Need some electrical help fast...

["Lalos Garage" <Lalo@domain.elided>]

Okay guys, I'm stumped.

1988 Verde:  Couple of nights ago I was driving around dusk with my headlights
on in light rain.  I noticed that my dash lights were a little dim and when I
turned on the windshield wipers they would go a lot slower than normal.  When
I shut the headlights off the wipers would go faster, but not as fast as they
should.  Power was clearly low.  A few minutes later as I rolled into town my
battery was so low that the car was beginning to sputter.  A few blocks from
my friend's house all of a sudden my lights went bright again and the car
began to run normally.  Once I got there I popped the hood and checked the
battery terminals and made sure everything was tight and clean.

Later that evening I jumped back in the car to drive home and all seemed well
for several blocks, then my lights dimmed again instantly and the car began to
sputter.  I turned around and barely made it back to the house.   This time
when I got out of the car there was a distinct smell of plastic getting too
hot.  Not in the car, but outside the car.  It being dark I couldn't see if
there was smoke anywhere or at least get an idea of where the smell was coming
from.  I immediately disconnected the battery to avoid a fire if in fact some
wire was shorting out and getting ready to ignite.  The car was towed home.
That's twice in as many years that the car has left me stranded.

The next day I pulled the alternator (what a bitch!) and took it to the local
electrical shop to get it checked out.  It tested fine.  Damn.  I was hoping
the problem was that simple.  Here's my observations, suspicions and
questions:

1.  I suspect that the voltage regulator is intermittently faulty.  It gets
hot and then craps out, if it cools a little, it works fine.  That's why it
tested ok outside the car.  Possible?  Probable?

2.  My worst nightmare:  Some wire is shorting out somewhere and causing a
huge drain on the system.  This explains the on and off nature of the charging
problem and the burnt plastic smell.  Most likely?

3.  Any more ideas or suggestions?  Help...

Of all the problems to have with a car, to me this is the absolute worst.  Not
because fixing it will be so hard, but because IDENTIFYING the problem is
going to be a mother...


-Lalo
'88 Verde
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