High Voltage at Battery!

[KTMrida4life 10+ year member]

$11 ddm will help you lose!!! hahaha.. been there done that..

I actually have that craftsman DMM and it works great.. Ive never had an issue with it. Spot on accurate 100% of the time. Maybe I got lucky.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

My $5 harbor freight DMM works just fine...

 

[johnnyvolcom5 10+ year member]

ok so here is another problem i may be running into in the future. I should prob post this as a new thread but since this one is already started i guess ill try here first. Apparently hondas manufactured for use in the US have something called an ELD (Electronic Load Detector) that, if im understanding correctly, basically tells your alternator whether or not to be in "high output" mode or LO mode depending on what you have running. For example if you were driving in the city at low MPH with nothing on in the car, the ELD would kick in and say low output mode, making the alternator put out only 12 or less volts to battery. The problem is the ELD doesnt pick up things you add to the battery before the fuse box, meaning it wont know your amps are on and drawing power. WHich could lead to undervoltage at amps ect.

So here is my question, can i just run speaker wire from my battery terminals to my DMM probes so i can monitor the voltage while driving, or can i purchase a reliable voltmeter i can hook up? I want to know if my car is kicking into this LO mode while driving....i tested my battery with car idiling every minute or so for 20 minutes and it was always normal but maybe changes while driving.

 

[MANTI5 10+ year member]

Just unplug the ELD. That's what I'll be doing tomorrow to mine when I install my H/O alt.

 

[johnnyvolcom5 10+ year member]

Just unplug the ELD. That's what I'll be doing tomorrow to mine when I install my H/O alt.

But then Alternator is ALWAYS running at HO mode putting more strain on engine and prob decreasing life of battery and alternator.

 

[MANTI5 10+ year member]

It will run like a normal alt. I've asked several Honda owners that have done it with no problems.

 

[johnnyvolcom5 10+ year member]

It will run like a normal alt. I've asked several Honda owners that have done it with no problems.

well first i want to know if mine is even kicking on, i would think that at an idle with nothing on for 20 minutes the ELD would have kicked on and dropped voltage to battery, but maybe its because i dont have amps running in my car drawing power so the battery is staying at 14 volts. Do you have a honda yourself? how are u going to disable it?

 

[MANTI5 10+ year member]

I have a 08 Civic and I'm just going to unplug it. Unplug ELD? - 8th Generation Honda Civic Forum

 

[johnnyvolcom5 10+ year member]

Ok thanks, ill look into how to remove mine if voltage becomes an issue when i finally get my stuff installed

 

[Scratchy 10+ year member]

I didn't buy it. It was used at the auto repair shop. My dad diagnosed the old school way.

With his tongue?

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

Voltage is almost ALWAYS an issue for newer honda owners. The amps don't kick it into HO mode, you have to turn something on in the car like the A/C or something, then the voltage will jump to a proper range. I'd just unplug it now.

 

[johnnyvolcom5 10+ year member]

Voltage is almost ALWAYS an issue for newer honda owners. The amps don't kick it into HO mode, you have to turn something on in the car like the A/C or something, then the voltage will jump to a proper range. I'd just unplug it now.

K, but i have 7th gen civic and those instructions are for 8th gen. I know what it looks like in my under the hood fuse box can i just pull it out?

 

[johnnyvolcom5 10+ year member]

ugh double post