Okay, In on my wireless Tablet PC and these recordings are in real time.

Volts across battery terminals: 12.95 volts before turning car on. Remember I had been using the battery for testing purposes from the previous evening.
Using method described, with ammeter hooked up between negative cable end and the fuses, I checked each once. The highest reading in mv was. 003 on any of the fuses. So no appreciable drain to speak of. Most of the fuses read -0-

The car was allowed to get good and warmed up. the results where @ idle 13.81-13.73 with blower motor and lights turned on. During this time as I was standing next to the car I heard a device cycle on and off without a particular specific time interval.I tried to determine where the sound was coming from using a too foot stick against the various rotating parts and next to my ear, but no luck.

this is interesting: I just reached inside the car turned the lights and blower motor off. I began to write the measurements on my tablet pc. are of a sudden .the multimeter began reading 12.32 volts after that re clicking" sound of a device came on. The car has been running now approx,for thirty minutes.
fine minutes passed and I tuned the headlights on briefly. the millimeter on the battery reads 12.28 volts.
Attaching the clamp on ammeter, to the cable running from the alternator to the battery positive shows -O- volts.
Okay the car bas vow been running about an hour and that "clicking" device sound which made the multimeter jump door to 12.32 has not came back on or cycled again. the battery reading is now 12.18. Is my alternator toast??

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Cliff D.
Central Illinois
1987 300SDL 200K
1984 300D Turbo 245K

Why is it so difficult to connect the ammeter in series with the negative battery terminal and report back with results?

Disconnect the negative cable.........put one lead of the ammeter on the cable.........put the other lead of the ammeter on the battery post............read the ammeter...........post the result.

We already explained that voltage readings are not relevant to this issue.

alright well you found out that it isn't in the car's fused circuity so it is the alternator. Now you need to check your connections and make sure they are tight. If any of the connections are loose it could cause the symptom that you talk about. If all the connections are tight then you need to take the alternator out and take it to a shop so you can test it. it may be the voltage regulator. hope this helps.

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http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...titled-1-3.jpg
1981 300d

he battery is not taking a charge, nor receiving a charge according to the volt and amp readings using the clamp meter between the alternator and battery post. The battery went from 13.8 something to 12.31 volts within a split second. Why is this irrelevant?
Here are the readings.

With the clamp meter set at 4A I hooked the DMM between the negative cable and post. Here are the readings.
The very first was 0.158
Immediately after was: 0.024
All subsequent reading are 0.049

__________________
Cliff D.
Central Illinois
1987 300SDL 200K
1984 300D Turbo 245K

Can you explain what's going on here? Are you reading amps?

Is the meter accurate and why is it fluctuating with time?

If accurate, the reading of .049 is acceptable if it's actually reading in amps.

I've never been a fan of digital meters............

I changed batteries in DMM and went out and rechecked. Why the fluxuation? I was hoping someone would tell me. Here are readings:

DMM set at 4A with black lead to post and red lead to negative end. Three readings 0.116,0.122, and 0.121

DMM set at 4A with red lead to post and black DMM lead to the cable end. 0.076 and again a few minutes later it was 0.083

The previous readings from post #16 where done with the black DMM lead to the cable end. Which where 0.158-0.160 then 0.024 then 0.049 after that.

__________________
Cliff D.
Central Illinois
1987 300SDL 200K
1984 300D Turbo 245K

Time for a different meter.

Flawed data in.........bad diagnosis out.

Use an analog meter...........they don't fluctuate depending on how they feel at that moment...........

Check the Alternator wiring again...

You should have run the heavy line from the thick short lug on the alternator to the post on the juction box where the original output wires were connected. You then run a smaller gauge wire from the thinner longer lug to the post where the small blue wire was connected on the junction box. I ran into similar wierd things until I got this right...

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"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

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FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
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'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
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'92 Subaru
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I am in this guy's camp for the moment. You have done something to the alternator to battery wiring, and now have an unexplained performance issue. I would strongly suspect it is the wiring, and there is a chance you have fried your voltage regulator in the process.

The digital meter is telling us something. Let's not ignore it. Most of the reading changes that have been posted are nearly meaningless and on an analog gizmo would be ignored because they couldn't accurately be identified. In the cases where the differences are significant, I doubt the measurements are not real. So the question is what causes them?

If the drain of the battery is normally around 50 to 100 milliamps, what causes it, and why is a range "normal?" I believe there are some vehicles with alarm systems and others with no more than a clock running. Some older cars have clocks that run intermittently. If 50 to 100 milliamps covers these loads, and explains the range, we need to understand if the alarm system load is intermittent or constant, or if there is another "leak" causing the variation in readings.

I think the more frustrating aspect of this particular case is the communication. The way the current draw with everything shut off was supposed to be measured was not followed, and instead a sensor designed to work with higher current levels, it seems, was used. Part of the problem dealing with the information is that it has been gathered using a method that the person providing the instructions, and presumably the experience to interpret the results, is not familiar with and therefore is not comfortable with the data. It might help getting a useful response to follow the directions exactly and report back the results. Unless, of course, your multimeter is not suited to make the current measurement the way Brian described it.

It might be interesting to note the current levels between the alternator and the battery when you are running with various loads (blower, lights, windows, etc.) applied. Especially after starting.

I would start with a very thorough review of your wiring of the new alternator and the various changes. You might post a sketch of exactly what was done, a kind of "as-built" version of your electrical system charging connections. We can then see if there is anything peculiar that is escaping your scrutiny.

Good luck, keep at it and I am sure you will figure this out with some help from this crowd. Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

Finally here's an area in which I have some expertise. First, a digital meter tends to be more accurate, plus if it is hooked up backwards (wrong polarity) it simply gives a negative reading. An analog tries to push the needle backwards. From what I've gleaned from this discussion, it sounds like the voltage regulator is not functioning properly. Another consideration that has not been mentioned that might apply to the alternator in an MB is a leaky diode in the alternator. I have seen diodes (rectifiers) break down and let the battery drain when the the key was turned off. The battery and alternator are generally wired in parallel and the only thing that keeps the alt from draining the battery is the rectifiers (diodes). If one becomes leaky, that can surely allow the battery to drain when there is no leak elsewhere. But ----- in one of these messages, I think I recall a voltage in the high 12 v range with the engine running. Should be more like 14v. A car battery produces 12.6v on its own.

__________________
John Schroader
bio burnin' 83 300D, '83 300 SD, '79 240D
"I've never met a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else" Ben Franklin
"You cannot permanently help a man by doing for him what he could and should do for himself" Abraham Lincoln