...still being tested!

Well that was a fun evening's work. I went digging for spares, yup I have alternators. 4 of them to be precise including a new 45amp ACR.
That's good I thought, all I need to do now is get the pulley off. Err, that's not so easy, would the damn thing come off? No, it would not, no matter what I did - I didn't want to start pounding on it as it's cast so I went away to have a cup of tea and a think. Now it wasn't exactly how I planned it but I got rid of the problem by fumbling the alternator, dropping it and cracking the pulley - don't need to get it off now!
OK, I have a spare one - somewhere! I knew I had one and a fan, it was painted with blue hammerite, I could picture it but could I bloody find it? Could I bollocks. I turned the garage upside down but still no sign of it. The changes of finding another were slim. Another cup of tea and a moan to my wife then a revelation, I hated it being blue and had thrown it in the sandblaster ages ago along with the fan.
Great, I have all the bots, I whacked them all on and guess what? No charge!!! No ignition light either - weird!
A curl up in the corner and rock gently to and fro moment - I was close to giving up, very close. Then I reverted to type and started wiggling wires and swearing, Olympic class swearing. Then it happened, a loose wire - I was tracing the wires from the alternator - the power wire was OK, so the feed to the alternator to "excite" it was OK, the thick permanent live was OK but the other wire went into the loom and round the otherside of the engine bay. It comes out at a dodgy plastic crimped connector, a favourite of the previous owner and I hate them. Yup, sure enough it was loose, so loose that it came apart on my hand.
So out with my electrical tools and a new Luca connection made (I actually like these now I have the right kit to make them). I even remade the other dodgy crimped connector and made a resolution to replace these where ever and when ever I see them!
So that was that, the car started up OK and shows a healthy charge at the battery. I now doubt that the original alternator was suspect but what the hell! All it cost me was a pulley (which I must replace, don't like to be down to the last of anything!).
OK so now I must use the car tomorrow and see what the last tests of the Gods are!

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