Land Rover Repair: Defender 84 faulty alternator, alternator repair, defender v8

Question
I have a defender V8 petrol 1984, after having the car serviced the battery was not being charged so I returned it to the garage where the service had been done, who told me that the previous owner had run a wire direct from the battery into the alternator bypassing some of the wiring, they removed the wire and reconnected the alternator, since then I have smelt electrical burning and tonight lost both front and back lights, sounds to me like the alternator is faulty, could you advise me of possible problems this may of caused so that I can make sure this less then thorough garage checks them. Many Thanks Tracy.

Answer
Hi Tracy,

it's amazing that your defender was doing so well with a modified alternator repair that you mentioned.  The electrical short from the alternator seems to have blown a fuse or two.

You'll have to replace the alternator and then wait to see what needs replacement.  Check all the fuses and go from there.  If it's caused other problems, you'll find out soon enough when the alt power is fully restored.  Give yourself a few days to a week of driving to determine if other electrical components have been affected.  Should show up soon enough.

Regards,

JohnMc