ok so i was driving on the highway nice and happily driving. when my car shut off. i look i thought i was just the ignition coil but then when i had listenend to the engine i heard the alternator whirring. its not supposed to do that :( well i was right the alternator is bad. but anyway is the alternator easy to fix? i know its prolly gonma be costly
erm.... my guess..... bout 80-100 bucks for a rebuilt unit after core charge? havnt priced one lately..... but if u have an electrical tester.... start the vehicle up and see what volts the battery is reading at...... should be 13-14 volts i think? that means its charging.... also you can take a regular screwdriver while its running and just hold it near the alternator case on the back side.... the metal blade of the screwdriver should be attracted to the case by magnetic force.... that means its workin..... no attraction no worky.
Make sure too that it isn't the tensioner making the noise. Mine once seized which slowed the rotation of the belt and caused me to lose power. My car didn't die though.
If you haven't done a 3g conversion now would probly be the best time. In the ealry years with the internal regulators has a real y conector design. I know the ones I used to sell came with it and said warranty void if disconnected. If your connection went bad your alternator could have over worked itself to death. The 3G cost about $100-150 depending but do a search and you will find what you need very simple. I did it on my 84 Turbo coupe in about an hour once I had all the parts together. Much better design and 130amp output.