David the alternator should be putting out over 14 volts if it is
right.  It sounds like yours is dying.  I have new Bosch rebuilt ones in
stock if you find you need one.  I would go with one of these over one
from your local parts store as they are much better quality and last
longer.  Let me know if you are interested.

Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com

David Cohen wrote:
> Hi,
>  During the tail end of a 6 hour trip back from Turkey Day and  family
> bonding, my charging light came on.  I recently had a pretty large  car stereo
> amplifier and high power car stereo installed.  I also purchased  a black and
> decker can cooler than plugs into the lighter socket.  So, I  had my car
> stereo running, the can cooler and cell phone plugged in to the  lighter
> socket and drove this way for about 5 and half hours and then my  charging light
> came on.  The can cooler has a auto shutoff when sensing a  low battery
> charge.  The can cooler shut down at the same time the  dash charging light came
> on.   Oh, I also had turned on the  headlights for the last 2 hours of the
> drive home.
>
> I took the Vanagon into Sears today to have the battery checked and
> recharged.  It was drained downed to 9% capacity.  They recharged the  battery and
> did a test on the battery and said it was good.  They thought  my
> alternator might be bad but couldn't tell for sure.
>
> I then took the Vanagon to the stereo shop who installed the stereo and
> they put on volt meter on the battery.  It had 12.5V with the  engine off and
> 13.5V when running.  What voltage are these alternators  supposed to put out
> in the Vanagons?
>
> Is there anything else to check besides the battery and alternator when the
>  charging light comes on?  That is the question I was leading into.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> David
>
>