[Eldi Z]

Trying to understand the movement of the voltage and the reasoning behind it.

Can anyone confirm the following:

Bat. is in good condition, fully charged: Voltage is ~ 12.6-14 V, meter is located on the left side of the "Normal condition" area.

Bat. is not fully charged, not so good condition: Voltage is ~ 14.5-16 V, meter is located on the right side of the "Normal condition" area.

As the Bat. power decreases / power is drawn: Alternator compensates by upping the the charge and then we see the meter move towards the higher side of the scale = towards the right area.

As Bat. power increases again and Bat. condition improves: Alternator does not compensate and then we see the meter move towards the lower side of the scale = towards the left area.

[Pollock]

Sounds good to me.

[ChevyRules]

Pretty good. Anything higher than 12.5v means it’s charging since the battery is 12.5 volts.

And if you hold the start button for 5 seconds without pressing the brake and put it in accessory mode, then you see the battery’s true charge state. Engine running= the voltmeter is a charging status gauge. Engine not running= reading the actual volts of the battery.

[Eldi Z]

Thanks for responding with useful info

[Boost Creep]

I've noticed during city type driving the voltmeter is on the left side, and while cruising on the highway it's on the right side.
Also while "city" type driving and when decelerating, the meter will go from the left side to the right until you touch the gas again. Almost like the alternator is going full charge to add load to slow the car. Kind of like regeneration in a hybrid, using inertia for free energy.

This voltmeter doesn't follow traditional voltmeter trends. Voltmeters use to go up some with rpm, drop a little at idle. They would start a little low after start up as they were recharging the battery, then climb up as the state of charge increased. Higher voltage needs even higher voltage to increase charge rate.

[Eldi Z]

Originally Posted by Boost Creep

I've noticed during city type driving the voltmeter is on the left side, and while cruising on the highway it's on the right side.
Also while "city" type driving and when decelerating, the meter will go from the left side to the right until you touch the gas again. Almost like the alternator is going full charge to add load to slow the car. Kind of like regeneration in a hybrid, using inertia for free energy.

This voltmeter doesn't follow traditional voltmeter trends. Voltmeters use to go up some with rpm, drop a little at idle. They would start a little low after start up as they were recharging the battery, then climb up as the state of charge increased. Higher voltage needs even higher voltage to increase charge rate.

So basically the meter we are seeing, shows what the alternator is doing, not the state of the battery itself.
I guess that it is correct to assume that when the needle is in the left area, the alternator is charging less, while when the needle is in the right area, charging is increased.

[ChevyRules]

Originally Posted by Eldi Z

So basically the meter we are seeing, shows what the alternator is doing, not the state of the battery itself.
I guess that it is correct to assume that when the needle is in the left area, the alternator is charging less, while when the needle is in the right area, charging is increased.

Yes when the engine is running, what you're seeing is what the alternator is doing and not the state of the battery. If the voltmeter is in the 12.5V area, it means the alternator is not charging the battery. If it is higher, it is charging the battery.

If you want to see the state of the battery, when the car is off hold the start/stop button for 5 seconds without pressing the brake pedal( which of course would start the engine) and put the car into accessory mode. The voltmeter will then tell you the state of the battery.

[Eldi Z]

Originally Posted by ChevyRules

Yes when the engine is running, what you're seeing is what the alternator is doing and not the state of the battery. If the voltmeter is in the 12.5V area, it means the alternator is not charging the battery. If it is higher, it is charging the battery.

If you want to see the state of the battery, when the car is off hold the start/stop button for 5 seconds without pressing the brake pedal( which of course would start the engine) and put the car into accessory mode. The voltmeter will then tell you the state of the battery.

Thanks for confirming.
This is a good method of testing the Bat.

Actually, I did not know how to enter ACC and wanted to do it ever so often - I.E. to change setting quietly, not having to start the motor to do it