volt meter / battery status.
09-24-2003, 06:47 AM
#1
Instructor
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Location: Brussels Belgium
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volt meter / battery status.
Hello all,
Long time since I had the chance to visit the site and see what is going on.
Anyhow, just a quick question.... recently noticed that my volt meter / battery status indicator was dropping below 12 volts and then lower to 10 volts, so I bought a new battery....
Now it reads just above 12 volts,, is this because it's a new battery and needs to charge a bit,, or is this a sign that my alternator is on it's way to the grave yard ?
So what is your volt meter reading ?
Best regards,
John . C (Brussels Belgium 944 N/A 1988 Alpine White)
Long time since I had the chance to visit the site and see what is going on.
Anyhow, just a quick question.... recently noticed that my volt meter / battery status indicator was dropping below 12 volts and then lower to 10 volts, so I bought a new battery....
Now it reads just above 12 volts,, is this because it's a new battery and needs to charge a bit,, or is this a sign that my alternator is on it's way to the grave yard ?
So what is your volt meter reading ?
Best regards,
John . C (Brussels Belgium 944 N/A 1988 Alpine White)
09-24-2003, 08:21 AM
#2
Burning Brakes
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Ams, NL
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Hi John
Mine is just above 12 in normal driving condition, so with lights etc on.
I will not worry till it drops below 12 at load conditons.
If it drops down, it is usually the alternator.
Either block brushes or an diode, can also be an corroded connection though.
TakeCare
Mine is just above 12 in normal driving condition, so with lights etc on.
I will not worry till it drops below 12 at load conditons.
If it drops down, it is usually the alternator.
Either block brushes or an diode, can also be an corroded connection though.
TakeCare
09-24-2003, 10:03 AM
#4
Racer
Join Date: Jan 2002
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Don't trust the voltmeter in the car to much. Use a 'real' voltmeter and measure directly on the battery. You should get 13,8-14,5 V with the engine running and it should not drop much if you switch on the lights.
//Magnus
//Magnus
09-24-2003, 01:50 PM
#5
Nordschleife Master
As Sam said, a likely culprit is your battery cables, positive and negative, so replace them. Add a suplemental ground (#4 AWG so about 21mm2 cross section in Europe) from the front of the engine block to the forward frame rail lighting ground located under the headlight bucket. You will see some brown wires already bolted up there. You also may want to run a supplemental positive (may as well use the 21mm2 wire you buy) from the battery to the fuse/relay board.
Finally, get an adjustable voltage regulator that you can set above the ~ 14.0 to 14.1 that the stock Bosch regulator is set at. This should make a big difference in keeping the battery charged up. (If your local suppliers want too much money for this I could sell you one for under $25USD including the shipping over the pond.)
Do these items and you will have no problem delivering over 14.0 volts at the battery. If you turn on every electrical item in the car, including radiator fans you will drop down to the mid-13 volts, but that should be about it.
Finally, get an adjustable voltage regulator that you can set above the ~ 14.0 to 14.1 that the stock Bosch regulator is set at. This should make a big difference in keeping the battery charged up. (If your local suppliers want too much money for this I could sell you one for under $25USD including the shipping over the pond.)
Do these items and you will have no problem delivering over 14.0 volts at the battery. If you turn on every electrical item in the car, including radiator fans you will drop down to the mid-13 volts, but that should be about it.
