Voltage Drop on Highway
November 22nd, 2015, 2:51 PM
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Voltage Drop on Highway
I was driving along and noticed the Volt meter had dropped to around 12Vdc, and stayed there for awhile, then went back up to just over 14Vdc. Didn't have any problems and no battery drain after it sat for a few days.
I got home and did some test and the battery Voltage and Alternator Voltage are all good.
Anyone else have this problem? Is it simply the gauge or voltage regulator?
I checked the alternator and it looks to not be original, which is good since the burb has 160k on it.
I got home and did some test and the battery Voltage and Alternator Voltage are all good.
Anyone else have this problem? Is it simply the gauge or voltage regulator?
I checked the alternator and it looks to not be original, which is good since the burb has 160k on it.
November 22nd, 2015, 3:35 PM
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It's normal since the BCM controls most of the voltage from the alternator. Basically the BCM determines when and how much voltage the vehicle needs and that's what your seeing. Also, I wouldn't pay to much attention to the voltage guage, it's reaction time is very slow making it less than accurate. It should be used as an indicator that the charging system is functioning or not at best.
November 23rd, 2015, 3:40 PM
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The hardest thing your battery does is start the truck and it recovers if it's in good condition fairly quickly. A lot of things go into determining battery life cycle but the most important is maintaining an appropriate level of charge and operating temps. 77* is the ideal temp for most flooded cell batteries and at this temp they will last years, above or below and the life cycle is decreased. Charge technology has changed little over the years but battery life has been greatly extended in that same time. The biggest reason your truck stops charging or trickles a charge to the battery is due to mileage, less drag on the engine equals better mileage. Trickle charging just happens to be the best way to charge a battery as well.
November 23rd, 2015, 6:57 PM
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