[s-cars] Voltage loss

[PTirz at aol.com]

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S-Folks -

I am seeking your collective wisdom to diagnosis a problem I recently
experienced with my 95.5 S6 (with 86,000 miles) while driving on vacation through the
heat of South Dakota last week.   With temps in the mid-90's and sustained
speeds of 80-85 mph (what a joy to drive in a state with a 75 speed limit!), the
voltage meter in my car slowly dropped over a four hour period from a point
half way between 12 and 14 volts to darn near 12 volts (needle was pointing
straight up).  By the end of the trip that day, the car was accelerating poorly
from a dead stop - acting as if it might stall unless I gave it plenty of gas
from standstill.

After letting the car sit overnight, the volt meter registered just under 14
volts but would then drop during the day when the ambient temps increased and
the air conditioning was in use.  Turning the air conditioning off at this
point would result in a significant jump of the voltage meter and much better
acceleration from standstill.  I suspect that the high temp and speed, when
coupled with the strain of the a/c on the engine, is overtaxing a weak or failing
electric (generator/altenator) system since I had the battery replaced earlier
this year.

I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts/suggestions before I take the car to my
S-wrench for diagnosis/repair.

Thanks,

Matt
Milwaukee, WI