[alfa] milano charging (alternator) potential problem

[Ethan Schartman <ethans@xxxxxxxxx>]

digesters,

i had a bit of a problem with my milano's charging system yesterday. i
drove to work in the morning with no problems, and then in the late
afternoon drove down to the train station to pick a friend (started on
first crank). i shut down the engine, and listened to the radio (not
loud) for about 20 minutes. when i went to restart, the solenoid was
barely clicking. so i jumped it and drove home with no problems. there
was no battery light indicated (it does indicate at the normal times
when going to start). when i got home, i put a DVM on the terminals
which read 12.3V. when revving the engine, voltage rose to 12.38V . i
shutdown and could not restart (obviously, since it wasn't charging
properly). i checked the belt, and it felt dry, and as tight as when i
installed it (perhaps not tight as spec'd, but i haven't had any issue
with it in the past. belt is about 2 years old)  i put the battery on
a charger overnight. this morning i started it, and the reading was
13.2V (battery alone is reading 12.8V).  i ohmed out the ground wire
to engine block and it was good (0.1 Ohm).  i'm a bit puzzled. any
clues on what might have happened, or if i am heading for a failed
alternator?

thanks,
-ethan schartman
-87 milano gold
-princeton, NJ
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