zatatime writes:


Thanks for the explanation. I was confused and thought you meant to
disconnect the ground from the alternator before the field. I do
understand to disconnect the battery negative first and reconnect it
last for the reasons you've given. I've been that 'hot shot' before
and startled the hell out of me! Luckily nothing serious happened,
just a little black spot on the battery box.

Fortunately, typical GA starting batteries have limited current
capacity; something like http://www.trceng.com/services/coe.htm
will turn a 12" Crescent wrench bright orange before you can say
"Oh s&*8"


If I may indulge you, when disconnecting/reconnecting the terminals at
the alternator, is there any particular order, or precautions one
should take?


With the battery ground off; the order does not matter. What DOES matter
is getting each wire back to the correct spot. You may wish to tag them,
take a picture, and then remove them.

The biggest way to have grief is grounds. The case of the alternator
may have a grounding wire. (I'd hope so, but...) The VR will be on
the firewall and typically should be grounded via its mounting bolts.
But corroded/dirty ground connections are more common than ants at
a picnic. Shine things up bright before reassembling. Be sure there
are star lockwashers to bite into the joining surfaces.

It's also possible there are insulating washers/spaces behind certain
bolts. Don't lose them or mix up where they go.
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