...is on to something important here. If the generator is ALWAYS charging at a 25 amp rate, something is wrong with the charging system. I've never let a system charge at max indefinitely, so I don't KNOW what's going to happen, but many years experience with obsolete electrical systems tells me it won't be good. You don't mention in this post whether you have six or twelve volts. But if you want a little advice... If you have the stock six-volt system, it does indeed sound like the field is permanently shorted to ground through the voltage regulator. You can probably test this and try to repair it, but I personally would probably just replace it. Not guaranteed to fix the problem, but very likely to. This is especially true if you jump-started the six volt system with twelve volts across the battery to start it, instead of doing it the safe way. This tends to weld the contacts in the regulator closed so the field is always grounded. If you have a twelve-volt conversion with internal regulator, take the alternator off and have it tested at the auto parts store. I'll bet the internal regulator (if there is one) is shot.
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