SOLVED (partially..) Re: Dash lights w/ failed alternator?

[Robert Deis]

On Thu, 5 Sep 2002, Huw Powell wrote:

> You should disconnect the battery ground cable, hook it back up with an
> ammeter in line (most multimeters have a current setting).  Start high,
> using the one rated at 10 amps, note the current draw with everything
> off.  If it is more than a 100 mA or so, start pulling fuses - see if
> removing one makes the current drop a lot.  If it does, you at least
> know what branch of the wiring a short or malfunctioning device is on.

Thanks, Huw.  Did this and found a 4.5A(!!) draw. Battery dies so fast it
was hard to detect any change when fuses were removed.  The small effect
of removing any fuse told me this huge short was someplace unfused, which
pointed me to the alternator.  The new alternator was *also* bad.
Replaced it (autozone guys were great about warranty stuff) and now we're
running fine.

There's still a 300ma draw- likely related to the dash lights that still
come and go at random, but the car's running again. Hopefully I'll find
the rest of it soon.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Rob Deis                  "Let the people know beforehand what the law
  MiB3347                      is and what they are to expect."
  rdeis at io.com                              -- 18th Congress, Rec. 75