Proper voltage reading
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Originally Posted by Toecutter
My friend just pruchased a 98 coupe that has a rough idle and I noticed
the DIC reads 12.7.
Could this be the cause of the idle condition?
the DIC reads 12.7.
Could this be the cause of the idle condition?
Robert
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From: Plano Tx
Actualy its my friends car. he just purchased it from a dealer.
He is taking it back in the morning and having them check it out.
So I will post the results.
However I did notice my own stock 2000 coupe was reading about 12.8 volts
in traffic with the ac on max.
My 98 Transam also reads 13 on the analog guage under the same condition.
I always thought 14-14.5 volts was the proper charging voltage.
He is taking it back in the morning and having them check it out.
So I will post the results.
However I did notice my own stock 2000 coupe was reading about 12.8 volts
in traffic with the ac on max.
My 98 Transam also reads 13 on the analog guage under the same condition.
I always thought 14-14.5 volts was the proper charging voltage.
Racer
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
From: Framingham MA
Originally Posted by Toecutter
Actualy its my friends car. he just purchased it from a dealer.
He is taking it back in the morning and having them check it out.
So I will post the results.
However I did notice my own stock 2000 coupe was reading about 12.8 volts
in traffic with the ac on max.
My 98 Transam also reads 13 on the analog guage under the same condition.
I always thought 14-14.5 volts was the proper charging voltage.
He is taking it back in the morning and having them check it out.
So I will post the results.
However I did notice my own stock 2000 coupe was reading about 12.8 volts
in traffic with the ac on max.
My 98 Transam also reads 13 on the analog guage under the same condition.
I always thought 14-14.5 volts was the proper charging voltage.
Monk
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Originally Posted by Monk
I just went through this same exercise recently. I replaced a defective Exide battery with a brand new Optima Yellow Top. Afterwards, while doing a series of electrical system tests, I noted a difference of 0.9 to 1.4 volts between the battery terminal measurements (14.0 volts - effectively charging system voltage) and the DIC indication (12.6 to 13.1 volts observed depending entirely on accessory load). There is clearly some difference in all C5s between actual charging system voltage and the DIC's battery voltage indication. Why this difference exists and why it is affected so greatly by electrical load is still a mystery to me. That being said, something around 13.0 volts (DIC indicated) is probably average at idle with a low to moderate accessory electrical load).
Monk
Monk
There are just too many variables to give a fixed number as the "correct" voltage for all conditions. Suffice to say that the upper 12v to upper 13v range is pretty much the norm. Mine tends to be approx. 13.2 to 13.4 range at night while driving for awhile and 14 to 14.1 immediately after starting.
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Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Originally Posted by Toecutter
Well the dealer replaced the battery telling him the one he had was undersized.
Man I wish we would have known of this dealers "diagnosis". It would have been the perfect time to tell them to just replace the battery he came in with and then drive straight to a Wal-Mart or Auto-Zone and get an Optima red top.Oh well. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
Let us know how he makes out.
