Alternator/charging questions

Take the battery to Autozone or Advance Auto. They will load test it for free. I have heard mixed things about those very expensive Optima gel batteries. Sounds like yours has an internal short.

If future charging problems, try applying full-field to the alternator. One terminal is always +12 V (w/ ignition switch on). Remove the other field connector and short the terminal to ground. That should make the alternator put out full current. If you still have an ammeter in the dash, you can read the current. Well maybe not, since the square-back can peg your ammeter (at higher rpm), which is another problem you should deal with. Either bypass the ammeter (run a thick wire from ALT output stud to BATT+) or search for my trick using diodes to shunt excess current to BATT+.