Alternator going bad?
 

Today I got in my truck and drove it halfway across town and then realized that my "check gages" light was on and the amp meter was pegged at the lowest it can go...so i figured it was time for a new alternator...well i stopped...turned the engine off, and then turned it back on again and everything was fine. I've put about 200 miles on it since with no problems...but is the alternator about to give out, or was this just a glitch?

My 96' did the same thing. Bad alternator.

New alternator can run around $250-$300; Rebuilding the old alternator can be less than $100.....

What all does a rebuild kit include?? KD

Had same issue , did some testing , turned out to be a bad conetion at batt. + ,
To find problum , get a wiring diagram , & find the 2 small wires that go to batt.+& other to computor, disconnect from alt. , then connect 1 to computor , thats where the so & sos put the regulator , connect
the other to batt. + for a short time [ that will full field the alt., max charge ] if its good ,
If not then check those , the one from the computor should have a little resistance , the other should have battery +]thats with ignition on ,
This works for mine , but with the newer , the computor uses other sensor info to run the regulator ,
If the alt. will not charge when you do the test above then more often than not is the brushes , and you can replace those , I see if I can find the link in my disapearing bookmarks.



http://www.fostertruck.com/dodge/default.htm
LarryB's Dodge starting problems solved here.

If it happens again check your grid heaters to see if possibly one of the relays is sticking. If stuck closed (at least on my 97) it will overload the alt and the ecm will take it off line. After a restart the alt will work fine. My alt lasted 400k. I replaced my relays with better than stock, then wired the ground through a toggle switch so the ecm doesn't control it any more.

Hey thanks for all the replies!
I drove another 200 miles today and no problem, i think it was just a loose connection coming off the alternator. If it happens again, im gonna do some testing and rebuild the alternator if thats whats needed. Those things are fun to rebuild :D

field generator
 

So I would argue that everybody is wrong, if you do a search you'll find the external voltage regulator, mine did the same thing, went off line 400mi later did it again, then it started getting pretty regular. Do the external voltage mod, there are good diagrams on here, search. It is $25, works much better. The only thing is the check engine light is on for ever unless you replace the ecm. Put a voltmeter on the battery then jump 12 volts to the field terminals, if it goes up to like 18v, you alternator is fine.