charging problems

[Juggalo351]

my battery light came on tonight while driving. so i noticed on the 20 min drive home that my volt gauge stayed 2 notches above 8 volts. so im gonna guess that its the battery, as it wouldve died around 10-15 mins after the light kicked on. does this sound right to you guys? or could it just be a ground that got loose while driving? getting both checked tommorrow just wanted an idea of where to look before spending $$. thanks guys, its a 93 mustang lx 5 speed btw

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[dreamer1uk]

Hi,

Do you have a volt meter you can hook up to the battery while the vehicle is running? If you do, you need to see between 13.5 and 15.5 volts. Any higher or lower, then you have a charging issue and the voltage regulator may be the culprit.

What is the RC on the battery? If its high, that explains why the vehicle did not die out right away. Most batteries these days have around 60 mins of reserve capacity.

To rule out your cables, you can do a voltage drop test on the feed side and the ground side of the alternator.

Autozone i know can test the alernator and battery on or off the vehicle if there is a store near you.

Check the plug at the back of the alternator too to make sure theres no isses there.

Hope this helps.

[Juggalo351]

its the alternator, anybody know where to get a decently cheap one? best ive found is $80, but would prefer to find one cheaper lol.