Weird charging issue

2002 3.4, automatic. Sunday I was running around doing errand, mix of highway and city traffic. Had my wife with me so I was running the AC, if I’m alone I never use it, just open the windows. I don’t know if that’s relevant. On the way home I go from 55 to a stop light and I noticed my turn signal wasn’t audible, looked down and the indicator wasn’t flashing. Light changed, turn into town and all my gauges stopped working, dropped to zero. City streets about a mile to the house, as I pull into the driveway it stumbles, put it in park and it dies. I try to restart and it just screeches.
Grab a multimeter and battery says 12.4v, so I jump it and at idle I have 12.4v. Pulled the battery - NAPA Legend 785 CCA, 08/2022 -and put it on the charger. Sunday morning still charging but I was using the small motorcycle charger because it was handy so I switched to the big charger. Sunday evening still charging. This morning it was charged so I took it off and went to work. About 5 this afternoon I checked it and it was at 12.99v so I put it back in the truck. Now I have 13.4 at idle with the truck warmed up, even with everything on including AC. ???

 

I was trying to determine if it was a bad battery or a bad alternator, I have a

$164 Denso 210-0461 Denso First Time Fit Alternator - 210-0461

Denso 210-0461 105 amp in my cart at Rock Auto just in case, but now everything tests ok.

 

Ground or + connection issues or you have a cell in the battery going bad. It should take nowhere as long as it took to charge your battery even if very low. Can you pop the cell covers and check the electrolyte levels or are they sealed?

 

Says it’s maintenance free, so I don’t think I can check levels. I’ll run it in and have them bench test it, assuming they still do that.

 

Getcha one of these and test your batteries for free forever.

$35 Visdector BT10 Car Battery Tester 12V 100-2000 CCA Digital Battery Load Tester, Automotive Alternator Starter Tester, Auto Battery Analyzer for Car, SUV, Light Truck, Boat

https://www.amazon.com/Visdector-BT...prefix=konwei+battery+analyze,aps,183&sr=8-36

 

Got a new battery today, thanks y’all

 

Could be a couple of things, alternator brushes wear and sometimes they make intermitant contact. If it were an alternator diode issue it would either work or not work and depending on which diode goes, the + or - there may or maynot be a draw. You used to be able to rebuild these things.