[DK on the road]

Ok, Final chapter. You guys can be honest with me, I think I was taken. 

Bench test reveals the alternator is bad. I'm always skeptical.  I asked specifically what was bad, after testing he said the heat sink was bad and heating up the Alternator and causing the unit to only allow minimal amperage out (down to about 75-100) which in turn it gets hotter and shuts down.  That doesn't make sense to me, but he rebuilt the alternator, added new bearings and new external regulator. The alternator seamed to work fine in the driveway, so a trip is needed to verify over time and heat.

 I spent  2/3rds$ the price of a new alternator. If I got screwed, he's on my list...

BTW, all connections at the Alternator were tight, and all connections (battery, transfer switch) were removed and cleaned before the last trip. The last trip only allowed recharging for about 1/2 hr, then I had the generator running. But the generator stopped after 2 hrs, I could restart it but it would then last for about 1 hr. This got me to my next location.

Question, can a heat sink go bad ? I thought a heat sink, when I need one for welding, is nothing more than a mass to pull heat away from the heat source. Nothing mechanical about it. According to the repair shop, they can go bad.