ok, heres my little story.

Driving around all day, stop to get pizza, come out, try to start car, its <8volts. I blow it off as having a bad battery, get a jump, start driving home. On the way home, it started to run amazingly rich, as in post-combustion in the tailpipes rich, and soon after, it started feeling like it was going to stall, i lost most power, it wouldnt shift right, and the infl light kept on blinking 7 times, stopping for about 15 seconds, then doing it again, but dimmer, as in the ecu was resetting itself. so, my car just dies stone dead, while in gear (i have auto), and, dosnt restart, everything is almost stone dead, infl light is continously on and very dim, and so on.

So i get help pushing the bird over to a parking lot, walk across the street and spend 80 bucks on a battery, put it in, car started like nothing happened. So, im watching the volt meter now. For info, i always thought the volt meter was mis-calibrated, it never got above 13 volts, so now, its reading a hair above 14 volts, give or take some. So, just to check it, i turn on all nights and accessories, and an expected voltage drop occured like it should, but, when i gave it gas, the volts didnt jump up from the alt, instead it did the opposite, it dropped down about a volt or 2, and when i let it back to idol, it went up to almost where it was.

As of now, my only car is sitting in my driveway, and i need to figure out whats going on. Any tests on how i should check to see if the alt is bad, or if its a different mechanical problem?

I dont have a lot of money at all, and im allready out of 80 bucks for a batt that i didnt need at the moment.

Please help me out here?

 

Get ahold of a volt meter. Check the voltage at the battery with everything off.

Start the engine, check the voltage at the battery again. Check at idle and with the engine rev'd up some. Repeat with lights etc. on.

Another quick trick is to put a screwdriver at the back bearing cap of the alternator when the engine is running. If it is attracted like to a magnet, the alternator is working. If it is weak or not attracted, the alternator ain't.

A shorted alternator diode can actually draw voltage out of the battery when the engine is running.

 

Got a volt meter? (and NO, not the one in the dash....)

Check battery voltage, with every thing off. Record value.

Start engine. Check voltage again. At idle, it should be right around 14 volts, if it is the same value, or a little less than the first reading, alternator is toast. From what you describe, that is a pretty safe bet. (I found out my alt was toast when the car started running poorly, and I honked the horn, and it quit......)