electrical and ignition Electrical Advice

[Scott Wong]

long story short-the insulation was burning off the ground wires to the alternator and the voltage regulator (the brown wires). I check all my grounds and they seemed ok. I had a mechanic look at it today who unbeknownst to me cut the two ground wires and connected the alternator and voltage regulator ground wires with a 10 gauge wire. Is this a suitable fix? Looking at the wiring diagram I'm not sure if this bypasses the regulator, allowing the alternator to charge at full field, eventually frying my electrical? Any advance is appreciated. I'll try to put up a picture if it helps. 

[Mike Self]

Does your battery ground strap have two leads--one to the engine block and a smaller one to the bodywork?  Are both clean and tight at both ends? 

 

Does your alternator have a ground wire that runs from the alternator frame to the engine block?  Is it in good shape?  The alternator doesn't have a good ground path on its own due to the rubber mounts, and must have an external ground wire to insure a good ground.

 

Is the three prong plug on the back side of the alternator good and tight in its socket?  There's supposed to be a wire bail that holds it in place; without the bail it will work loose and cause poor contact.

 

Check the above and let us know whatcha find.