Charging ??'s

[Big Ray]

I think my batteries need replaced. Here's the scenerio:

I fixed the alternator earlier this week, it worked fine. This morning the factory voltmeter was in the red. I got home after work, put the voltmeter on it (alternator), it's putting out 15 volts.

Voltage is getting to the batteries, checked the voltage at both of them. 15 volts.


or...factory gauges just suck...

 

[Stomis]

What were you running? I bet youve got a bad blower motor resistor or something pulling way to much juice.

 

[Big Ray]

What were you running? I bet youve got a bad blower motor resistor or something pulling way to much juice.

hmmm

did have the defroster on....

going to do some more testing...

 

[Big Ray]

shut the defroster off, started engine, gauge showing full power again...

cranked up the defrost & heat, no problem

I guess it's just the 22 year old wiring showing it's age...

 

[Fordum]

How is the meter you are testing with?
15 volts is too much at the battery. If you don't need batteries now, you soon will. 15 will boil them.
14.5 is pretty much max. It might be OK to let it float close to 15 for a little while, but not for too long.

Sounds like a grounding problem not letting the voltage reg see the output correctly, also fooling the dash gauge into thinking that nothing is working.

A completely dead battery can cause all that too. Or one that is not hooked up. The alt needs some load on it, and if the battery opens internally or one of the wires gets loose, it can let the voltage go too high.

 

[Big Ray]

It's a good meter (Micronta copy of the old Simpson meter)...

I'm going to look into it further tomorrow...been working O.T. all week, I'm pretty frazzled by the time I get home...