I put the damned car on CL In Feb, like 2 hours before I bought the Celica. I wasn't able to register the Celica immediately because of CEL, so I drove the Chrysler around for a week or so while I took care of it. I had a buyer lined up and the battery died. Changed battery because it was dead, replaced connectors while I was at it because they were horrendous. I changed them one at a time just to be sure I didn't cross anything. After a week or so, I got in to drive to work and it wouldn't start.
Tested the battery, it was defective. Replaced it, about a week later, dead again.
Tested again, passed, replaced alternator.
A couple weeks later, CEL comes on and I plug in the computer to find what's up.
Error code 41: Alt field control circuit.
Having no idea what that meant, I drove it around for a couple weeks to see what would happen, no drain on the battery gauge but there was a high-pitched whine.
Posted back on CL as-is, someone wanted to buy it, it died on the way.
Pulled the battery, charged it, drove back to store, pulled alt, put on bench, tested good. Then tested the battery connection at the alt and it came up 2v, however connection at battery came up 12v.
So, for whatever reason it seems there is no power going into the alternator.
I'm pretty sure this car just doesn't want to be sold...
EDIT: I'm a complete dumbass. I've spent the last several hours poring over wiring diagrams and comparing to what's under the hood and I must have just gotten lost in all the wiring. The cable I was looking for was black with a gray stripe, I just barely noticed the gray stripe because it almost isn't there anymore and it is definitely coming from the +.
So now I'm wondering if I need to just replace the part of the harness (alternator harness?) that comes after that fusible link? It looks like it would be really easy to swap out, just need to find one. Have to go to a junk yard this weekend anyway to find a few things that were so old and dry they broke when I breathed on them, maybe I could try yanking a harness from a junked car? I don't know why, but I feel sure this is a wiring problem.
Anyway, what opened my eyes was a diagram that seems to have been made for the electronically ignorant, like myself. Say I give the harness hypothesis a try and I already know my boss will let me swap the alternator for another, then replace the belt just to be sure. If it still isn't working, what could be the problem? I would think all bases are covered there? So many wires...why are there so many wires.
I HATE wires.