The high charging voltage combined with the jump start makes me think wiring issue or the battery is SOL. Can you pop the caps to check cell voltage or is it sealed?

 

I can pop the caps but I dont have the tester for it. I'll grab one tomorrow when I get it load tested again and get that temp sensor.

 

What turbo said. It's been through the ringer it seems,
I would replace it just for piece of mind..

 

Yeah that might have to happen. But I'm gonna try the new sensor being it tested bad. I'd rather not have to buy a new battery unless I absolutely have to. I was waiting on a new battery till I could get an optima. We'll see what tomorrow brings I guess

 

I understand you dilemma, but look at it this way.
The battery was compromised and will probably not last as long as it is supposed too.
Off topic what year Optima you looking at?

 

Well I ordered a new bat temp sensor, and I'm gonna get a new yellow top optima. But one thing has been bugging me about this whole mess, the volt meter doesn't read a thing on the dash when it's running, but it still charges, wouldn't that indicate the pcm is bad being the cluster gets its feed from there? I found a link to a guy that had the same thing happen to him but his gauge worked the whole time. His situation proved to be a bad ground from the alternator field to the pcm after replacing just about everything including the pcm. I'm gonna check that wire but after that it's got to be the pcm imho.

 

So. Update. I got the new sensor in, did a bunch of wiring tracing, found nothing out of the ordinary. For grins I went and got an external regulator and installed it. The voltmeter now reads what it's supposed to, but the alternator isn't charging. It just stays running at like 12.5 volts give or take. So would that mean that the regulator in the pcm is bad as well as the ground or power circuit for the alternator also, being it isn't switching fields and charging?

 

Update. New pcm fixed the issue for a little bit. Started up an ran fine. Alternator was charging normally according to my dmm on the battery terminals. Then the Guage bottomed out again and now it's not charging. Got the 1682 code for battery voltage to low. I'm gonna take the alt in and have it checked. Then go from there. Where does the green with orange tracer wire go to off the back of the alternator