I have a 95 Taurus with 120K on it.
For the last month or so about every 10th time I start it, the alternator light stays on. Sometimes, on longer trips, it will go off. Sometimes it stays on for an entire 30 minute trip. No matter how long the trip is, it has never come on twice in a row.
I don't drive it often enough at night to have had the light come on then so I can note if the lights are dimming.
The battery is fairly new & shows no signs of weakness. We have had a spell of 48 hours below zero [F] temps & it started right up at the end of that.
The alternator light is right under the brake warning light on the dash. Before the alternator light started coming on, the brake-warning light flickered on and off a couple times one day. I checked the fluid, which was fine.
I'm torn between thinking I should swap the [factory] alternator out, or go looking for a short in a wiring harness. Or should I just be patient and wait until the light stays on so I can troubleshoot it with some confidence? It is a second car & isn't likely to ever strand me anywhere.
Jim