so my ammeter is usually showing in the positive range a little past positive, and very past positive when it took a lot of cranking to start the car, and then it settles down. just what you would expect. today i noticed that it is showing about that much negative, and sure enough, after a few starts, the battery now no longer has enough juice to start the car.

i only had a few minutes to start looking at it. battery shows 11.8 volts, and no change when the engine is revved up to 2k+. i started looking at the FSM on testing the voltage regulator, and the test involves the ballast resistor. i believe mine is bypassed, as i've got an MSD ignition, so is this test still valid?

i don't yet suspect the alternator, as it was rewound by a very reputable shop within the last year or so, although that doesn't mean it isn't it.

did a quick check and all connections seem to be tight.

i'm charging the battery now, so will be able to start it and begin testing later. what are some quick tests i can make to try and track this down?