Ok, wanted to wait to confirm before I posted but this problem is solve. I feel almost embarrassed about the simplicity of the solution. It was the belt and tensioner. Tensioner was weak. Confirmed this when lined up with new one, it wasnt taught enough any more, and the belt didnt look bad but it was dry/hardened and wasnt gripping anymore. It was a fairly new belt too. Im blaming the belt going bad and the plug wires going bad on "Purple Power" degreaser. It leached all the oils out of the rubbers. ?Im going to go through and replace most of my vaccuum hoses now too. It also cracked the sidewalls on my tires. Think I got a bad batch cuz Ive used the stuff for years and always diluted properly and it works wonders but I shouldve known back when I used it something was wrong when the skin peeled off my hands the day after I used it. Pulley on alt was spinning still just not fast enough... hence the low voltage, and when put under load the belt was slipping but since the plastic was hardened it didnt squeel it just made clicking and popping noises like an alt would with a bad diode... Thx fr all your help savannah

 

Wow - hope your hands recover from the haz mat test. Guess the low speed alternator made tach read funny as well, and tach reading would not have been close to OBDII scanner reading for rpm (if available). And you are right, we usually listen for squealing belts, not quiet ones. Before fix did belt feel loose?

 

It did feel a little loose, but not so loose that it was completely suspect. So little of the belt comes in contact with the alt with the pulley layout of the 97 and 98 models that I guess it needs to be REALLY tight feeling to be functional... although I think with a new belt alone it wouldve solved the problem, the tensioner was bad but the main problem was the hardened rubber... a simple friction test against my hand with the new vs old was tell-tale. The old belt was smooth... didnt grab at all, the new one sticks like glue when you rub it.

SO THE MORAL IS DONT USE AGGRESSIVE DEGREASERS ON YOUR ENGINE COMPARTMENT

 

Look at the bright side. At least you did not junk the Rover and part it out and you got spare alternators as well.

 

Put alternators up for sale, some one one here will be needing one soon.