Pontiac Repair: Car Wont Start, pontiac grand am, charging system

Question
I drive a 1994 Pontiac Grand AM.  A few days ago the battery light  (referred to as charging system light in the manual) came on & stayed on but I continued to drive the car.  Ran the A/C and it must've drained the battery b/c now it won't start...it'll crank and then click several times.  Is the battery dead?  What could've caused the battery light to come on in the first place?

Answer
Hi Jackie:

More than likely the alternator quit charging or is only putting out a fraction of what it normally should. This is what chages the battery back up and keeps it is a pretty constant voltage. If you ran the battery right down to nothing you may need a battery as well. Especially if it more than 4 years old. Good luck :)