charging system light is turned on

According to the manual, if this light turns on while the engine is running, there must be something wrong with the battery charging system. What do you usually do if this happens?

 

Found out the the alternator belt was broken and so I have to call a mechanic to help me install the new one. This is one thing I have to learn. I wonder about the cause though since I the usual speed when i drive is just 45 to 70kph.

 

How old is the belt?
They do wear out from just normal wear.

While you're under there, I would check all your belt and hoses for wear. Just to make sure you don't get stranded somewhere later on.

 

Checking all your belts and hoses is a seriously good idea, especially if it is an older car. I have had those things go out, and in the middle of nowhere, and it is NOT fun ! !

Once, I was on a trip to California from Spokane to take my friend down to see her mom who lived in California. I had just replaced the head-gaskets on the engine, and the garage was supposed to have checked everything out before I got it back. They didn't.
We had made it into our second day, and were winding through the mountains of central Oregon when the radiator hose broke and started spurting everywhere. Fortunately, we had brought along extra gallon jugs of water, so we let it cool down and refilled the radiator.

Now.... how to patch that hose ??
Imagine------ two little old ladies, out on a back highway, 20 miles to the next town.

So, we dug through everything that was in the back of the Datsun pickup, looking for something that would work temporarily, so we could get to a mechanic shop.
Finally, we found an old shower curtain (to this day I have NO idea why that thing was in the back of my pickup ? ?), and we took out my knitting bag, and cut a nice piece of shower curtain off and wrapped it tightly around the radiator hose.
Next, I took some of my knitting yarn, and we wrapped that around and around the shower curtain and put some good "granny knots" in it.
Away we went, praying we made it to the next town.

Yes, it worked, we made it to the next town, and you should have been there to see the look on that mechanic's face when he opened the hood and looked at our repair job .....