Charge issues

[tobiasm]

Driving home from work today i noticed that my battery was only charged at 11-12 volts. I thought that my power steering fluid may have been leaking into the alternator again (problem with last alternator). I checked it when i got home & there was no sign of any leakage.

To test if the alternator was still charging i left the car running in the driveway for about 40 mins & everything seems fine now.

Can anyone suggest what may have caused the drop in voltage ? I checked & there was nothing electrical left on in the car.

[howesy]

could be something as simple as an eradic or inaccurate guage. You can buy cheapo basic multimeters or volt meters for $5 these days if you shop around and it makes for a good investment.
Buy or borrow one and check the voltage when this happens making sure the probes are on the actual post and not the clamp and it should be 13.5 to 14 volts. If not see if it changes when revving a bit if it does it could be lazy at idle but not a problem if it stays under 13.5 with revs then turn on high beam and air fan to full etc and it it holds good and well its not quite worn out but not exactly great if it goes even lower towards then this is only really enough to run the cars electronic management and not enough to adequately replace the accessories draw.
This is a general guide and you should consult an auto elect. if you get readings that give you doubt.
Hope this is of some help.