The alternator came from Van's in the fire wall kit and the other day it started charging 17 volts. Has anyone had alternator charge this high. Odyessy battery. I had the battery on a Odyessy charger the day before to make sure it was fully charged.
Remember this is an internal regulator with internal sensing. The ground point and B+ point is within so this would not apply for this automotive unit.I would get the alternator bench checked; there may be nothing wrong with it.
A poor ground can trick the VR into bumping the voltage up, because the VR is seeing less than the true voltage. Some people have ran an extra ground to the alternator from the central ground point (usually on the firewall). There should also be a grounding strap from the central grounding point to the engine itself.
Remember this is an internal regulator with internal sensing. The ground point and B+ point is within so this would not apply for this automotive unit.
Your point is applicable to any field switchable alternator like Plane Power or B&C.
@BillL
Assuming it's case ground; pretty much has to be. Would it make sense to test the case to common resistance?