I have a 2000 mini truck and I think it has been wired wrong after someone put a new battery in it. It dies when I pull the positive cable off the battery yet it still charges the battery. It seems to only use the battery for starting. Does anyone have or know where I can get a wiring schematic for the charging system?
If it's charging correctly, what leads you to think it's mis-wired? It's not uncommon for fuel injected motors not to run without a battery, the charging system can't self-regulate well enough without the load and stabilization of the battery to provide clean power to the ECM and ignition system.
It broke down on the previous owner in a remote part of Alaska and was fixed by a less than qualified mechanic that told me he had concerns about his wiring job. It cuts out and loses power as if the alternator is working sometimes and not when it cuts out. I'm thinking about just replacing the alternator to see if that solves the problem but don't want to ruin a new one due to faulty wiring. It only has 8500 miles on it and I would think the alternator shouldn't go bad already. Thoughts?
That certainly seems worth going over thoroughly, then. Agreed on that being a very short life for an alternator so there could be another underlying issue. If you can't find a wiring diagram, anything generally similar should be applicable. It's a 12v regulated charging system, there are only so many ways to skin that particular beast. All grounds are the first thing I'd check, followed by trying an external voltage regulator once all connections were cleaned and the symptom remained.
