02-15-2007, 06:52 AM
this is when you pull out your handy dandy digital (or analog) multimeter, and see if the vehicle puts out about 14 volts when it is running, or about 13 volts when it is running and the high beams are on, rear window defroster is on, and the heater and wipers are going.
I could go more into it, but the gist is that when the vehicle is already running, the battery pretty much just takes up space, and adds weight.
Many auto parts store (the big chains that is) can test the battery and charging system, and most are free too. They don't want to sell you a new battery, and have you come back 2 days later pissed off and claiming that the battery is defective, when all along the alternator/voltage regulator was bad. Trust me on this.....I managed an auto parts store for 4 years.
p.s. every person should have a digital multimeter in their toolkit. They start as low as $10 or so. Even the cheap ones work great for basic voltage checks like this. I have 6 digital multimeters, and an analog one. One cheap one in the glove box of every car. The good Fluke 77 stays inside the house
I could go more into it, but the gist is that when the vehicle is already running, the battery pretty much just takes up space, and adds weight.
Many auto parts store (the big chains that is) can test the battery and charging system, and most are free too. They don't want to sell you a new battery, and have you come back 2 days later pissed off and claiming that the battery is defective, when all along the alternator/voltage regulator was bad. Trust me on this.....I managed an auto parts store for 4 years.
p.s. every person should have a digital multimeter in their toolkit. They start as low as $10 or so. Even the cheap ones work great for basic voltage checks like this. I have 6 digital multimeters, and an analog one. One cheap one in the glove box of every car. The good Fluke 77 stays inside the house