ive got an 87 lude si that the alternator is bad on and its burning gas. the alt is charging at 17 volts to where normal is between 13.8 and 14.6. would that cause it to burn alot of gas and make things act dumb?

 

Yes they can be connected. For one it would be over charging the battery which then might explode, so thats bad. And 2, all cars burn gas, thats how they run. As far as running richer, it could be a couple different things, including clogged intake air filter, and a mis-adjusted carb.