1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
more technical talk.
Voltage is like the pressure in a tire. Potentially it has the force to push out (as in the psi of the tire) or to jump across a small space (like the spark on a spark plug ~ 20,000 volts min to jump a .5 mm gap.).
Amperage is a quantitative amount of flow of current, and we'll leave it there. Your not ready for coulombs and we don't have that much space here. Shortened to amp or amps it was displayed on the older vehicles on the AMPGAUGE displaying charge or discharge from the battery by the Generator. Cubic Centimeters would measure the amount of air leaking out of a hole in the tire if captured and measured at atmosphere pressure. Cubic Centimeters per time unit (sec. min. hr.) would give you the RATE of flow. That is the ampere.
ONE VOLT of potential force pushing ONE AMPERE of current thru a lamp is ONE WATT of POWER. A 12 V car battery is really 12.8 - 13.4 at full charge and nothing on it. To charge the battery the alternator has a integrated circuit made to be a automatic measuring device and throttle sytem. It will allow the alternator to output it's max designed amperage into the car's system to charge the battery and keep the voltage up to 13.6 - 14.2 (there abouts) which has just cranked over the engine and run the items we have chosen to turn on.
As the battery builds back up requiring less input as it nears full charge the regulator sees the voltage approach the 14.2 max neighborhood and it backs off the alt. output to keep the voltage in check. Voltage over 14.6 and the alternator is running full tilt amuck and not good things will occur. That is time for a repair of the regulator/brush pack.
A short is a path of flow from source bypassing the load back into the source return allowing runaway current flow = big heat created by current in wires and melting insulation/wire. Fuses are a designed weak point which fails to protect wires from damage.
A drain will be a load which slowly discharges the battery overnight. Like the trunk and interior light mentioned by Bill.
So far the 34R (reversedInterstate has been a good battery for me. Ground is first off and last on the battery when replacing one. Clean with terminal brush and spray battery spray or grease coat the clamps. I don't know when the 9K's started using non reversed battery terminals and I see only by doing past searches on your posts that you have a 94. (Please state your yr/model on the start of each problem so we know quickly) There may be a punch out date tag on your battery. That should be good enough to have Sears replace it if in warr.
This course worth .5 CEU's on automotive electrical systems.
Happy Motoring
posted by 12.221.113...
, Fri, 26 Sep 2003 09:57:55
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