Hi Volks,

This is a plea for help.

Battery was dead after van (91 Westy auto) sat for a week or two.  Zero
volts.  Recharged, seemed fine.  Week later with no driving, you guessed
it: dead.  Charged again, seemed cool.  Voltmeter showed 12.71 today after
some driving.  Taking trip in a few days and went to get new battery
because I thought maybe she is on a downhill run.

Enter "Advance Auto Parts" where manager put some contraption with leads on
the battery.  Battery has no date stamp, so service life unknown.  He says
battery fine, alternator bad.  I asked how he could tell.  Said "pulling a
heavy load on it now, so alternator should be working better" or something
to that effect.  The van was idling.  All he did was read the meter on his
'charger' looking apparatus.  I asked if the alternator was doing anything,
and he said 'its only putting about 50% of what it should."   I did not buy
a new battery.

The alternator light has not come on, and the van drives fine for as long
as we want.  Does not seem to be running out of charge.

Please hold sarcasm, Im not in the mood, and I do not have a local mechanic
yet.  Ken Wilford and all you guru's are nowhere near Georgia, so Im
screwed . . .

What should I do?

many thanks

Kim Sawyer