I charged the battery overnight. Checked the voltage and I had 12v cold and 14v with the car running. The problem was intermittent.....sometimes it would run fine, sometimes it wouldn't start at all....let it sit for a moment and it was fine again. Couldn't get to the back of the alternator to test...just too damn crowded with the V8.....engineers sandwiched everything in so damn tight.

Next, I turned the key on, turned on all the accessories (lights, fogs, high beams, blowers, radio...etc) and everything started going dim in less than 1 minute....voltage dropped below 11v. So I think the battery is going out as well.

The alternator has been noisy for quite some time and when I took the belt off I could feel some slop in the bearing and alot of noise when spinning.....looks like the original and with 218k I figured what the heck and ordered the new one. Can't do any harm...well, except to my knuckles getting a bit bloody and my patience running thin.

I'll hold off on replacing the battery until I can do a full load test.

Speaking of batteries, where do I get one of these monsters? Don't think I can just walk in to Auto Zone....

Regards,

Mark