live wires??

[rokusan]

I have snipped the wires either side of my fusible link from the alternator in the factory fuse box then re-routed them through a circuitbreaker back to the battery, but the wires in the fusebox are still live?? is there some kind of common rail in the fusebox or something odd going on?

[mullett]

most likely, yes. Just out of curiosity, why?

RM

[oldcorollas]

you cut the charging wire from alternator to battery? but the link/s from battery to the fusebox is uncut?

[rokusan]

both are cut, and rejoined with a CB

[oldcorollas]

i'm not sure if i understand your problem

the wire from the battery to the alternator (perhaps via a fusible link) is ALWAYS live. this is because it is connected to the battery. so regardless of CB or not, the big wire to the alternator is always live.

what wires in the fusebox are you talking about?

[rokusan]

well thats the thing they've been cut, so now the batt. and alt are joined elsewhere, meanwhile the stumps of wire hanging out of the fusebox are live, weird i know

[oldcorollas]

eh?

so you cut the wire from battery to alternator.. and then connected them together with a CB.

so that means they are now electrically connected again?

draw a diagram

got your cars diagram handy?

[rokusan]

its similar to most 80's toyotas system, i'll do a sketch

[rokusan]

[oldcorollas]

oh. perhaps that fusible link is connected to any other fusible links, and to a busbar that goes to the battery.
there is no seperate wire going straight to battery from fusebox?

where does starter motor cable go (unlikely)

check which other fuses are still live?

[rokusan]

well all the other fuses are live for lights etc, starter cable is separate again, and there was two fusible links and i have removed both of them, its just the plug that remains.
I'm thinking there is a power source internal in the fuse box?

If so, why then is the alt. tripping the CB? after ive had the reg checked, same pulleys etc.

[nihilism]

What is the value of the circiut breaker?

[BradW]

Are you sure the alternator doesn't have an internal short to earth. Could be intermittent.

[rokusan]

well i have investigated further oldcorollas' sugestion of the starter cable and have learned that routing the alt. lead through the starter cable will provide a more direct path to the battery when the alt. is initially charging over 130A. therefore leaving the rest of the systen to draw current as needed.

problem solved, thanks to all that have contributed

..now to work out why my taillights only work when being turned off????? ..doh!