Battery Charging Voltage

Bill, ride in any Ford, Dodge, GMC, or Chevrolet truck with an
alternator, and by the way they ALL have alternators, and you will see a
voltmeter, not an amp meter. No manufacturer of a modern consumer
vehicle installs an amp meter any more due everyone having switched to
alternators many years ago. I drive all (!) of those brands of trucks
trucks (yes, plural) every single day of the week in my job.

You need to get out of your pajamas and the house and see what has hit
the streets in the past 30 years.

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III wrote:
> Look in any stock performance Ford or GM product and you will see
> their gauges read in amps. Get a set of gauges and you won't sound
> so...... lame!
> God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
> http://www.billhughes.com/
>
> Jerry Bransford wrote:
>
>><snip BS>

--
Jerry Bransford
PP-ASEL N6TAY
See the Geezer Jeep at
http://members.cox.net/jerrypb/

Jeep switched to alternators with GM a year ahead of Ford in '65
and so did I in my T-Bird in that same year:
http://www.billhughes.com/thunderb.htm And of course I use one in my
Real Jeep, you may just see in it's maiden voyage:
http://www.billhughes.com/cj2maidenVoyage.jpg The Amp meter is the only
way the professional driver may know for sure he is charging more than,
say his driving lights are using:
http://www.hella.com/produktion/Hell...aja-herbst.jpg
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O


Jerry Bransford wrote:
>
> Bill, ride in any Ford, Dodge, GMC, or Chevrolet truck with an
> alternator, and by the way they ALL have alternators, and you will see a
> voltmeter, not an amp meter. No manufacturer of a modern consumer
> vehicle installs an amp meter any more due everyone having switched to
> alternators many years ago. I drive all (!) of those brands of trucks
> trucks (yes, plural) every single day of the week in my job.
>
> You need to get out of your pajamas and the house and see what has hit
> the streets in the past 30 years.

In message <X1NSd.19245$Tt.11615@fed1read05>, "Jerry Bransford" wrote:

>Exactly, your alternator-equipped Jeep uses a voltmeter... since an amp
>meter is not needed for an alternator equipped vehicle like it is for
>one that has a generator like hasn't been used in many years.

An amp meter isn't needed for an alternator equipped vehicle??? Where do you
get this crap? Ammeters were used for many years after alternators replaced
generators. They are just two different ways of determining the "health" of the
charging/starting system. In fact, testing the system includes using BOTH.

While a volt meter will tell you what system voltage is, an ammeter is the only
way to KNOW whether your battery is being charged or discharged, and at what
rate. The switch to voltmeters from ammeters probably has more to do with
trying to avoid confusing or alarming those who are easily confused. Like you
seem to be.

Ammeters constantly fluctuate with electrical system loads, while voltmeters
stay steady unless something is seriously wrong. People don't like seeing their
gauges fluctuate.


>
>Joe Carroll wrote:
>> On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 12:28:42 -0800, L.W.(ßill) Hughes III
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Real Jeeps come stock with Amp gauges, like ALL Hod Rodders have,
>>>and anyone whom wants to know what's happening under their hood:
>>
>>
>> Damn, you mean thats a voltmeter and not an amp gauge on my 2k-tj?
>>
>> Joe Carroll
>> 2K-TJ
>>
>> There are some simple truths...And the dogs know what they are."
>> Joseph Duemer

Gee, that's funny, my volt meters must be psychic or something.

I can always tell the state of my charging system by knowing where my
voltage gauge sits during 'normal' operations. When it starts
fluctuating out of the normal, according to how, I know what to check.
It seems pretty easy. If the gauge didn't reflect the operation, then
the gauge is useless and you may as well have one idiot light only.

I find the volts reflect the charge state really well.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

bllsht wrote:
>
> In message <X1NSd.19245$Tt.11615@fed1read05>, "Jerry Bransford" wrote:
>
> >Exactly, your alternator-equipped Jeep uses a voltmeter... since an amp
> >meter is not needed for an alternator equipped vehicle like it is for
> >one that has a generator like hasn't been used in many years.
>
> An amp meter isn't needed for an alternator equipped vehicle??? Where do you
> get this crap? Ammeters were used for many years after alternators replaced
> generators. They are just two different ways of determining the "health" of the
> charging/starting system. In fact, testing the system includes using BOTH.
>
> While a volt meter will tell you what system voltage is, an ammeter is the only
> way to KNOW whether your battery is being charged or discharged, and at what
> rate. The switch to voltmeters from ammeters probably has more to do with
> trying to avoid confusing or alarming those who are easily confused. Like you
> seem to be.
>
> Ammeters constantly fluctuate with electrical system loads, while voltmeters
> stay steady unless something is seriously wrong. People don't like seeing their
> gauges fluctuate.
>
> >
> >Joe Carroll wrote:
> >> On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 12:28:42 -0800, L.W.(ßill) Hughes III
> >> > wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>> Real Jeeps come stock with Amp gauges, like ALL Hod Rodders have,
> >>>and anyone whom wants to know what's happening under their hood:
> >>
> >>
> >> Damn, you mean thats a voltmeter and not an amp gauge on my 2k-tj?
> >>
> >> Joe Carroll
> >> 2K-TJ
> >>
> >> There are some simple truths...And the dogs know what they are."
> >> Joseph Duemer

It's apart of the deliberate dumbing down of America.
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

bllsht wrote:
>
> An amp meter isn't needed for an alternator equipped vehicle??? Where do you
> get this crap? Ammeters were used for many years after alternators replaced
> generators. They are just two different ways of determining the "health" of the
> charging/starting system. In fact, testing the system includes using BOTH.
>
> While a volt meter will tell you what system voltage is, an ammeter is the only
> way to KNOW whether your battery is being charged or discharged, and at what
> rate. The switch to voltmeters from ammeters probably has more to do with
> trying to avoid confusing or alarming those who are easily confused. Like you
> seem to be.
>
> Ammeters constantly fluctuate with electrical system loads, while voltmeters
> stay steady unless something is seriously wrong. People don't like seeing their
> gauges fluctuate.

Dave, Sounds to me like a normal reading. That's what my TJ"s
voltmeter reads. And, it's always a good idea to clean the terminals
every year (before winter sets in). I use a foam battery cleaner in a
can and a battery terminal sealer, also in a spray can. After I use
the cleaner I use a battery post/cable wire brush then reconnect the
battery cables and spray with the sealer....Works for me !
Tom T

An easy way to check battery health is with a voltage load test.
If you find that your battery voltage goes from high to low (relative term)
then odds are it's not handling a charge very well and is bleeding off quite
well.

If you throw a battery on a charger and then measure the voltage you'll
measure a 'skin' charge (or surface charge) that will be equivalent to the
charging voltage.
You need to load the battery to bleed this off. I use an automotive
lightbulb (12V/40W) for 1 minute and then I measure the voltage again.
Being that the charging voltage is around 14.5Volts, if I measure after
bleeding and find a voltage less than 13V then I get worried.

A battery with only 12.1 volts is considered to only have 50% charge left in
it (this is amp capacity it's referring to).

I may have gotten my terms back to front...(and am not entirely sure of the
bulb wattage) but this is a good rough method to determine your battery
health.


"Mike Romain" > wrote in message
...
> Gee, that's funny, my volt meters must be psychic or something.
>
> I can always tell the state of my charging system by knowing where my
> voltage gauge sits during 'normal' operations. When it starts
> fluctuating out of the normal, according to how, I know what to check.
> It seems pretty easy. If the gauge didn't reflect the operation, then
> the gauge is useless and you may as well have one idiot light only.
>
> I find the volts reflect the charge state really well.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> bllsht wrote:
>>
>> In message <X1NSd.19245$Tt.11615@fed1read05>, "Jerry Bransford" wrote:
>>
>> >Exactly, your alternator-equipped Jeep uses a voltmeter... since an amp
>> >meter is not needed for an alternator equipped vehicle like it is for
>> >one that has a generator like hasn't been used in many years.
>>
>> An amp meter isn't needed for an alternator equipped vehicle??? Where do
>> you
>> get this crap? Ammeters were used for many years after alternators
>> replaced
>> generators. They are just two different ways of determining the "health"
>> of the
>> charging/starting system. In fact, testing the system includes using
>> BOTH.
>>
>> While a volt meter will tell you what system voltage is, an ammeter is
>> the only
>> way to KNOW whether your battery is being charged or discharged, and at
>> what
>> rate. The switch to voltmeters from ammeters probably has more to do
>> with
>> trying to avoid confusing or alarming those who are easily confused.
>> Like you
>> seem to be.
>>
>> Ammeters constantly fluctuate with electrical system loads, while
>> voltmeters
>> stay steady unless something is seriously wrong. People don't like
>> seeing their
>> gauges fluctuate.
>>
>> >
>> >Joe Carroll wrote:
>> >> On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 12:28:42 -0800, L.W.(ßill) Hughes III
>> >> > wrote:
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>> Real Jeeps come stock with Amp gauges, like ALL Hod Rodders have,
>> >>>and anyone whom wants to know what's happening under their hood:
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Damn, you mean thats a voltmeter and not an amp gauge on my 2k-tj?
>> >>
>> >> Joe Carroll
>> >> 2K-TJ
>> >>
>> >> There are some simple truths...And the dogs know what they are."
>> >> Joseph Duemer

The prolonged load test is more like a hundred Amps for Real
American cars:
http://www.etoolcart.com/browseprodu...--ATD5495.html
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

SteveBrady wrote:
>
> An easy way to check battery health is with a voltage load test.
> If you find that your battery voltage goes from high to low (relative term)
> then odds are it's not handling a charge very well and is bleeding off quite
> well.
>
> If you throw a battery on a charger and then measure the voltage you'll
> measure a 'skin' charge (or surface charge) that will be equivalent to the
> charging voltage.
> You need to load the battery to bleed this off. I use an automotive
> lightbulb (12V/40W) for 1 minute and then I measure the voltage again.
> Being that the charging voltage is around 14.5Volts, if I measure after
> bleeding and find a voltage less than 13V then I get worried.
>
> A battery with only 12.1 volts is considered to only have 50% charge left in
> it (this is amp capacity it's referring to).
>
> I may have gotten my terms back to front...(and am not entirely sure of the
> bulb wattage) but this is a good rough method to determine your battery
> health.

Using a voltmeter, wether on the dash or independant of the vehicle,
can be an 'iffy' situation. A person who pays close attention to their
dash voltmeter behavior would certainly know the 'history' of what is
going on (as in Dave's case)and could be useful. Using a dash
voltmeter, or any voltmeter independant of the car, I personally would
not use. A charge indicator on a battery charging unit measures AMPs
as in Cranking Power, wether by a meter or lamp, is a better indicator.

When you buy a battery you do not ask if it is 12 volts - you look for
the correct size & Cranking Power for your vehicle. The old and still
effective way to measure your battery to determine if it will turn over
your engine (and not just turn on the lights) is by using a hydrometer
which measures the batteries (or it's electrolytes) specific gravity
which will indicate it's ability to crank your engine. (Gosh, I hope I
remembered all that the right way, but I think it's close.)
FYI - Volts are measured in parrallel, amps are measured in series.
Steve

OOP's, I mean the way Mike watches his dash voltmeter.
Steve