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Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Tue, 5 Oct 2004 14:42:08 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Weird electrical problem on '98 CSE need help!, Pat98, Tue, 5 Oct 2004 10:50:50
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I take it if you turn the car to ON, but DON'T start it, you're seeing 8-9 volts.
When you first start the car but don't drive off, you'll see the Starting voltage.
Once the car has started moving, you'll see the charging voltage/normal running voltage.

First off, the voltage you see when the car is ON but NOT running doesn't matter a whole lot. Yes, it is a rough measure of the state of the battery. But the variation in electrical load can be big. I wouldn't worry about it much.
The Starting voltage is a rough indication of battery health. If it's starting to drop, that could be a sign of a battery getting weak.
You're seeing voltage above 13 when running. That means the alternator is doing it's job. The voltage when the engine is running tells you nothing about battery condition - when the engine is running, the alternator provides All of the electrical needs of the car, and re-charges the battery, too.

The dim-down when the engine is running is about the only thing of concern that I see. Again, 'it depends.' If the car is warm, and you're at idle, and it's warm, then it's normal to see lower voltages. The voltage regulator is temperature compensated - it drops the voltage if it gets warm under the hood - typical on a warm engine and the car isn't moving. At idle, I wouldn't get too concerned if the voltage drops into the 12 volt range at idle when warm. I would be concerned if that happens when driving along (engine above idle).

If you're seeing voltage drop into the 11 volt range, even at idle, and this hasn't happened before, and you're seeing lights dim a little, then I'd think about replacing the voltage regulator on the alternator. The VR is probably fine, but the brushes built into the VR can wear down over time, and this can cause low voltages under high load conditions at idle. As to the other voltage things you're seeing, it might be a battery getting on in years - if the battery is three or more years old, probably true.

Don't try and link all of the symptoms you see to one single problem. It can be two growing problems - a tired Voltage regulator, and an aging battery.



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