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Why do you think the alternator isn't charging? The idiot light's supposed to come with the key, before engine start...and it does. And it's supposed to go out when the motor starts...and it does.
The battery could just as well be going flat because there's a high-resistance electrical fault somewhere else in the car. Turn everything (including door lights) off, and pull the fueses one by one, and see if one sparks as it's removed. That circuit is passing current, even though things are "off."
You could have the alternator load-tested by an electric motor shop, or try this: run the car for a half-hour or so, so that the battery would be fully charged. Then disconnect one battery pole, and let the car sit overnight. In the morning, reconnect the battery and try to start the car. If it cranks and starts, you know that the alternator was charging correctly, the battery's OK, and that the problem's an electrical leak somewhere in the car. If it doesn't crank, you know that either the alternator didn't charge the battery or that the battery's dead.
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David Brick, Santa Cruz CA, 1988 245
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