[Beetle Bailey]

[QUOTE=.
This is where it gets weird.....when I plug the connector back in, I no longer get power on cranking.
So, with the second connector unplugged, I ran a jumper wire from the yellow wire terminal on one side of the connector to the yellow wire terminal on the other side of the connector and cranked it. The starter worked.
As soon as I plugged the second connector back together, and removed the jumper, the starter stopped working.
So, one of the other wires in the connector is somehow affecting the yellow wire when the connector is plugged in.
I tore off all the electrical tape from the wires (from the second connector back)and could see no shorts. The only thing I haven't done yet is remove the alternator to see if those connections are somehow bad, although I still see no reason why a bad connection at the alternator would cause the starter not to work....[/QUOTE]

Have you checked the pins in the connectors. It could also be the first connector is not making good contact internally (male/female)or is pushing away or corrosion. Things check good with sharp points probing but are completely different with rounded pins.