On my 2001 Dodge Dakota yesterday the battery died on it when i was at he store ,got it jumped off when it was idleing it was finethen when i started to drive it ,it started overcharging so i shut it down when i got it jumped again i just let it sit there for about 20 min idleing then it started to overcharge again need help is this the alternator or could it be something else?

 

this is just a pure guess... in the old days there was a separate alternator and voltage regulator. you could replace either individually. for the last couple of decades, i believe the regulator is integrated into the alternator. an electrical shop could probably fix it, but its probably easier to just replace it. i'd remove the alternator and take it to autozone or advance or similar and let them test it. their test machine will pass or fail it in about 15 seconds...

take your battery in for testing too. they can also load test it in about 15 more seconds. if yours is original, its likely shot, which can cause screwy results.

 

well i just baought a new Batt 10 min ago so im going to put that in then pull the alternator out .

 

dead batteries can cause all kinds of bad, or false, electrical conditions. the battery is a major component in the whole system, and its supposed to accept and store a charge. if the battery shorts out internally, then it can accept an infinite amount of current with little/no resistance, which can burn stuff up.

i put a battery charger on a atv battery one time and the meter swung over to about 6 or 8 amps or something. i left it on for a little while and it got so hot it just about melted the damn battery.