[ROVERNET - UK] Electrical mystery on P6

[Dave Read]

Paul
Put the DMM on amps (or ammeter) in series with the battery (*excluding* 
starter current) whilst running to see what current goes *into* the 
battery on "charge".

Paul Smith wrote:
> Ok, I'll stir it up with my current curly problem:
> During Christmas visit to praents I racked up 3000 miles on SC.
> Most of the car ran perfectly.
> However the generator cjopped out the rear bush, and the armature metal wore
> away a bit.
> Fixed the bush, but the increased air gap meant the gennie now
> underperformed.
> Time for an alternator, a la the one on the TC (which was a Holden one I
> fitted in 1985).
> 
> I put alternator on, all looked ok.  Voltage on the battery posts looks ok,
> around 13.6 at 1500rpm or so.
> The alternator output does go through the regulator box, but not the IGN
> light.  IGN light behaves perfectly.
> 
> BUT
> the battery went flat; hmmm.
> Tried the battery out of the 2500, same response.
> Consistently, if I leave the car for 3 days, the battery is dead flat.
> However if I take the battery out and leave it to sit, the voltage recovers
> a lot.
> I put an DMM in series with the battery earth lead to see if there was a
> steady discharge.
> 0 amps; clock cuts in every 2.5 minutes and blips the current.  Open the
> door, get .4 amp discharge.  It looks perfect. 
> 
> So I bought a new battery.  Same response.
> So I swapped in the alternator off the TC, in case the one I put on has a
> dead diode or something.
> Same response.
> 
> Now what??
> 
> PVS