What voltage should a good alternator put out?
13.5-14.5 volts
Read the voltage on the meter – Start the engine and observe the voltage on the meter. The voltage should read a minimum of 13 volts. A good alternator should put out between **13.5-14.5 volts. Stress test the alternator – Place a load on the alternator by turning on the headlights, the radio and the air conditioning.
Is 11 volts enough to start a car?
The Minimum Voltage Range To Start a Car In general, while both the engine and the generator are in the working state, the voltage of the battery should be within 13.7 – 14.2V. If more, then it is harmful to the battery, if less, then it is not fully recharged.
What alternator voltage is too high?
More than about 1/10 volt says there’s a “grounding” issue. and produce around 14.5 volts at their output terminal , assuming there’s not much voltage drop between there and the battery. Other alternators are “Remote Sense” and use a third wire to measure voltage over closer to battery.
What will make an alternator overcharge?
Improperly jump-starting the vehicle can send a surge through the battery that destroys one or more cells in the battery or shorts it out. This surge disrupts the wiring in the alternator, causing an overcharging condition.
What should the voltage be on a ground wire alternator?
Voltage should be minimum 13V. Battery stays around 12. Head lights on drops it to 11.93. Hard to check the RPM with just won set of hands. It stays in that position and doesn’t raise back up. Battery stays around 12. Head lights on drops it to 11.93.
What to do if your alternator has bad ground?
Place the red lead on the positive battery terminal (if possible dig it into the battery post, not the terminal). Place the black lead on the bad post of the alternator. Same thing as above, if the voltage is above 0.5v then examine the positive cabling for problems.
Where does the alternator go on a truck?
The body of the alternator is ground. The alternator is mounted on the engine and the engine should have a ground strap to the frame. From the frame there is a ground strip to the battery. That’s a long way for a ground circuit. Works fine when the truck is new but after 30+ years you’ll have all kinds of corrosion on metal parts.
What to look for in an alternator Charger?
Turn on all the loads (blower on high, headlights on, rear defrost on, and so forth). Measure the voltage across the battery and the big bat alternator terminal to alternator case. There are two things that you are looking for.