Alt???? Im Confused??? Help Please....

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

So previously i said that my alt was acting like it was messing up, as in not charging correctly. for example it was only going up to 13v or 13.2v while running. I have recently got a batt charger and charged my batts for a while because they are all AGM/Deep Cycle. I unplugged the charger before so i could drive it to work. i also just re-installed my volt meter today and when i started it my voltage was seemingly back to normal charging at 14.5 & .6v while running. and that confused me. i thought before that it may have been something else.

Now im curious, someone before mentioned to me that if battery(s) are so low, that it will cause the Alt not to charge them correctly, until they are charged back up to a certain point.

is that true?


Thanks,

@dbeez;

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[Canaan 10+ year member]

Alts do not charge.

They maintain.

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

Alts do not charge.They maintain.

well what ever they do.... my point is that before i thought my alt was going to take a sh1t, when i started it my volt meter showed i was only getting up to about 13v. Now i charged my batteries up and now my voltage goes up to 14.5v like normal/before

 

[dbeez 5,000+ posts]

well what ever they do.... my point is that before i thought my alt was going to take a sh1t, when i started it my volt meter showed i was only getting up to about 13v. Now i charged my batteries up and now my voltage goes up to 14.5v like normal/before

Yes when batteries get low they actually begin pulling on the alt as a load all the time trying to charge it only takes one low battery to create the load. No matter how strong your electrical the only way to peroperly maintain your batts is to put a charger on them regularly once a week twice a month whatever you feel but I prefer once a week when a system is in and beating as it pulls the batts down regjlarly.

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

Yes when batteries get low they actually begin pulling on the alt as a load all the time trying to charge it only takes one low battery to create the load. No matter how strong your electrical the only way to peroperly maintain your batts is to put a charger on them regularly once a week twice a month whatever you feel but I prefer once a week when a system is in and beating as it pulls the batts down regjlarly.

i see... before i charged them this time it had been a bit sense the last time they had been charged. i didnt get them all the way up where as they are deep cycles. i put them on a 10 amp charge for a while and got the battery % up pretty good, then i switched them to a 2 amp trickle for a while and i know that will take forever. im just going to put them back on the 2 amp & let them charge over night seeing the charger has AGM/DC settings and has maintain/float mode.

 

[dbeez 5,000+ posts]

Just put them on agm mode and let them go.

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

Just put them on agm mode and let them go.

thats what im going to do tonight.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

Alts do not charge.They maintain.

Oh really. So when you crank the car over to start it and draw several hundred amps, the alt just maintains that low level? Or does it recharge the batt to full capacity? I've seen several people make the statement you have and I seriously wonder where that idea came from.

If it only maintained then after starting your car several times the batt would be dead. How long can you crank a car that won't start before the batt dies?

OP as has been stated, if your batts are resting low then your alt will not put out full voltage until they're full charged. I would question why your batts are so low. Do you play it full tilt and not give it time to recharge, or do you have current draw somewhere when the vehicle is off?

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

Oh really. So when you crank the car over to start it and draw several hundred amps, the alt just maintains that low level? Or does it recharge the batt to full capacity? I've seen several people make the statement you have and I seriously wonder where that idea came from.
If it only maintained then after starting your car several times the batt would be dead. How long can you crank a car that won't start before the batt dies?

OP as has been stated, if your batts are resting low then your alt will not put out full voltage until they're full charged. I would question why your batts are so low. Do you play it full tilt and not give it time to recharge, or do you have current draw somewhere when the vehicle is off?

yea i was really bad at playing and then not charging before. but i dont have any system equipment right now. i have charged my batts up and now my alt is charging like normal. 14.5 or .6v on the first start of the day and usually between 14 and 14.2 or .3v when the its warm.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

Good to hear...

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

Good to hear...

yea its a relief

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Oh really. So when you crank the car over to start it and draw several hundred amps, the alt just maintains that low level? Or does it recharge the batt to full capacity? I've seen several people make the statement you have and I seriously wonder where that idea came from.
If it only maintained then after starting your car several times the batt would be dead. How long can you crank a car that won't start before the batt dies?

OP as has been stated, if your batts are resting low then your alt will not put out full voltage until they're full charged. I would question why your batts are so low. Do you play it full tilt and not give it time to recharge, or do you have current draw somewhere when the vehicle is off?

They do maintain at the batteries resting voltage. Batteries start cars on resting voltage.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

They do maintain at the batteries resting voltage. Batteries start cars on resting voltage.

No, they recharge them to resting voltage, not maintain. Batt will be below resting voltage after starting.

Car won't start in the dead of winter and you crank it over until batt is dead. Get a jump start and then the alt will recharge the batt, correct????

 

[NIHL8ION]

Any good Alt DOES recharge the batt in a vehicle, however if you are pulling a **** ton of juice from a stereo system and your alt can not put out what you are taking away: What do you think is going to happen?! That's where charging them every so-often comes into play //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[SounDrive Pro Seller]

No, they recharge them to resting voltage, not maintain. Batt will be below resting voltage after starting.
Car won't start in the dead of winter and you crank it over until batt is dead. Get a jump start and then the alt will recharge the batt, correct????

People here don't seem to understand electricity... Lol

Alternators do charge batteries. That's why it's called a CHARGING system. Trickle chargers just help to extend the battery life and give it a better more complete charge. Alternators are made for quick charging