Today after a day at school I jump in the ranger and turn the key. Got nothing. The truck wouldn't even try to crank over. Then I got a buddy to give me a boost and the truck starts right up. Usually if its the battery id have to wait for a few minutes to let it charge up right?

Go to move the truck and boom, it dies again.

Two days ago I noticed my interior lights dimming a bit while idling at a light. Could this be the alternator on its way out..or now toast?

It's not the battery cause i replaced it about a year ago. Need some opinions..specs are in my sig.

If it is the alternator I wanna replace it in my driveway before winter really hits...hard job?

Any help is appreciated!!

 

Shouldn't be too hard to change, but just grab a voltmeter. With the truck running the alternator should be putting out about 14.4 volts.

 

Run through your grounds as well.

I cant stress that enough lol.

 

excuse my ignorance but electrical isn't my thing. How exactly do i check the voltage and how hard is the swap?

 

An auto parts store will check the voltage of your alternator. And the swap is super easy. A few bolts and wires.

 

Sometimes it's easy. I think my belt tensioner is bad, but it made it a PITA to get the belt back on. Then again, maybe I just had a bad angle because it's kind of cramped. Other than that, yeah, it's pretty darn easy.

 

Have the auto parts store do a load test on the alternator and the battery.
See if either are bad.
Check the belt for tightness, should be fairly tight.
If neither component is bad and your battery connections are clean (if not clean up both connections) and the belt is tight, then consider going to the next step.
Check for something that is draining the battery or bad grounds (I too think grounds are VERY important).