Alternator?

I was driving down the road the other day in my 91 olds cutlass ciera when the "charge battery" light came on, the car began to run very sluggish like it was going to stall, when I hit the gas it was very unresponsive, when I got to my destination and turned the car off it would not restart, all I hear is ticking when I turn the key. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Your alternator has stopped charging the battery. At the moment the battery light came on, the system voltage was dropping below about 12.7volts. The alternator keeps everything at a constant 13.5 to 14.5 volts. The alternator is not that hard to replace, per se. The large red wire connected to the back side of the alternator can sometimes be a pain, as the nut that holds it on can get seized. Be sure to dissconnect the battery so you don't get sparks if you accidentally bump the red wire or terminal against something else that's grounded. I would remove both the alternator and the starter and have them both tested for free at your local parts store. I know that most major ones do. You may need to have the battery however, charged back up by some other means, so that they can perform a proper battery load test on it. If you do not charge it, the test will say the battery is faulty, when in fact it is just discharged. Don't let someone fool you with this. Normal battery voltages are always right around 12.45 volts. Your battery should be anymore than 650 Cold Cranking Amps(CCA). Any more would be overkill, really, unless you have some monster stereo in the trunk sucking up power.
If your alternator tests good, however, you may have a fuse OR fusible link(down at the starter) that could be blown. The alternator has to be energized first by the battery in order to charge properly. Second the alternator in most cases requires the engine to rev up past 1200 engine rpm in order to start charging. I assume you have the 3.3 or 3.8L V6. Excellent motor. The 4 cylinder is not that difficult to replace an alternator on either. I dont prefer it however. On both engines the belt is held on by an automatic tensioner. If you pull hard enough on the belt you will see the tensioner move. Refer to a haynes or Chiltons for any further details. Hope this helps. -Chris