[ken66]

The patient is a 66 Bonneville, automatic trans, HEI conversion w/relay, new Napa 55a alternator (RAY 134004), new Wells VR716, new battery with 1/0 cable. The symptoms:

1. 12.6v over the battery with the engine off, 14.3v at hot idle in park (800 rpm or so) with lights off, 14.6v at idle with lights on. Idle readings are not rock steady but fluctuate, plus or minus a tenth of a volt.

2. Any lights that are on will flicker and ammeter goes wild at higher rpms. Specifically, at hot idle in park, ammeter seems to rock on the C side of things with a steady rhythm and lights flicker. As you raise the rpm, the ammeter looses its rhythm and vibrates wildly whether the lights are on or not - lights flicker.

3. In drive, foot on the brake, 650 rpms or so, the ammeter is rock steady, straight up, and the flickering goes away. When you get on the gas, the ammeter starts to wiggle again and the flickering returns.

4. Other than that, it seems to start and run fine.

I have read that the VR needs to be well grounded to the firewall. I have star washers under each of the 3 screws between the VR and the firewall and I added a new ground strap between one of the VR screws and the back of the driver's side head. The other ground straps are original but appear to be in pretty good shape: driver's head to firewall, driver's head to frame, passenger's head to frame. Only other (probably irrelevant) detail I can think of is that the horn relay is disconnected.

Can anyone help me figure out what is causing this? Other than being annoying, could it be causing any damage? Any advice you could offer would be great. Thanks in advance.