got me stumped

[1968 royal ranger]

there is a wire running from alt.ground to top of voltage regulator mounting bolt for ground , my lights went low and bat .went dead , that wire i spoke af was fried ,all plastic burnt off , so i go to wrecking yard and get new harness ,key on ,ok , start truck and ground wire is hot to touch ,so i repace voltage regulator , same thing ,thinking the alt. might be hot where it shouldnt be i replace alt , ground battery cable looks coroded so i replace, start truck and wire hot to touch take tester and ground to battery, and then to unbolted ground wire at volt .reg. and with my light tester the wire lights up the tester ,ground wire hot ... help
72 f 250 4x4 mike

[Thunderfoot]

That is a strange one! Usually the strange stuff like this I always find a bad Grounding issue somewhere... You said you replace the ground cable from the Battery, so check that the ground wire from the block to the cab is good. Also that the bolt on the Voltage regulator is grounding good. Take and hook the ground on the test light to this bolt and to then to the battery positive and see if looks good.

Other then that I'm not to sure what would cause that...

One other thing does your truck have the separate Field Relay like in this diagram? if so maybe it is bad... http://www.fordification.com/images/sch ... ging03.jpg

[fordman]

maybe it has beena positive gronded truck. yes it can be set up that way. i doubt that is problem but you never know someone may have changed something in the past yo never know.

[1968 royal ranger]

it does have kind of a relay up nest to the starter relay , kind of shaped like the front of an old studabaker ???

[fordman]

there is a horn rely next to the starter relay. could that be what your seeing or is there another relay there also?

[1968 royal ranger]

only one relay ,must be horn mike