[DG624]

I have an 86 Carrera that sits most of the time. I tried to start it last month and the battery was dead...5 Volts. I got a replacement (Braille 2317) but it was the wrong type ...the posts were reversed. Before I looked I had it hooked up and then noticed it was reversed. I disconnected it and never got to start it but I am afraid I may have damaged the alternator.

Now there is some sparking when I hook up the new battery (with the correct posts). I never had this problem before. I hooked up the battery after it was charged to 13 Volts and started the car for several seconds to back the car out of the garage. The car would not restart and the battery was discarged down to 7 volts. When I removed the battery it was warm. I recharged the battery again but have not tried to restart it.

The Bentley manual says to check for voltage loss by hooking up the battery with positive pole and then using a meter to connect between negative ground and battery negative ground. Does this sound like a short power loss or a bad alternator. How can I check the alternator to determine if it is good?