someone help?

[xalkalinetriox27]

Okay well i have a 98' Gmc sonoma, i love the truck, great truck. Anyway i just encountered a pretty big problem. its with eletrical stuff. i was driving one day when all of a sudden the truck died. i wasn't getting any power to start it. so i got it home later on and put a new altanator in. i started the truck up the charge gauge went to 14, then droppped right back to around nine. when i went to go check what the problem was i smelled something burning. i looked around a bit and found that the fusable link that goes to the batt to the alt. was fried. i replaced that then tried starting it. it went to 14 then right back down to nine again. i double checked everything. there has to be a short somewhere right??? anyone every come across this problem? someone please help me, im stupid when it comes to this eletric stuff.

[fuglyvortec]

Your best bet is to try trcking down your grounds. You should have 3 or four grounds under the dash, depending on the options in the truck, and your ground wires under the hood (batt., starter, alt.). There is another possibility, but it's not pretty. These trucks regulate voltage using the pcm, not a regulator within the alternator. If it is the regulator, its time for a new computer.

Also, get your battery tested. Hooking a new alternater to a bad battery is the easiest way to flush your new alternator right down the drain.

[xalkalinetriox27]

i even did that, i bought a new batt and alt. wait i might need to get a new computer? the truck has only standard options, like roll up windows nothing big. could it be the coil by any chance?