65' Electrical-type issue I believe,,, help?

OK so I bought a 65' deville
Backstory... the guy put a new alternator in it recently and says he replaced the cylenoid(sp?) this week.
So this what happened
I was following My mother home as she drove it...
Started up fine drove about 15 miles with head lights on
they were dim and the tail lights/brake lights would go out every once in a while when the brake was pushed. It lost power and died at 15 miles and about 5 minutes later started and got home (2 more miles) with still dim or no headlights. Also the power windows and the radio worked previous to the cylenoid change but. not any more. The power seats still work. Should I check the main fuses?Did he fry them by putting something on wrong? I noticed when I picked it up the kid had the battery cables offor loosened and hooked them/tightened them up when I got there. What do you think the problem is? could it be the cylenoid?
Thanks in advance. True

P.s.I got the original shop repair manual with it so that is sweet but, it's falling apart should I put the pages in plactic sheaths in a binder? Will that stop them for deteriorating or is the paper acidic and there nothing I can do except copy it?

the 'solenoid' is part of the starter and starting system;
are you thinking the regulator?
on older GMs, the alternator was 'externally' regulated
(usually a black box about the size of two wallets, or decks of cards held together; 3.5"-4" cubed)
and the regulator was usually bolted to either the back firewall (near center, under hood, below wiper components) which is most common, or on the fenderwall, somewhere near the alternator. It also may have a small cylindrical capacitor bolted down with it. the 'quick disconnect' for the wires is flat spaded type and usually carries three wires (although it has a position for a fourth).

if the regulator is bad (a $10-20 item at the parts stores), even a new alternator will not charge the battery AND operate the car.

best thing to do is, trickle charge the battery and make sure it doesn't have a "dead" cell, pull the alternator, take it to a parts store and have it 'bench tested', to isolate the charging problem, and check both battery cables for good contact on the starter and chassis...

hope this helps,
ctesla
ASE cert.instructor

[QUOTE=ctesla]the 'solenoid' is part of the starter and starting system;
are you thinking the regulator?
hope this helps,
ctesla

Thanks,
Looking into the regulator next. I guess we thought if he had incorrectly installed the Solenoid then it may have caused the regulator to go out? Novices here. obviously.
The battery and alt are brand new and the battery never needed a jump/charge the car just lost lights/power then started a few minutes later. We did tighten the cables today ( after having to look at the shop manual to figure out how to open the hood haha never seen one like that before) The car starts/runs but when the lights are turned on the "generator" light comes on. This car has some definite wierd wiring going on and I'm sure alot of it will need replaced... it has all the electric extras and this only complicates the matter. true

with the "GENerator" light on, sounds like a bad voltage regulator.
wiring could also be suspect, because of the age alone, but who knows, a little mouse might be making a nest up in the dash, if it's been in a field or something...

if you end up needing a wiring harness;

Arapahoe Auto
Englewood, Colorado
800.229.0875

Donnie Hunter-owner/operator

might be able to help with an original one.
if not, Painless Wiring makes good aftermarket ones for GM muscle cars.
...and if the starter was put in while the battery was still connected; and it "arc"-ed to ground, the regulator could have had its contacts 'welded' together inside and caused a battery drain. or just do to age, it might be time; I finally replaced my regulator out of my 1970 Olds Cutlass in 2002, it was original!

good luck on your project.
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