im getting 14.6 volts at idle, and 12.5 volts at 1200 RPM. what can cause this, and do I need a new alternator?

 

im going on a trip here soon, and wondering if im going to have issues with it.

what are my options for replacing one?

 

first, how many miles on the alternator? is it original? the reason i ask is mine has 280,000 miles on it , i changed brushes at about 150.000........it never had any problems

 

yes i think its the original alternator, i just drove a 1400 mile round trip and it wasnt dropping at all! im still gonna take it off and get it rebuilt/ inspected though.

 

The alternator is not seld regulated but regulated by the PCM. So you need to determine whether or not the alternator is generating the correct voltage or what you're reading is after the PCM. Also, batteries are filters and if one of them has a bad cell then the system will be dragged down to the level of the bad battery.