how can you tell if you have a bad alt?

 

the charge needle will tick wildly back and forth when your turn signal is activated. IM not talkin a small tick like < >, Im talkin like < >. say you run at about 13 volts on the needle. it would drop from 13v to around 10v or even 8v then back up when the blinker is off.

laso go to checker, aouto zone, or some other auto place and have em use the crash cart on the vehicle to check it. now mine was pretty intermittent. the voltage regulator was in and out. had it tested one day and it was fine. the next the needle pegged at 8 volts and the check engine light came on.
you should be able to run radio, a/c, lights, bilnkers, etc with no huge change in the charge indicator.

 

its kind of hard to see, but thats the test results for my "new" alt. unit.

 

You got that right! There were only 2 dealers in the whole state of TN that had one in stock! Plus it was $7! I have since found a bunch of electonic supply houses that carry them.