Charging / volt meter ?

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cornish rattler

cornish rattler

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Hi guys

Can anyone tell me what the alternator on a defender 200tdi should charge at please, its just that mine is fitted with a volt metor and the metor keeps shooting over to over charge when the engine is running.

what I put my hand held volt metor across the battery with the engine running it reads about 14. 5ish volts is this right and or is my car volt metor faulty :(
 
Load the battery, turn on high beams, AC if you have and look at the volt meter above idle. A static volt reading does not tell you much, to be able to know for sure you have to do a load test.

From the figures you are giving it seems fine. You must remember that though a battery produces 12 volts, when charged or being charged, it peaks at 14.5 or a slight bit higher.
 
14.4V is charging voltage for a 12V battery (which is actually 13.2V)

anything around there is fine, unless you have a fancy calibrated multimeter.
14.4 full charging voltage, should drop to around 13.8V once the battery is fully charged, obviously more draw, the less is available for charging. mine sits just over 14V this time of year with lights and "heater" on.
 
Right I have checked the voltage from the battery with everything turned on and it reads about 12.30V ( engine running ) and with everything switched off but engine running it reads 14.5V once its picked its self up charging wise but the volt metor on the car still reads as though its overcharging, removed all spare / unused wiring from battery to dash and the wires on the volt metor and alternator all seem fine.

could it be a faulty gauge and the alternator is still charging or have I got a faulty alternator but still charges as it should :confused:
 
Volts is volts, what does the in car meter read with the engine off. 14.5 is right right for charging. My 300 takes a blip of the throttle to get the alternator going. 12.3 is no alternator output.
 
cornish rattler said:
That is what I am thinking but with the alternator charging ok but the volt metor saying its overcharging is my alternator faulty even though its charging or is the volt metor faulty or something else :confused:
Click to expand...

Unless it has a diode blown creating a ripple and dim battery light,or voltage regulator is faulty go by dvm as my gauge is crap.
 
Right for the short time we have had the landy it as always been driven either at night or in the day but with heavy rain each time we have been out in it so everything was on headlights, heater, wipers ect, and the volt gauge always read as over charging ( off the gauge ) but today son and g/friend went to warington on the Mway 60 mile round trip on a clear and sunny day with no lights on ect and the charge gauge read still over charging but just inside the gauge if you know what I mean, does this sound like a duff alternator or is there something else wrong :)
 
Took the 90 to my bro's today ( forklift engineer / electrician ) and he has confirmed that the regulator on the alternator is at fault although its charging but with everything switched on the alternator is not putting enough in not quite 14V's.

so as we intend fitting a winch at some point and other stuff mite go for an 100amp alternator :)
 
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