fixing an alternator

hey ya'll... im having trouble with my van... it just drains the battery to the point that when i charge it i turn the van on and it lasts for as long as the carburetor wants (thats another problem) and when i want to turn it back again, the engine drags and makes a chirpin noise.. and i need to charge the battery again..
im thinking its the alternator, i still need to take it get checked... but i just want to locate
the parts that i need to fix it myself.. in the case that it is really the alternator thats not working.
also... whats the "resistance wire" for.. and how does it look? does that have anything to do with it.. do i need one?
also... when the battery dies and i try to start it again,, the ground cable gets very very veRY ho0ot...
what could be the cause...
im looking for this weekend to work on it so im asking as many questions as i can think of...
thanks... thanks thanks. thanks..

Will the van "stay running" if you remove the hot cable from the battery while it's running??????

If this kills it........yer alternator is definitely shot.

Timing could cause a "dragging starter"..........or loose starter.......bad cable.

A bad or shorting cable could cause the ground cable to heat up also.

I'd check the cables and their connections to be sure everything is clean, solid and tight.

Then do the running test I mentioned to see if the van dies after removing hot cable.

Also may want to check battery gravity ( a cheap tool and easy test) to see if all your cells are good. Could be a bad cell or dead shorted battery.

Hope these ideas get you started in your fix.

well i got it running and disconnected the red cable and the van keeps running. so the alternator is not the problem... or the battery since i borrowed a new one,,
when i switched from generator to alternator there were some cables that were left hanging, i cut most of them up, hooked an aftermarket horn button to one of those thats always hot.. could that be the cause..? and the automatic choke to one that opens with the key...
and on the resistance wire, do i just go to a parts store and ask for one?
right now it has a cable that comes from the ignition, it splits and goes to those points above mentioned...
also.. whats the angle to check the timing? im resting the gun on the drivers side and pointing from there...

http://shop.oreillyauto.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=NIE&MfrPartNumber=FF129&PartType=205&PTSet=A

is that the resistor that i need?

before i say something else..
i took the battery to get recharged at a local auto parts and the store clerk, very friendly guy, said it was just the minimum amount down, he charged it and i took it back... i put it on the van started the thing and it runned,, went back to work on the carb and when i mounted the carb back on the truck i tried turning the van on and the engine turned a couple of times, cranked it again and it turned slower then slower and finally nothing... took the battery out took it to another car and it started right away.... took the batt back to the van and same story,, it cranked hard then slower until it get nothing... just that noise and the black wire turning hot....

well,, the starter is working fine... at least thats what three different auto parts stores told me..
im scheduling to check all the cables today...
thats the ballast resistance wire,, but is it the one i need.. or do i just need a small resistor from the ignition and splits to the coil and starter relay

Maybe I missed this somewhere in the thread. Is the battery grounded to the engine or the chasis? If it is a chasis ground make sure the engine is also well grounded to it. Or direct ground the engine to the battery also. And like Don says ,the best test for a starter is a load test on the engine.

i checked the starter on with the wore off.. nothing happened.. i went on got a new one with a friend, came home put it on, cranked for a few times and went back to the old story....
drained battery.. im taking that to get charged and try again...

i also noticed that with the key in "off" position the starter makes a whirring noise.. and that happened with both new and old.

should i try it with a new solenoid ?

thats very true and YES! i can make the problem appear.. with your help thats it... haha
ok so i connected the test light to the starter's terminal on the relay and it sure shuts off when i put the key back in off position... ..
here is the set-up
on the starter terminal i just have the cable that goes to the starter.. .
on the "S" small terminal i have a cable (red w blue line) that goes the the ignition
on the "i" small terminal i have a cable that goes to the "+" side of the coil and to the ignition,, thru a red w green cable
on the right side big terminal i have the positive cable connecting to the battery, a fat black one connected to a small black with yellow line and the one from the alternator.
and i agree.. its all relative

is there a way i can test to see if thats whats happening.. or should i get that ballast resistor?
i have a block that has two conection tabs with a spring between them... can i make a Y and conect it with the cable from the ignition and splitting it to the coil and the relay?

there are different things that happen
sometimes when i have the battery cable and the key off.. i touch the battery post with the terminal there is a small spark, then i touch it again and its gone..
but sometimes the spark is bigger.. and i disconect the cable that goes to the starter and then the spark dissapears..
also sometimes when i turn the key to start and back OFF the starter makes a noise when the key is allready in the off position..
i'll try and disconect that small wire off the relay....

nothing happens.. all the instrument panel lights turn but nothing on the engine.

yes.. the "S" terminal wants to get the starter to crank..
and yes.. the test light goes on when hooked to the big terminal with out the starter.. thats when i get the key START position. and the relay makes a click noise...