What should a 12v alternator charge at?
A car alternator needs to be putting out at least 13-14 volts (ideally between 13.8 and 14.2 volts) to effectively charge a 12 volt car battery. If the alternator is putting out too much voltage (15+ volts), it is likely your battery acid will boil over out of the battery.
What voltage should my alternator be charging at?
13.5-14.5 volts
A good alternator should put out between **13.5-14.5 volts. Stress test the alternator – Place a load on the alternator by turning on the headlights, the radio and the air conditioning. The voltage should remain high with these circuits on.
What controls the voltage in the alternator?
A VOLTAGE REGULATOR regulates the charging voltage that the alternator produces, keeping it between 13.5 and 14.5 volts to protect the electrical components throughout the vehicle.
How do I increase the voltage of my alternator?
Selecting different sized diodes can alter the output regulation of the alternator. A smaller diode will increase the charge voltage by more than a larger diode (due to the voltage drop varying with the diode current).
What should the alternator voltage be in a Toyota?
At cruising speed at about 2000 rpm it occasionally blips up to 13.6-13.7 (using wireless OBD scanner) With car off, battery should test at 12.2- 12.6 volts at the battery. With engine running you should have 14.0-14.5 volts at the battery.
How many volts does it take to charge a Toyota battery?
For example, at 70° F, the voltage regulator charges the battery at approximately 14.2 volts. As underhood or ambient temperatures increase, the charging voltage is reduced to about 13.8 volts or less to prevent boiling the water from the battery electrolyte.
What is the charger voltage on a Toyota Tundra?
Photo 4: This inductive ammeter, which is clamped on the alternator’s B+ output wire, indicates 33.57 amperes charging output. Toyota recommends that the alternator fuses be tested for both voltage and resistance. According to service data, the Tundra’s charging system is supplied by four fuses: the Alt-H fuse, Alt-S fuse, MET-fuse and LH-IG fuse.
What causes an alternator to over charge a battery?
Measure voltage across the battery with your DMM. You should get 0.5 to 2 volts higher than base voltage. If you are getting more than 2 volts above base voltage, most likely your alternator is over-charging the battery or the battery is faulty. Other potential problems are a faulty voltage regulator or a problem in the charging system wiring.