No Power, 2000 Chevy S10

Hey All,

I got a bit of a power problem here.  I have a 2000 Chevy S10 2.2L 4 cyl.  I have a 500 watt sound system, neons, in-dash tv, electric fan and power inverter for xbox.  Anyways as I was driving home last night I noticed my lights dimming.  I looked at my voltage gauge and it was at about 9-10 volts.  I didnt know what was going on but it was about 4AM so I just went to bed.  This morning my truck started up just fine but it was still running at the 9-10 volts.  Im almost thinking its my alternator and my truck is just running off the power left in my battery but im not sure.  I have a less than a year old Optima red top so I dont think it would be that.  Any suggestions would be awesome! Thanks

Jake

Check voltage at the battery with the engine running.. sounds like the alternator went south on ya. Before you replace the alternator, check voltage at the alternator (to verify you didn't blow a fusable link somewhere)

Engine running voltage should be higher than battery voltage.. Anything less than 13v and you've probably got a charging system problem. 

Jim