Can I test the amps from my alternator like this?

[Soundguy]

yep.. LOTS of input impeadence..

soundguy

You probably made a weak battery out of yourself and metal. ... A good voltmeter is extremely sensitive, requiring so little input to read that even open [non connected] leads will often cause it to dither a little. When you connected both leads - - one to the neg and one to the chassis you essentially shorted them together getting Zero since no current was being drawn. If thus connected, you had then put the meter on a more sensitive scale had turned the lights on you would have seen a voltage reading telling you the V loss from the neg terminal to the ground. If you were then able to double the load the meter reading would double and so on.
larry

 

[rsmith02184]

I was wondering if the DCV reading I was getting when i touched the positive lead of the meter and also had my arms touching the metal of the FEL was due to maybe a positive wire somewhere in the harness touching metal and basically, when I touched metal, it was picking up that voltage leak.

The other point about the "hole" was that when the shroud melted on the battery positive cable going to the starter, I thought that maybe the wire inside the shroud was damaged and this was leading to the wire not being able to carry the DCV coming out of the voltage regulator and going to the battery. To test if the wire was ok, I put my voltage meter in the hole in the shroud that had melted a little bit and I also grounded the negative lead of the voltage meter and I assumed that if the insulation on the wire had been affected, I would have detected a DCV reading.

 

[Transit]

I too suspect electrolytic action with you being part of the battery.

 

[phillip960]

Can I test the amps from my generator like this with the wire off from generator reading in vac I'm getting 32-31 in 2400rpm I'M getting 14-14.9 idel, from the battery only 12.59 to 12.9 w/motor running at 2400 rpm same I think its the voltage regulator. ps.It's a new battery .can anyone help.

A new Generator for this is 430.00
a new regulator is 175.00
this is a 750 john deere Thanks

 

[Soundguy]

mm.. i'm not a fan of taking voltage readings on an unloaded charge device.

ps.. you can't test amps using a volt meter set to volts, when a circuit is not under load..

soundguy