Alternator-related question
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Alternator-related question
At idle, sound system off, if you hook up a voltmeter and turn the headlights off for a few seconds, then turn them on... how long should the voltage drop until the alternator catches up and raises it?
I just did this experiment on my car a few minutes ago and it takes almost 2 seconds for voltage to rise from ~12.5V to ~13.8-14.0V after I turn the headlights on while merely idling (no accelerator pedal assistance)
It recovers immediately if I have the engine revved up a little.
Other items to note: The car has 105K miles on it, original alternator, however it has an Autozone battery I bought this past January. The past 2 times I've taken my car in for alignment, the mechanics run a battery test (along with basic inspection of the wiper blades, drivebelts, etc.) and the test always shows that my battery's "health is low" (whatever that means--their machine has some printout... the printout has EXIDE written on it, maybe someone's familiar with those things?)
The battery sits with engine off at 12.5V, rises immediately to ~13.5-14.0V with the engine running.
I just did this experiment on my car a few minutes ago and it takes almost 2 seconds for voltage to rise from ~12.5V to ~13.8-14.0V after I turn the headlights on while merely idling (no accelerator pedal assistance)
It recovers immediately if I have the engine revved up a little.
Other items to note: The car has 105K miles on it, original alternator, however it has an Autozone battery I bought this past January. The past 2 times I've taken my car in for alignment, the mechanics run a battery test (along with basic inspection of the wiper blades, drivebelts, etc.) and the test always shows that my battery's "health is low" (whatever that means--their machine has some printout... the printout has EXIDE written on it, maybe someone's familiar with those things?)
The battery sits with engine off at 12.5V, rises immediately to ~13.5-14.0V with the engine running.
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