For those of you that did not get stranded on the side of the road when your alternator suddenly stopped charging, how did you know it was about to give out?
My charging system has been fluctuating from 13-14 volts and dips into the 12's occasionally. I know there is a good amount of fluctuation naturally present in a charging system, but even during highway driving it's all over the place. The dips in voltage don't seem to be related to current draw (lights, A/C, etc. all off during random drops). I can visually see my lights (headlights and dash) wavering during idle and sometimes driving.
I'm thinking my alternator is on it's last legs, but I want to be sure before I pull it out (it only has about 25k miles on it).
My charging system has been fluctuating from 13-14 volts and dips into the 12's occasionally. I know there is a good amount of fluctuation naturally present in a charging system, but even during highway driving it's all over the place. The dips in voltage don't seem to be related to current draw (lights, A/C, etc. all off during random drops). I can visually see my lights (headlights and dash) wavering during idle and sometimes driving.
I'm thinking my alternator is on it's last legs, but I want to be sure before I pull it out (it only has about 25k miles on it).