... and you can't rely on the fact that your volt meter never goes over 14.6 volts to mean that your system does not have a short. For example, my little Gen 1 AC Delco alternator puts out a whopping 60 amps at its peak. If I had a resistive short of around 45 amps worth, my alternator could probably serve that up, along with an extra 15 amps to keep the car running normally, and my voltage readings would still be around 14 volts or so. Now, that example, and your unlikely, but possible, example of a resistive short that has just the right amount of resistance, and doesn't burn itself up, but still produces the watts to create just the right load, is unlikely. It's more likely that the crappy Smiths gauge is just reading wrong. But you have to check. You have to honestly, truthfully, and authoritatively know exactly how much current is coming out of your alternator and where it's going. This is not a tough case -- you just have to take the measurements in a couple of places and you'll know for sure. But you really do have to measure amperage, not voltage.
