At some point, your battery will no longer receive a charge. Starting will be difficult or impossible. Also, your electronic lamps and gauges in the dash panel will go wonky.
Try measuring the voltage being delivered to the battery with the car running. It should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 13 to 14 volts. If it's lower than that, your alt. is probably on it's way out.
Take your car to Autozone or Checker. They'll be able to help you test the alt.
less heat in your car
There are several signs that an alternator is going bad. A few signs are dim lights, smell, warning lights, and a dead battery.
The car will be jumping( going up and down) you could only feel it when your car is at a stop.
There are generally two signs that the alternator is going bad. First is the noise. A new noise will begin to be heard. Something like a whining when the car is accelerating. Second is the smell. You may smell burning from the engine department.
Usually no warning signs unless a bearing is going bad, Other than that it just stops charging the battery. what about overcharging? alternator is 10 months old, as is battery, same problem
A few symptoms and obvious signs of a bad alternator are the battery not charging, dim lights, and a warning light.
Signs that your alternator is going bad will include but not be limited to: Electronics such as Stereo, CB, Etc turn off. Gauges such as Speedometer and Tach read in accurately or stop functioning. Motor won't start.
It is built into your alternator
A clear sign is if your vehicle wont start without a boost, but fires up fine when boosted. Also dimming lights when vehicle is shut off or running, all signs you alternator is not charging your battery.
The alternator in a car may need to be replaced if some simple signs are noticed. A noise may originate from under the hood, or lights in or on the car may dim or flash.
alternators go 'bad' in various ways; bearings = noise diodes = no charge, insufficient charge or discharge. brushes = no charge
A bad alternator will not give proper power to the vehicle. Dim lights, buzz in the stereo or a dead battery could all be causes of a bad alternator.