Alright, here's what happened.

The nut on the back of the bottom bolt on the alternator rattled itself of while i was driving (1982 4x4), when it did that it broke the connection to the 12v power. When i took it home i re-connected it and though that would be it, but now the alt. wont hold a charge? I have 10 volts constant to my alternator when the truck is off, but shouldn't it be up around 14 volts? Now, I've checked all the fuses - they're fine, thought maybe it would be a broken wire, but the power wire is fine, i just have to check the other three wires that run into the alternator harness. I was wondering fi anyone has had a similar problem and might be able to help and hopefully save me some time?

Thanks,
-Newton

 

have you checked the charge going across the battery when the truck is running? I don't know about the 10v when the truck is off, but it could be due to a diode in the regulator. Test it with the engine running and make real sure you have a good engine ground. (or two!)