I have a 2001 vert that I have had for over a year. When I go through the dic it says the alternater is charging at 13.5 volts it always has the car runs fine no electrical issues. I know the if it ain't broke don't try to fix it but I thought it was supposed to be charging about 14.5 volts.

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...e-reading.html

 

Thank you 73Corvette that link helped ease my mind.

 

Yes sir.. good deal...

 

How did that ease your concern? You are seeing about 1 volt low on the DIC. That could be a circuit resistance in the path to read and display this value or the alternator is not charging correctly. Or, it is a battery issue

You need to measure the actual voltage AT the battery with a voltmeter. Do this with the engine running and let us know what you get.

Not trying to alarm you but you need to see if you are charging correctly.

 

The link he got I think covers that....you might review it and make sure. Thanks steve

 

I reviewed it but may have missed something. I just wanted him to know his system is not functioning as designed but it is not a serious problem. Maybe his comment meant that.

Thanks to you too Steve, Mr. Sam

 

The part about the dash guage not reading accurately eased my mind I checked at the battery because I'm not good with electrical an don't want to mess with the alternater and I got 14.25.

 

Got it.

 

Is 14.25 acceptable sam or should it be 14.5 - 14.7?

 

Should be higher but if he has no issues I would not be concerned. I would like to know what the battery reads when the engine is OFF after a good drive. That is really the more important issue to me.

 

Normally I leave electrical issue comments for the ones who know electrical (I don't) but I have just experienced a situation that I will share since my issue involved said voltage reading. Long story short, I developed starting issues, TCS comm loss, o2 sensor failures, no backup lights, check abs light, and "low" voltage readings on the dic/gauge. The battery was brand new and healthy. The starting issue was fixed with a new solenoid, but the other stuff hung around. I thought my ebcm unit was gone and was prepping mentally to live with dash lights and no abs (1999 no fix for ebcm), 4 o2 sensor replacements, alternator replacement, etc. But, upon further review of the forum and some great write ups by the electrical guys, I was able to find the exact cause of the problem. It was one lead off my ignition switch that was not "flowing" the proper current and it was the "door" to the circuit that involved all of the above codes. I replaced the switch and everything went away, no lights, no codes, good as new. (and yes, I had cleaned the contacts in the switch, but still had issues). The moral of the story is this.....the ignition switch does more than start the car. It passes a lot of "juice" on to vital circuits that run the car correctly. The early owners found this out years ago and left some great knowledge within the forum pages for us later owners to learn from. Thanks guys! I have gone the long way around, but I wanted to share what my experience taught me because you see, all of this started a while back when I noticed a seemingly lower voltage on my display also and thinking "time for a new alternator". It was apparently the switch trying to tell me it was "tired" because now I am back to strong 13 reading and even 14 at times. I know there are alot of other possibilities that can cause electrical problems, but my close encounter with the ignition switch has shown me at least one good place to "start" when my voltage starts slipping in the future.