[3.2Targa]

Recently after driving my 86 3.2 in 50 degree weather for about 25 minutes I parked it for about 45 minutes and then started it up. I noticed the battery warning light had turned red but very, very faintly. After about a 1/2 mile of driving the light had gradually turned bright cherry red and the car bucked a couple of times lost power and went dead. I restarted the car and with the light glowing brightly managed to get another 1/2 mile down the road before the car bucked and died again. After a minute or two I turned the car back on and the light was not lit anymore. I drove another 20 minutes or so without the indicator light coming on and the car sounded fine with the engine pulling normally.

A couple of days later I checked the fan belt (1/2 inch deflection tight). With my handy dandy cigarette lighter voltmeter I saw 12.6 volts with the key in first position (battery) and 13.9 with the engine on at 2000 rpms (alternator). Checked the battery cables and they were nice and tight. I ran the car for about 15 minutes without any warning light and the engine sounded fine. Two days later I did the same tests with readings of 12.3 V with the engine off and 14.0 V with the engine at 2000 rpms. I turned the headlights on and they didn't flare or dim. I also ran the car around the block without any warning light or strange occurrences. The oil and battery light come on red in the 1st position and go right out when the car starts.

I'm not sure if what happened is a warning that the alternator (or voltage regulator) is going to quit on me soon or if there is a ground that's decided to ruin my day. It's also possible some other component is acting up but not sure that could set off the alternator warning light beforehand. I wonder if anyone else has encountered a problem like this and could point me in the right direction.