hey guys I'm on the road right now and just noticed that my alternator warning light is on but very very dim. Is that normal? I always thought that it would either be off or on fully bright. I know the only way to tell if there is an issue is with a voltmeter, but like I said I'm on the road.I guess I will check when I get home.

in this first picture is a picture of the dim battery warning light in comparison to the fully bright brake light.

in this next picture you will see the battery light on full blast when the engine is off.

 

I would start with checking/changing your alternator. The brightness or lack thereof does not mean anything.

 

Of course I'll check it. It's an alternator warning light. I guess my real question is if the brightness of this light is directly related to voltage output. We really only see it on when it is triggered by 12v battery voltage when the engine is off. With it not fully bright would it then mean it is somewhere between 12v and the normal 14v+ is sees with a fully functioning alternator?

Why is this important to me???
Because I have an hour ride home after work, and home is where my MultiMeter is.
I will not be able to test this out until I get home.

 

Is your battery still charging? You didnt happen to drop an alternator belt did you?

 

Yes, the brighter the warning light, the greater the failure of the alternator. Your dim warning light tells you that the alternator is starting to fail but has not completely failed.

 

Dusting off my alternator knowledge, the stator within the alternator has three sets of windings each connected are connected to a set of diodes (bridge rectifier). This rectifier converts the AC voltage created by the stator into DC voltage. When one of these windings or diodes fails the light will glow dimly. Neither of these items is field serviceable.
Long story short you need a new alternator. It *should be good for the ride home if it just started occurring today.

Best of luck.