power/dash shut off while driving?
03-15-2008, 12:16 PM
#12
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RE: power/dash shut off while driving?
well what he did was hook up the voltmeter while the car was on, he told me to put my headlights and radio and defrost on and the number that was showing was moving up and down between 13-13.7, what would this mean?
03-15-2008, 07:59 PM
#16
Join Date: Mar 2008
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RE: power/dash shut off while driving?
ORIGINAL: kingofqueenz
well what he did was hook up the voltmeter while the car was on, he told me to put my headlights and radio and defrost on and the number that was showing was moving up and down between 13-13.7, what would this mean?
well what he did was hook up the voltmeter while the car was on, he told me to put my headlights and radio and defrost on and the number that was showing was moving up and down between 13-13.7, what would this mean?
With a fully charged battery & without any accessories on & the charging system operating properly voltage normally runs 14.4 to 14.7.
IF all the accessories are on charging voltage will be reduced because the alternator is under a high load & is producing amps. As long as the system maintains 13 volts or better with all accessories on your good to go.
Amps are the load on the system. Volts are the pusher for the amps. When the load on the system is small, no accessories in use, thealternator puts out just enough amps keep the engine running. At this point you can meter the maximum volts which areallowedby the voltage regulator. In most cases its 14.7. If the charging voltage is higher it will eventually harm the battery. When the load on the system is high, all the accessories on, the alternator makes more amps to compensate for the increased load. The increased load will lower the voltage.
Its best to check system voltage & amperage output with the engine rpm around 2K.
03-16-2008, 04:09 PM
#17
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RE: power/dash shut off while driving?
If you look at the pos & neg connections to the battery and there's a bunch of build up or rust, disconnect and scrape all that crap off with a brush with steel bristles like you would use on a bbq. See if that helps before you give that mechanic your mula... it worked for me when i had this problem.
03-16-2008, 11:55 PM
#18
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RE: power/dash shut off while driving?
no my battery connections are extremely clean, my voltage with no accessories is on is at 13.7 volts. From the previous post im assuming this is close to normal, but still doesn't make sense how my electric shorted out and came back on again the other day
03-17-2008, 07:27 PM
#20
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RE: power/dash shut off while driving?
i started my car today and it started right up, 1 minute after starting it i had to shut it off cuz i had my glove compartment locked and needed it unlocked, when i restarted the car, it barely wanted to start, i had to give it gas so it wouldn't shut off, any ideas?