I'm working on a 96 E350 party bus. It has a 6 month old reman alternator along with 2 new blue top 800 CCA optimas I put in today. It did have the skinny batt on the passenger side before changing batteries.
Things I noticed:
1) both positive and negative terminals on back of 3 wire alt were loose.
2) positive terminal was arching on back of alt housing
3) someone put ground from pass side skinny/aux batt from neg to fender jam, drivers is grounded to core support
4) ground wire on pass side to fender was getting hot and melting insulation prior to installing matching blue tops
5) starter connections and links appear to be perfectly fine as well as links to solenoid on inside of drivers fender.
6) alt puts out 13.7 volts at alt terminals, 13.5-13.7 at pass batt. Driver side batt reads in the 12's at the same time.
7) while running volts fall on driver side especially
8) will run for about 5 mins then die due to charge loss
9) let sit for a bit and driver side draws back power from pass and vessel will start, read good volts and then repeat problems.

After tightening everything, cleaning/sanding terminals, sanding pass ground connection and changing batteries that passenger ground wire is still getting super hot and still losing charge. I can't seem to find a short or break. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places?

Please help with any info. Also I have tried finding a charging schematic but have come up short. If you guys have a link I'd be glad to take a good look at it.

 

I'm pretty sure the neg cable was also touching the alt housing at the back of alt at the same time the pos was. Neither are touching housing now. Also both old batteries were poo. Also the blinkers do not work, don't know if that's part of the problem but they were not part of the complaint.

 

If you need the Wiring Diagram I can send it to you..PM me your email..It is a PSD correct ?

 

It is a 5.8 gasoline

 

Ok so you need the Gasoline Charging sytem...Was it an Ambulance ? I have the book so I will send you that as soon as I can

 

I don't think so. Shuttle bus turned into party bus. Will the vin help?

 

It has dual rear axels

 

I am sending you the Diagram now

 

I got it. Thanks. So what could be causing this passenger ground (skinny wire to fender) to get hot? And other side to not be getting the volts that the pass side is getting? Could I run an old negative cable from there to engine on place of skinny wire?

 

I would.....

 

I can send you the ground diagram too..... let me know....

 

Sure. I hooked a neg cable I had left over from an engine swap from the pass neg post to engine. With engine running, AC & stereo going both batts are now at 12.6-12.9. Also alternator is super hot. Will scortch you if you touch it.

 

Also after about an hour of running and driving the neighborhood, checking the ground periodically, the ground I added was pretty warm. Also it ran outside idling for 20-30 mins without dying like it was yesterday. Starts up fine every time. Just the alt hot and ground too warm/hot now has me worried. I want to say the alt itself is causing it. With things turned on voltage guage drops and stays dropped till radio, ac, accessories are turned off then it rises back up.