97 Taurus - Is it the alternator?

[Morphy]

(I know little to nothing about cars so please bare with me, sorry)

Hey, I've been having trouble(s) with my 97 Taurus. I am a pizza delivery boy and after delivering my second to last pizza for last night, my car wouldn't start.

Just for some background information:

There was some build up around one of the (connector rods?) I know I'm using the wrong term but it's those things you hook up the jumper cables to.

As I was driving, I noticed that my battery light kept flickering. It would flicker harder and eventually stay lit when I gave it more gas. The higher my RPM was, the more evident the warning light made itself. Eventually, at night, it finally gave up on me and wouldn't start.

I'm guessing (after doing a little research) that something is wrong with my alternator. My car had been running on just the battery yesterday. I had my mom give me a jump and I made it home but it will not start by itself anymore.

How do I isolate the problem?

I saw a few things that said I may need a new alternator belt, or just a whole new alternator. I just started my job delivering pizzas and it is the only way I can get to and from work and school.

If I need a new alternator, how much will it cost me and how long will it take to get it fixed? Can I replace it myself? If not, how much do mechanics charge to put it in on average?

Thanks. I know I'm asking a lot of questions but I need this car to get me money and also to keep me from losing my scholarship if I miss too many classes.

[mwt47]

You need to clean your battery terminals and cables really well.

You can get the tool to do it with for a dollar at harbor freight

Then you need to make sure they are tight on the battery

Charge your battey to full capacity

Have a load test done on it.

If all that checks out.

Put a multimeter on the battery while it is running and you should be getting around 13.4 volts in the battery.

Mike