How to Know If It Is Only A Battery Problem

[dr. d]

that lighted icon almost always means the alternator isn't charging the battery.
it can be as costless as loose wires, loose belt, as cheap as depleted carbon brushes, or as costly as fried alternator diodes or winding cores.
you can have the battery and the alternator checked at decent battery shop for free (my favorite is motolite official outlet).
and older toyota alternators are not really that expensive. sometimes, it's cheaper to replace the entire thing with surplus than to troubleshoot and replace parts.. alternators have a very long service life..
a dead battery won't cause that light icon to light up.
i got a new maintenance-free 1smf for less than 3K last month (phoned for price before going).
good luck.

when i was younger and had no significant source of income (read: student), we used to push-start the car.. after 1 month or so, we decided to just replace the battery. nakaka-hassle, lalo na kung may ulan..