Battery Voltage Reading

[Leeford]

Anecdotally, either the factory battery, or the alternator in the vehicle is crap. Or more precisely, it isn't up to the task the vehicle demands. I have a float charger that I put on anytime I'm going to park for two or more days or else the battery will run down. The various stuff the car does while off, even running the headlamp fans for no apparent reason seems to be too much of a draw. You can get upgraded batteries with better reserve power. I will do that when this one is shot. It isn't barely a year old and I garage the car (constant 50 degrees or warmer) and it still does this.

You definitely need the battery to be tip-top. I took a day trip once and made use of the 110v inverter and accessory power while parked at the beach. The ride home was interesting. The battery dipped down enough that the various warning chimes and stuff that the car generates were the wrong tone. Like, low pitch and slow sounding but volume was fine. It didn't straighten itself out in a 70 mile journey of alternator use. I had to put it on the float overnight and the next day, the chimes were back to normal. After that, I got a voltmeter that plugs into the 12v port. It's just a voltmeter so all it really shows is how much juice the alternator is pumping out or battery voltage with engine stopped. Beats having zero clue though.

My reading today was 12.02V from a parked car overnight. Drove for 15 minutes and the parked reading was12.7v, auto start/stop still didn't work. Drove another 45 minutes with same results. Placed a charger on it and and it showed a "state of charge at approx 50%, even with a full v battery??? Called Ford, again. If persist tomorrow, it's going in again...and yes, the damn headlight fans come on when you unlock the doors, but at times after driving they do not. No sense to this at all.

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[ScareCrow]

My reading today was 12.02V from a parked car overnight. Drove for 15 minutes and the parked reading was12.7v, auto start/stop still didn't work. Drove another 45 minutes with same results. Placed a charger on it and and it showed a "state of charge at approx 50%, even with a full v battery??? Called Ford, again. If persist tomorrow, it's going in again...and yes, the damn headlight fans come on when you unlock the doors, but at times after driving they do not. No sense to this at all.

That 12.2 sure looks low, maybe stop by an auto parts store for a check..... Here's a chart I keep for my batteries.

 

[Glamdring70]

Good chart, note those values are on the AGM batteries. Mine came with a traditional lead acid one. LA is similar but different.

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