Battery Gauge Dropping, Please Help.

Hi Guys I was hoping you could help me out. I have a '95 3000 GT 218 HP model with about 65K on it, I have owned the car for about four years and I absolutely love it. The battery gauge has always fluxuated since I have owned it, but recently it's been dropping below 8 (normally would stay around 12). I had the battery and connectors replaced about a month ago and it has been doing this dropping below 8 thing just within this last week. Do you guys think it's the alternator, or could it be something else? Also, if you can give estimated costs for repair I would be extremely appreciative. I am getting married in about a month and really can't afford to over pay for work at this point.

Is the batter actually losing juice though? First deterimine if its the battery or the guage. Take a reading on the battery after you park it and then again before you drive it again (overnight or sometime where its sat for 10 hours or so). If its losing charge, you have a short. If its not losing charge, take a reading before driving the car, drive it for an hour without running anything (no lights, radio etc) and take another reading. If its losing power, its probably the alternator. If its not losing power, the guage is shot or the line to the guage is shorting out.

My Fiance and I were driving home on Friday in the severe rain storm we had and the wipers were moving really slow and the lights were really dim. The only items we had on were the essentials, defog, wipers and headlights (turned off fog lights).

I'm betting it's your alternator hands down. However, do the checks yogs suggested to be sure. I know about volt dropage from the alternator because of the system i installed in my 99. The voltage would normally be about 13.5v but when the system started hoggin power at higher levels, it drop to 12 and when idle and it was pounding...it go to about 11, but I never saw anything go as low as you are having.

Well if you actually losing power then probably isn't a gauge problem. Have the electrical system tested out. Most likely the alternator is going.

Do you guys have any idea how much alternator and labor should be?

its the alternator for sure, that stuff about the wipers moving slow and the lights dim! its a dead giveaway. I had my alternator rebuilt year and a half ago, cost me 90 bucks and has worked marvelously since. If you want to buy one and have it installed then it will run you alot more! just call any auto discount parts place and ask for a quote. then add labor. its cheaper to take it to an automotive electrician and have them rebuilt the unit.

Thank you all for your help. You guys are great. Now that I know this site exists I'll have to frequent it more often.

You could just buy an alternator with some more juice to it. Should run u around 130$ and then some for labor. It's not that bad really...and the problem shouldn't arise again.

Um I'm betting it's the alternator as well, but for future problems of this nature, or even to make 100% sure, I'd take it to Autozone...they will check your battery/alternator/and so on for free and find out exactly what the problem is.

Just for the unneeded reassurance, I'd say alternator too, I've had many a alternator go bad on me while driving, dim lights, and slow wipers are the best indicators of a failing alternator, noticing the battery guage was a good move.