alternator problems or short?

[compression]

well the other day on my way home from work i noticed my gauges were a little dimmer then they used to be, a day before i noticed that my lights would sort of dim out and brighten back up like pulsated, but when i went back for my car ( didnt make it hom ) i just threw a new battery in it (hoping it would at least get me home) but, it ran fine. all the way home , i have an extra alternator but i would really rather not change it , but today when i have the car running and disconect the battery it still runs, and the lights got really bright. like it was over charging, now the lights dont work (maybe i poped a fuse but i didnt see any bad fuses,) no brights or low beams. changed a few relays , fuses nothing. i dont have a voltmeter with me but i do have a voltmeter gauge in my 1.8 turbo , but i dont really want to rip it out, i will probably end up doing it though. my car runs fine now maybe the battery was bad?? but when i unplugged the battery (negative side) then the lights all got brighter? im really stumped and have to be to work at 9am tommorrow morning.


thanks in advance

 

[PropXprt]

I would really just swap alternators and see if it fixes the problem. If you think it is overcharging then it just might be the alternator, they usually do that before they are about to go.

 

[compression]

i swapped the alternator out, unless the slim possibility of this alternator being bad as well, then there has to be a problem elsewhere i checked every fuse and they were all good

 

[luv2rallye]

Bring the alternator to a alternator/starter repair shop for proper and complete testing - not an auto store which only tests for go/no go dc volts. Also go buy yourself a $15 meter from Radio Shack.

 

[PropXprt]

Pop the caps off your battery and make sure it is still topped off with distilled water.