I am driving my 1988 240DL every day again now after pretty much letting it sit for the last two years. As I expected, a few problems are surfacing.

Tonight as I was driving home, the lights started going dim and the radio started cutting out. I guessed that it was a problem with the alternator/charging system but kept driving and made it home though my headlights were quite dim by the time I got home. When I got home, the battery was sufficiently dead enough that the car wont re-start.

My battery is 2 months old so i'm guess it's not the culprit.

My first guess is that the alternator has failed. Although if it was bad, wouldnt I get an idiot light on the dash? How do I know if it is the alternator?

I do remember hearing someone on this board mentioning a ground wire causing similar symptoms. I looked but did not see a ground wire. Can someone tell me where to look?

I did notice that the alternator drives belts seemed a bit loose and that seemed odd to me.

Is there anything else I should look at before I buy a new alternator?

Thanks,

Greg P.