Normal Battery Voltage...???
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: Arlington TX
Normal Battery Voltage...???
I Just Bought My Car Last Week. The Battery Was Dead When I Went To Test Drive It, And They Supposedly Replaced The Battery Before I Bought It. When I Was Driving Today, I Had The A/c On Full Blast, And I Was Idling At A Drive Thru. I Noticed The Battery Voltage Reading Would Go Down To 12.2v And Then Up To 13.1v (i Guess The Fan Would Kick On And Off…after I Starting Driving, It Pretty Much Stayed At 13.1v…is This Normal Or Should It Be Higher?
Racer
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
From: Framingham MA
Originally Posted by 01redfreak
I Just Bought My Car Last Week. The Battery Was Dead When I Went To Test Drive It, And They Supposedly Replaced The Battery Before I Bought It. When I Was Driving Today, I Had The A/c On Full Blast, And I Was Idling At A Drive Thru. I Noticed The Battery Voltage Reading Would Go Down To 12.2v And Then Up To 13.1v (i Guess The Fan Would Kick On And Off…after I Starting Driving, It Pretty Much Stayed At 13.1v…is This Normal Or Should It Be Higher?
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=876546
My guess is your replacement battery might not be the best one made if a dealer put it in for you. On the other hand, your DIC indication might just be reading a tad low like mine was. Buy or borrow an inexpensive multi-meter and check voltage at the battery terminals. Look for about 14.0 volts with the engine idling and 13.2 with the engine off. Note that the DIC generally tends to read lower than actual charging system voltage by about 1 volt +/-.
Monk
Racer
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
From: Vernon CT
I think it should be 13.8V when fully charged. Voltage will be higher when the battery is depleted and recharging, over 14.0V. I don't think it should ever be as low as you are reading if you are reading the DIC.
If you are using a voltmeter with the engine off I think anything over 12.0 is probably good.
Not sure if this helps.
Cheers!
If you are using a voltmeter with the engine off I think anything over 12.0 is probably good.
Not sure if this helps.
Cheers!
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 4,273
Likes: 1
From: Pittsford NY
Originally Posted by 01redfreak
I Just Bought My Car Last Week. The Battery Was Dead When I Went To Test Drive It, And They Supposedly Replaced The Battery Before I Bought It. When I Was Driving Today, I Had The A/c On Full Blast, And I Was Idling At A Drive Thru. I Noticed The Battery Voltage Reading Would Go Down To 12.2v And Then Up To 13.1v (i Guess The Fan Would Kick On And Off…after I Starting Driving, It Pretty Much Stayed At 13.1v…is This Normal Or Should It Be Higher?
Once mine is running I see 14.6 volts if the car has been sitting
and the battery is somewhat discharged. When that is not the case
or the battery has been charged after driving a while I think
I see around 13.6. This is driving. At idle the numbers are
probably lower.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,669
Likes: 5
From: Florida Gulf Coast
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'10-'11
At no load condition with the engine off the Battey should be around
12.6 volts if it is in good condition and fully charged. With engine running you should read anywhere from 13.1 to 14.7 Anything over 14.7 will boil the electrolyte out of the battery.
12.6 volts if it is in good condition and fully charged. With engine running you should read anywhere from 13.1 to 14.7 Anything over 14.7 will boil the electrolyte out of the battery.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,335
Likes: 76
From: Bedford Va.
does the car have a reduced dia. crank pulley?
if it does this could be a issue. you can buy a smaller alt. pulley
if this is your case.
i see 13.4 as a low and 14.0 as a high when running engine
900 idle to 6500
if it does this could be a issue. you can buy a smaller alt. pulley
if this is your case.
i see 13.4 as a low and 14.0 as a high when running engine
900 idle to 6500
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: Arlington TX
Originally Posted by Mr. Jones
does the car have a reduced dia. crank pulley?
if it does this could be a issue. you can buy a smaller alt. pulley
if this is your case.
i see 13.4 as a low and 14.0 as a high when running engine
900 idle to 6500
if it does this could be a issue. you can buy a smaller alt. pulley
if this is your case.
i see 13.4 as a low and 14.0 as a high when running engine
900 idle to 6500
Racer
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
From: Framingham MA
Originally Posted by 01redfreak
I have no idea...I doubt it...it's pretty much stock. What type of battery are they putting on the new Vettes? Are they still using the Exide batteries?
Monk
