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, Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:35:32
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you can purchase an inexpensive digital VOM (volt ohm meter) that will do the job. Sears, auto parts places, about $10 for the low end that does volts DC and AC as well as Resistance (OHMS). A quick easy check on the battery condition is to have a buddy in the seat, car on, park or neutral, and the emergency brake ON.
Set your meter to DC volts (sometims the international sign is a solid line) and plug the black connector into the COM or common connector and the red connector into volts (most of the low end meters have three connectors for the probes, one for ground, one for volts, and one for OHMs or resistance connection). Sometimes the low cost meters are not calibrated very well (fancy way of saying the read incorrectly). A quick swag is to get a NEW 1.5v D cell and also a NEW 9v too. check each with the meter and you should be no more than .01 off on the D cell and no more than .1 on the 9V. (I've seen sears units that were 2volts off on - take that one back!)
So there you are with your newly checked calibration meter, engine running, buddy in the drivers seat, all safety requirements engaged (no hard hat or goggles needed for this one). Push the point of the black lead into the top of the negative terminal on the battery, and do the same with the red to the positive. Keep them there. Observe the reading, should be in the 12.8 to 14.2 range, anything wildly over that and the VR is not doing it's job. anything under and either the VR *or* the alternator is not doing the job. KEEPING THE PROBES ON THE BATTERY, tell your helper to turn the car off. OBSERVE the reading... it should only drop to about 12.2 to 12.8 volts. If it goes to 10.x or 8.x your battery is bad, and at 8.x most likely has a bad cell. Bad cell is doubly bad in that sometimes this can require LOTS more volts/amps to start because the bad cell is like a short and is taking the system down.
if the battery seems ok record that number.... come back in a couple of hours and test, record that number and compare. Then turn the headlights on, brights, DO NOT TRY TO START, and with the headlights on take another reading. It should not be more that .01 volts less if you were at 12.x before. If it drops over .5volts the battery is most likely bad, it's not capable of the amp draw to keep the volts up... Power = amps x volts. OR Volts = power/amps. the headlights want a certain number of watts (power) and if the battery can't product the power then the amps goes down and therefore the volts do too.
Try everything again in the morning to see if the settings start good or get worse.
, Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:35:32
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