03-26-2016, 07:05 PM | #1 |
Drives: 2016 camaro 1ss Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Bath, Nc
Posts: 251
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Low voltage at times normal?
Getting to where i pay attention more to the gauges now and noticed today on a trip to the store that the voltage gauge was reading way low. It was saying 12.5-13 at 62 mph. I checked it with a voltmeter I have awhile ago at idle after cranking and it started around 13 and finally got to 14.5 after a few minutes. Is it normal to be that low at cruising speeds? Car seems to turnover normal tho. Didn't kno if it was a way to conserve fuel economy or something. Car has 500 miles. Thanks in advance
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03-26-2016, 07:10 PM | #2 |
Retired from Car mfrs....
Drives: 2LT RS/HR-V Join Date: May 2013
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All the new cars now have intelligent charging. They only charge when They need it, meaning that if your battery is low, Itll charge around 14 , if not it will drop to 12.5 it's normal.
Remember if your engine is running you're looking at the charging system, not the battery voltage. Batt Voltage is when the car is completely off and the battery is at rest. |
03-26-2016, 07:10 PM | #3 | |
Drives: 2016 Garnet Red Camaro 2SS Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: North Carolina
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03-26-2016, 07:17 PM | #4 |
Drives: 2016 camaro 1ss Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Bath, Nc
Posts: 251
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Ok so that's normal.. Good! Guess I was paranoid. I appreciate it yall.
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03-27-2016, 12:26 AM | #5 |
LT-Won!
Drives: USB ISF 5.0 Join Date: Mar 2016
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03-27-2016, 08:06 AM | #6 |
Drives: 1969 Mustang MaCh1 Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: SJ
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This is the first that I've heard of voltage fluctuation being normal. None of my cars have ever had fluctuating voltages, except for my old cobra. And when it did, it was a tell-tale sign that the alternator was going to give up the ghost real soon.
The only times I've heard of voltage dropping was at WOT when some cars are programed to have the alternator turned off. Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
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03-27-2016, 08:15 AM | #7 | |
Hail to the King baby!
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03-27-2016, 08:44 AM | #8 |
Drives: 2016 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: California
Posts: 3,491
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The manual I believe mentions this. ~12 volts while running is normal if the battery is fully charged.
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03-27-2016, 09:09 AM | #9 |
Drives: 2016 camaro 1ss Join Date: Mar 2016
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03-27-2016, 09:26 AM | #10 |
Destroyed by flooding
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Normal and your car looks great OP!
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03-27-2016, 11:46 AM | #11 | |
LT-Won!
Drives: USB ISF 5.0 Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Houston, TX
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Quote:
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03-27-2016, 10:13 PM | #12 |
Drives: 2016 camaro 1ss Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Bath, Nc
Posts: 251
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Nice as well love the hash marks on the yellow
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04-03-2016, 08:12 PM | #13 |
This low?
This low?
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04-03-2016, 08:50 PM | #14 |
Drives: 2016 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: California
Posts: 3,491
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Yup. 12v is normal for a charged battery during normal operation. You can verify on the info screen rather than the dial.
You will only see 14 when actively charging the battery, which unlike older cars isn't always when the engine is on. It's only as needed |
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