Expert: Ben Deutschman - 1/12/2010

Question
What's up guy?  Need some extreme help. I have my ford ranger and it's having some sort of electrical problem for the past few weeks my battery meter was spiking up and down. I called a guy a auto Zone and was saying my alternators regulator was going out. So yesterday I was driving it went out on me becausee it quit spiking and dropped really low so I rushed to work and called my dad and had his come get my cash and buy one. When I got off we replaced it and when I started my truck the meter was up with a little more over to the right than the center well when I tried using my whipers or my signals my battery meter would kinda move up and down. Thinking that I guess it was ok I didn't think much of it I drove to my friends everything looking normal.  Later that night trying to go home I relized that my battery meter got super low thinking that the battery just needed tone charged I kept driving them my battery meter started dropping and dropping I had to race back to my friends house before it dies n I can't see. What do you think the issue is. Maybe a ground?

Answer
Assuming all the connections to the Alternator, and the Battery are clean and tight, the Belt Tensioner is in good condition, and putting enough tension on the serpentine Belt that drives the Alternator, etc, it is possible you have either a bad Battery, or a defective Alternator. Autozone may be able to test your Battery and Alternator, and determine which one is the cause of your problems.