Sorry about first post. The cat jumped on the keyboard.
So I got another one yesterday. This one appears ok except it has a battery drain problem. After following the instructions on the FAQ and in other posts I'm still at a loss.
The car drains over 250 mA with ignition off. Maybe more but thats as high as my meter goes. Pulling the fuses does nothing. If I pull the positive cable and pull the connector to the "always on" circuit next to the battery I can see the current at about 15 or so mA form the clock pulsing. So I figured the wiring in the car itself is ok. This is where I get confused. If I put a lead from the meter on the positive post of the battery with the cable off and he other lead to the starter I get over 250 mA. Same with the alternator. I can se how the altenator would go bad and cause this but the starter and the alernator? I chaecked the ground on the alternator and it appeared ok. (I ran lead to positive terminal of battery and to ground point and got about 13 volts)
The solution offered in some of the previous posts said it might be the alternator diode... what does this mean? Why would the starter be pulling a current?
PO said he had taken it to a shop bbut gave up on it after replacing the "charging system and alternator" I'm waiting for him to get back to me to see exactly what was done to the car. It does have a brand new battery.
Thanks in advance,
Jerry

This one I can answer

I can se how the altenator would go bad and cause this but the starter and the alernator?

The heavy lead battery-to-starter is part of the route for the charging current from the alternator to the battery. The fat red wire on the alternator connects at the starter to that heavy lead.

Check for that 250ma draw with the fat red wire off the alternator. If the draw drops you have something in the alternator that's not right. Maybe a diode? I dunno. That thin red wire is for initial exitation, not involved with this problem.

Your year is one that had the crumbling insulation problem, and that could be part of the problem. Look at insulaton on that thin red wire on the alternator, and the black wire to the oil pressure sender. Look also at the wires coming from the gray connector on the firewall (about half way across).

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

I think that if you insert your ammeter (or multitester) between the battery [+] and the starter, you are completing a circuit thru the starter, and the ammeter is reading it. The starter of course will draw more like 50-100 amps or so if it can get it, but apparently it can only get 1/4 amp (250ma) with the ammeter in the circuit.

If you are - instead - probing on the starter's solenoid terminal, you are likely reading the solenoid's attempted current draw. Same story, but of course the solenoid draws far less current.

I'm sorry I don't know more about alternators and their diodes etc.
Hopefully others will chime in.

Maybe pull both red leads off the alternator, and then test the system for total current drain? I think I'd insert the meter between the battery + terminal and the car's + cable end. Or between the battery - and the car's ground cable end. With the cable removed from the battery, of course.

IF you find you need to replace the alternator, get a Bosch one, not a no-name generic. fcpgroton.com if you don't have a good source locally.

While changing the alt, replace the 3 rubber mount bushings. Two on the main mount bolt, and one at the base mount of the belt tension adjuster bracket. Most shops ignore the bushings, with the result that the alt. sits crooked and the belts run crooked across the pulleys. The part is cheap but pretty much requires removal of the alternator to change them.
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Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).

After thinking about what I was doing a bit more, I figured that if I removed the battery cable then bridged the starter to the battery without actually removing the wire that goes from the starter to the battery terminal, it was registering the current draw from the battery to the starter up the battery cable thorogh the terminal down the alternator wire and to wherever the draw was. Bascially I don't think the starter is the problem. Outside of run on sentences, it's the alternator.

The PO wrote me back saying they did replace the alternator. I figured as much as it is bright and shiny and appears to be a bosch. Could it be some kind of short on the volatage regulator? Wiring harness appears to be ok. I'll try again in the morning.
Thanks,
Jerry

I think '87 is the last year that had the dreaded wire harness issues. Self-disintegrating insulation is the short description.

There is a wire harness that carries alternator wires and also the oil pressure sender wire. It leads down from rear of alternator and curls under the timing belt cover. My '86 had wire insulation disintegration in that harness. If yours does, that could explain a current drain. One of the two red + wires to alt. could be shorting to the oil sender wire. I'm sure that rebuilding that harness is at least a minor PITA if not a major one.

You might test and examine for that, but in any case, try to isolate the location of the leak before you start any surgery anywhere.
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Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).