What I'm spending my AMUs on ...

According to my mechanic, the car didn’t seem overly hot when the temp gauge read scary hot. Also, the OBD said the temperature was OK, as did the IR gun he used. The thermostat is relatively new and starts opening at 195 and is fully open at 220, which is what I’m seeing.

I’m starting to wonder if it’s actually the alternator. I already replaced the voltage regulator and output voltage is in spec, but really close to the high limit.

In the past, the voltage gauge read around 13.6 volts all the time. Then, for a while, it read 13.6 at idle and went to 14.8 when driving. Now, the voltage is always 14.6.

My understanding of alternators is a wire armature turns inside a stationary field and the wire cutting the field lines generates current. The VR controls the field strength, which controls the current and voltage output.

I’m wondering if something happened to the field winding connections such that the VR has very little control of the field strength.

Is there a way to test that hypothesis?
 
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