alternator problems?

[nefordfan]

A couple of days ago the idiot light for the alternator came on when I let the car idle and went off when I increased the rpm's. Today when I went to take it for a spin around the block I noticed that the light didn't come on at all when it was idling. I'm thinking it is a bad voltage regulator. Is it an internal or external regulator. If it's external where is it located?

 

[Bizzy]

There are diodes inside the alternator that can go bad. IIRC there are 3 of them. The alternator will still run the car even if one is blown but the charging will be hindered. If two blow then you'll start to get strange behavior of the car and charging system. You can take the alternator off and have a shop rebuild them for way less than the cost of a reman unit at a parts store. Make sure you check all your connections first though, the battery terminals are clean, etc. It's always best to check the easy things first.

Good luck!