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Made rookie mistake while installing alternator as follows:
Alternator installed--turned on engine, runs fine, everything fine except battery light is showing.
Believing maybe alternator nuts needed to be tighter, --turned off engine, FAILED TO DISCONNECT BATTERY--while tightening nut wrench touched Manifold cover. Big spark.
Turned engine on--crank but no start and, no power windows, door locks, radio, interior light, dash board lights with key on, mileage fails to show. Several fuses in dashboard fuse box, including fuel, show very low power with the test light.
Q#1--am thinking--since wrench connected two grounds--alternator and manifold cover--might this have fried the alternator and then non-working alternator is causing all these problems (i am a rook).
Q#2 where do I start this diagnosis--so many systems and fuses either not working or very low power.
txs. for any thoughts on this. frank brown, kansas city
Turn on the headlights and look for the voltage drop with your meter. There's two fusible links in the fuse box (left front of engine). One is called FL100A (FL = fusible link) on the fuse box cover, find it, inspect that thing for damage, or take the plastic cover off, put meter to B+ and other lead to this fusible link. Any high voltage reading is bad. Remember if you see high voltage with meter lead at B+ and meter lead at fusible link that means the problem is somewhere between the points your meter lead is connected to.
txs. for reply. Fusible links, definitely suspects. what I am not getting is how the wrench touching alternator bolt and manifold cover (which is ground side of alternator) how that current would get all the way back to the fuse box were the fusible links r. Will report back after new alternator install.
