164 - alternator going away?

[dsedon@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

hi all,

the woltage gage on my 164 is going on the fritz - sometimes it indicates normal charging; other times, it shows severe woltage drain - down almost to 0v.  sometimes, it's in-between.  when this happens, it's clear there's a problem, as other warning lites come on - ie: abs & oil pressure lites... as soon as the woltage goes normal, these lites go out.  when headlites are on, this seems to exacerbate the problem, but not always.

so, do i need a new alternator, or new brushes for it, or??  if i need brushes, etc, any clues as to where to find 'em, part #'s, etc?  i think my prior squealing noises i was hearing were the alternator not the tensioner bearing, as the noise has all but disappeared, now the woltage issue has regularly appeared.  except sometimes the noise comes back, but only when the system starts charging, after it's been discharging...

tia,

doug s., 198k '92 164

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