I finally got my '71 vert (350). out of the garage after a VERY long winter here in the N. East. I took the battery off the tender, put it in the car and off I went. Things were fine until she just quit on me after about 15 miles into my ride.

The battery was completely dead (no lights, no nuthin'). I did briefly smell something burning which smelled like the clutch or brakes shortly before it cut out. I also hit some shallow pot holes just before this happened.

I was lucky to get a REALLY good flat bed driver who took a lot of care with her. He happened to restore cars in his garage. He thought that the alternator burned out judging from the smell still coming from it. He also noticed that there were no "grounding straps" he could see. I'm going to order the set for the car.

I'm going to first charge the battery and see if it is still good.

How can I test the alternator to make sure that it was the culprit? I could take it to one of the big name auto part stores for a free check but I'm concerned I'll get someone who doesn't know (or care) what he doing and not get the right answer. Also, if it is the alt. could there be something that caused it to die?

I know enough about cars to get me in trouble. My Dad was the one of the few honest mechanics around for 40 + years and all it got him was a bad back. I learned a little here and there but obviously not enough. Now, he's not here to ask.

Sorry, to be so long winded but I wanted to include as much info as I could.

Any thought would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

First, I'd check your fuses and make sure they're all good. Then I'd check the fusible link, because you did smell something (and believe me, I just had this recently) and that's not good.

If the battery charges, you can check the output with a voltmeter to see if you're getting at least 12 volts out of it, but most of them put out 13 to 14 volts. There's a big nipple on the back of the alternator and that's the positive. Ground is going to be any convenient bolt on the engine or the radiator support.

 

Don't be too afraid of the big box stores... the alternator test is pretty simple. Two wires, a belt and a light that tells the operator if its OK or not. You can always stand there peering over his shoulder.

 

Thanks for your input. I have the tender on the battery as I write this. Once it's charged up I'll go from there.