Thanks for response, I am just trying to see if the alternator should have steady voltage not connected to anything by taking a reading off the battery terminal to ground through the multimeter.
First, disconnecting the field will result in no output from the alternator. Second, even if the field/ regulator is connected, "that is not the way these work."
The regulator circuit essentially forms a loop with the output circuit of the alternator. The regulator "reads" the output (via the "run" dark blue IGN wire hooked to regulator IGN terminal, which is supposed to be "same as battery") ---and the regulator ramps the field current up or down until the reading at the IGN terminal of the regulator matches the regulator set point. If you disconnect the output circuit, the regulator "will think" the battery is way low, because the voltage will never come up--as it is disconnected. THE REGULATOR WILL ramp up field current AND CAUSE the alternator to go to "full output" which will result in a VERY HIGH overvoltage reading at the alternator output
