown up so far. It's been a learning experience but it's also been quite a bit of fun.
Thanks again guys.
Dave