Crank over the engine, turn on your vehicle’s
lights, and observe. If they start bright and then
slowly fade, your alternator might not be
delivering the proper charge to operate your
vehicle accessories.
If your vehicle is already dead, jumpstart the
battery and wait. If the alternator is bad, your car
or truck will eventually die out again as the
battery is not re-charged.
Get a good-quality voltmeter or multimeter and
test your battery’s state of charge. The voltmeter
should read around 12.6 volts with the engine off
and 14-15 volts when the engine is running. If
voltage is below 13.5, there’s a good chance the
alternator is not keeping up with your battery’s
charging needs.
Solution #3: Check the alternator cables for
abnormal wear, including cracking and fraying.
Replace or tighten the cables as necessary.
Also you can purchase a brand new alternator
and once in a while they can be faulty. That's why
you need to do some tests.