Auto_Werks 3.6

I have been working on the 951 that I am building for chump car and I think I may have accidentally damaged the alternator. The battery is weak so we keep a charger on it to make sure it will start to move in and out of the barn. The terminals are also loose because we routinely disconnect the battery while we are working. At the end of the day yesterday I started the car up to move back inside, and when I disconnected the battery charger the main battery ground was knocked loose. The car instantly died, and when I started it back up the car won't keep running right unless the battery charger is connected.... Wondering if I cooked a diode or something in the alternator when I accidentally unhooked the battery.

MAGK944

Easy to check. The diode pack is available at your local auto parts store and is a 5 min fix.

tempest411

You might be thinking of the regulator, not the diode pack. The regulator is a quick fix on an NA, but I think not on a 951. The diode pack is is a big array of diodes on a plate mounted within the alternator. It's probaby best to pull the alternator and have it tested.

Auto_Werks 3.6

i won't be able to check it out for a couple days but i might have dodged a bullet. i have the whole instrument cluster out for the moment, and I'm told the alternator won't charge without a complete circut to the idiot light.

bonus12

So hopefully there is no problem. But auto parts stores can test your alternator while its in the car. O'reilly's did it for me here is CA.