alternator burning problem

[delorean pt]

Ive just bought a mint 11000 miles delorean, but it came with an alternator problem, it doesnt charge.
The alternatetor it had look like a new 110 amps and the original motorola had no signs of wear. Something is eating away the alternators and burning either the diodes or the regulator. Is this a comon fault on a delorean? Does anyone have an idea what can be the proble that damadge 2 alternators?
Another problem i have is with the radio, it doesnt work. Reading through the workshop manual it seam that is has 2 fuses behind the radio, is that true?
Thank you all

[Bitsyncmaster]

Your car has low miles so it probably did not get driven weekly. That puts high loads on the alternators trying to charge up the battery after sitting.

It may have a poor connection. Your best bet is get a new battery, clean the heavy wire connections and try another new alternator.

[DMC3165]

My first D #774 had really bad connections near the alternator as a result the regulator kept letting go and at one point it over charged so bad the battery blew up! My girlfriend and I almost suffocated in the car. After I fixed those connections and several other bad ones I found, it was fine.

[qwerk]

My first D #774 had really bad connections near the alternator as a result the regulator kept letting go and at one point it over charged so bad the battery blew up! My girlfriend and I almost suffocated in the car.

Sounds like that date went well

[DMC3165]

Sounds like that date went well

She should've known then to get out. 15 years later she's still putting up with my DeLorean obsession and still despises my car.

[jawn101]

I burned up 2 brand new alternators this exact same way. Properly charging the battery off the car first and cleaning the grounds (and replacing the primary ones) has fixed the issue.

[Rich]

Something is eating away the alternators and burning either the diodes or the regulator. Is this a common fault on a delorean?

Another problem i have is with the radio, it doesn't work. Reading through the workshop manual it seam that is has 2 fuses behind the radio, is that true?

No, bad alternators and poor connections are not peculiar to DeLoreans. A 30 year old car with only 11K miles - whether it's a Mercedes or a D - might be expected to have several problems associated with extended periods of storage or disuse. Sounds like you'll be driving the car and fixing these as they arise. Good for you.

The radio problem? Just normal troubleshooting of the power situation to the back of the radio will go a long way. The red wire to the radio quick-connect is 12V+ and the black one is ground. As you know, blown fuses are normally a symptom of a problem, not a problem by themselves. A missing fuse would be a problem....

[David T]

Get a Battery Tender or something similar and use it 1 day every month if the car is not used regularly. If the car sits over the winter remove the battery, keep it in a warm place on a piece of wood and charge it one day each month. I do it on the 1st day of the month so it is easy to keep track. Driving around on a chronically under-charged battery is very hard on the whole electrical system. If the battery is over 5 years old it is probably time to replace it. If there is sticky black goo dripping out of the bottom of the alternator the voltage regulator and the brush holder should be replaced.
David Teitelbaum