battery volt??
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 340
Likes: 0
From: NY
battery volt??
today before i went to start up the vette i had the DIC on the battery volt mode and with out the motor running it read 11.2 volts.is this normal?? im assuming with the motor off it should read 12.0 volts.i have a 02 vette with the org delco 6yr battery.it does show a green eye, so i dont know what to do,keep it or replace it.
Pro
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 669
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From: CA
A fully charged battery should read between 12v and 12.5v. If the engine is running the battery charge should read about 13.5v (+/-). I would be concerned about the age of your battery. Other posters here have had Delco batteries fail a lot sooner than your 6 year old one.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,346
Likes: 5
From: Mustang OK
This does seem somewhat low. However, there will be some voltage loss in the wiring from the battery and you cannot get an accurate battery voltage reading from the car's voltmeter or DIC. In order to get an accurate reading, you first need to remove any surface charge and take a reading directly at the battery's terminals using an accurate digital volt-ohm meter (DVOM). Also, this will only tell you the battery's state of charge. A load test also needs be done to determine the condition of the battery. The following link contains some good information on the proper way to test a car's battery:
CAR BATTERY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CAR BATTERY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Last edited by GrayC5; Aug 5, 2006 at 12:01 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 3,630
Likes: 8
From: Virginia Beach Virginia
A true giveaway that your battery is getting low is that your tire pressure monitoring system will start giving you "blank" readings when you check for tire pressure (not the XXX stuff) just no numerical readings...another good indicator would be the "Charge System Fault" message in your DIC.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,384
Likes: 87
From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
If its the original AC Delco and you have any doubts change it. The older batteries are prone to leaks and the computers are under the battery tray. Any acid down there and you'll have major problems.
I have Optima Red Tops which have been good to me. The Exide also gets good reviews. $100 for peace of mind IMHO.
I have Optima Red Tops which have been good to me. The Exide also gets good reviews. $100 for peace of mind IMHO.
Drifting
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,917
Likes: 3
From: Southern NH
That sounds low depending on how long it has been sitting. After about 3-4 weeks the battery will discharge due to small current drains required to keep the computers running.
Don't go by the DIC voltage since it's really designed to provide Alternator Voltage when the car is running an is somewhat inaccurate for the battery. If you measure the battery with a digital volt meter, you'll get an accurate reading. Roughly, the charge level is:
Don't go by the DIC voltage since it's really designed to provide Alternator Voltage when the car is running an is somewhat inaccurate for the battery. If you measure the battery with a digital volt meter, you'll get an accurate reading. Roughly, the charge level is:
12.6 = 100%
12.4 = 75%
12.2 = 50%
12.0 = 25%
11.8 = 0%
I just changed my 5 yr old Delco because it seemed to have trouble going above 12.3V.
12.4 = 75%
12.2 = 50%
12.0 = 25%
11.8 = 0%
