what's up with my voltage?

[Wingsfreak9 10+ year member]

when I first start my car it starts at 14.4-14.6 but after just a few minutes of driving it drops to 12.8 and sits there...the battery is only a couple weeks old

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[>>SQL<< 10+ year member]

What car, Honda?

Many new cars turn off the Alt when it is not needed in order to get better gas mileage.

 

[Wingsfreak9 10+ year member]

What car, Honda?Many new cars turn off the Alt when it is not needed in order to get better gas mileage.

that's kinda what I was thinking the car is an 07 grand prix

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

A lot of guys combat this by turning on the AC to put a load on the alt so it charges higher.

 

[brodeisel 10+ year member]

My honda never does it that dramitcally. It is always at least at 13 volts. Check ground on battery and on your volt meter.

 

[Wingsfreak9 10+ year member]

well it doesn't bother me now but I don't want to be resting at 12.7-12.8 when I put my system in

 

[brodeisel 10+ year member]

Check your grounds though and make sure your alt is charging the right way. I would so some research on your vehichle to see if it is a common problem also.

 

[myjaja 10+ year member]

My honda accord does that, so I just turn on the ac. lol

 

[Dr. Slam 10+ year member]

I have the exact opposite of that happening to my car. When I start it up it's almost in the red for a few mins

 

[Kastlez_ 10+ year member]

In park my honda is 14.2 but when in gear and sitting idle it drops to 12's instantly... is this the same issue?

I'll try the AC trick and see if that fixes it.

Any way to work around this?

 

[Wingsfreak9 10+ year member]

as long as my system forces the alt to kick in it shouldn't be an issue but there's no way I can run an m3 at a half ohm when my voltage at full tilt is like 12.78

 

[sacsking916 5,000+ posts]

In park my honda is 14.2 but when in gear and sitting idle it drops to 12's instantly... is this the same issue?I'll try the AC trick and see if that fixes it.

Any way to work around this?

changing the ecu can change it. i turn my AC on in my honda when i do my bassrace runs to get the charge out of my alt. but someone else was saying that after awhile there alt stopped charging with the AC on. i have noticed this sometimes, but not usually.

 

---------- Post added at 12:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:03 PM ----------

 

as long as my system forces the alt to kick in it shouldn't be an issue but there's no way I can run an m3 at a half ohm when my voltage at full tilt is like 12.78

wont happen. your system is on a seperate line from your ecu. so your system wont kick on your alt. sorry bro, i was hoping the same too

 

[Wingsfreak9 10+ year member]

that is kinda stupid...what can I do to work around that? and what will happen when I get a high output alt?

 

[sacsking916 5,000+ posts]

that is kinda stupid...what can I do to work around that? and what will happen when I get a high output alt?

wont change anything with a H/O alt. didnt make a difference on my dc power 220a. what year is the car?

 

[Wingsfreak9 10+ year member]

it's a 2007 grand prix. so is a h.o alt pretty much pointless or what are my options here I'm going to be running roughly 3k rms daily at .5 ohm how do I keep my voltage up or at least stable