From: darling@simlab.arc.nasa.gov on behalf of Dave Darling [darling@simlab.arc.nasa.gov] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 1999 1:53 PM To: Warren Cc: 914 Subject: Re: [914] Battery charging voltage At 1:17 PM -0700 4/20/99, Warren wrote: >What is the maximum allowable charge voltage from the 914 alternator? I >just installed a new battery and want to make sure it's not overcharging >this one. As reported to the lists a number of times, you don't want to see more than 14.5 volts when the engine is running. Anything over ~12.8 will charge the battery at least a little teeny bit, but you really want to see more like 13.5 - 14.0 V in normal operation. This is measured across the battery posts themselves with a quality voltmeter--NOT the stock gauge in the center console--that one is mostly there for laughs. If the voltage regulator has failed in the "full alternator output" mode, you will see something like 16 V at 2500 RPM. If the alternator is not charging the battery at all, you will see ~12.65 V at first, and that will slowly drop to just over 12 V, when means the battery has been dis- garged. --DD Dave Darling 74 914 2.0 (kaput) darling@simlab.arc.nasa.gov "If it ain't broke--fix it until it *is*!"