Alternator problem

"Tom Jackson" wrote in message news:cS8ic.10690$_L6.913327@attbi_s53...
Later in the flight, I tried
recycling the alternator switch, and the guage would read full deflection,
so I then would shut the alternator switch off again.

If you have a split master, verify you have don't have an automotive
voltage regulator installed before trying to turn the left (alt) side
off. Unlike aviation VRs, some of the otherwise identical automotive
units don't turn off field when power is removed from the S pin,
instead they simply stop regulating, which can be *very bad* (90+
volts out of a strong alternator) at high RPM.

I am usually not the one to obsess about paperwork issues, but in this
case there is an important operational difference between what appear
to be equivalent auto parts. Found this out when researching a similar
alt/VR problem on my Cardinal.