[Public-list] A4 blues...

[George Dinwiddie]

Gord,

Measure the battery voltage while the engine is running.  A fully 
charged battery, after resting 24 hours, should read approximately 12.7 
volts.  The anemic automotive-type alternators with built-in regulators, 
as found on the Atomic 4, put out about 13.6 to 13.8 volts.  This is 
what you should see with the engine running.

To get higher voltage and better charging, you need to go with some kind 
of "smart" regulator that varies the voltage output according to some 
charging regimen.  Or you can use a manual voltage control and promise 
to never lose track of the time.

Batteries lose their capacity over time, more quickly if they've been 
abused in various ways.  It's possible to have a battery that charges 
up, but just no longer holds a lot of juice.  This is usually detected 
by a discharge test: charging the battery with a known good charger and 
then seeing how long it can power a load.

I do NOT recommend disconnecting the batteries while the alternator is 
running.  This is a very good recipe for blowing the rectifiers in the 
alternator.

Oh, another way to test the alternator is to remove it and take it to an 
automotive electrical shop.

  - George

Gordon Laco wrote:
> Hi there - 
> 
> Can any of you colleagues offer me advice on how to find out if my
> alternator is working properly?

-- 
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   When I remember bygone days                         George Dinwiddie
   I think how evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
   So many I loved were not yet dead,           http://www.Alberg30.org
   So many I love were not yet born.
                                             'The Middle' by Ogden Nash
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