I don't know the exact values but it's something like 68amp without AC, 94amp with, or something like that. 88 values are a bit different but not by much, they're still in the same neighborhood.
Actually, I can't think of why the 88 would need any more/less amps than the older cars, they're just different because the newer alternators happen to be built in different values.
I have a 68amp on an AC 86GT, just because that alternator was handy/free.
It drags pretty badly on the gauge when everything is turned on, it acts a lot like yours. But it's been running this way for almost a year now and hasn't gotten any worse. That alternator was taken from my old 84 where it ran for a few years prior to this. As I recall, it always seemed weak on that car also. But it keeps working so I've stopped waiting for it to die.
When I used a multimeter recently I found that the reading at the battery was significantly higher than what the gauge says, but I don't remember by how many volts.
I've read somewhere an article about rebuilt alternators. From what was described, it sounded like you can't be sure how many amps the alternator is truly capable of, because they just mix and match parts randomly when they rebuild them. I don't know if that story is true.
[This message has been edited by armos (edited 07-27-2011).]
