[Simuse]

There's already a couple of topics on this that I am not trying to re-create found here:



Volt gauge reading 16...



Low voltage reading



But what I am not finding - curious about - is this...



On start up mine reads 13(ish)...which looks normal. After driving (lately often with lights, wipers, city driving with starts and stops) it slowly creeps down to hover, and stays, in the 12 to 12.5 range...this would be while making a 20-30 minutes or so trip someplace...



Normal?

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[Greimann]

Voltage drop after a period of time is normal. It is actually a function built into the regulator to quickly charge the battery with high voltage and then drop down to maintain the charge and reduce the thermal load from excessive charging.



Periodically check the charge voltage at the battery as the instrument panel gauge can read low.

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[Simuse]

Cool - thanks!



Based on the other posts on voltage was planning on picking up a voltage meter this weekend just to be able to double check when needed...sounds like a good thing to have around!

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[Brian]

simuse - beautiful picture of your car. must have waxed it a few times before that shot!



dave - i didn't know that regulators did that! explains a few things....



from playing around with mine, i've found the dash gauge to read about .4-.5 volt lower than the battery or alternator. i think others have found that, too.



if you're really concerned about voltage, you may consider cleaning a few ground points around the car. i had pretty good results with mine. most are very easily accessible and only take a few minutes to freshen up.

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[SILVY968]

My gauge reads 13, by eyeball guestimation, I just had the alternator measured at 13.36 VDC, so our gauges tend to read low by about .5 VDC.

A voltmeter can tell you what the voltage output is at idle and at 2,000 rpm. It, however can not tell you what the current output is, for this you need to take it to a PM or any battery retailer can test the alt. output to see that you are putting out sufficient current to charge the battery and keep it at full charge.

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[Brian]

curious, if you had a multi-meter, could you check the amp reading across the battery for an accurate measurement?

also wondering what the amp reading should be? does it vary with engine speed? i would imagine that it does.

the reason i ask is that i'm not sure if my alternator is working up to snuff. i just had to replace a battery and the p.o. replaced it only a few years ago.

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[Greimann]

Multimeters are typically only rated to about 10 amps on the high current settings. That will blow out the meter in short order if you try to read charging amps. Also you don't read across the battery terminals for amps. You would need to be inline with the charging cable.



You need a serious piece of garage equipment to do this measurement. The current load is really dependent on how far the battery is drained, it's condition and if any high draw accessories are on, like the cooling fans. Really if you have full voltage, >13.5, you should be OK. One fortunate feature on these alternators is that the voltage regulator is easily replaced and it helps the performance of the alternator because the brushes are contained on the regulator.

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[Brian]

glad i asked on the multi meter. i would have blown that thing for sure (although i wouldn't have known how to hook it in anyway!).

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[Greimann]

Just a tip to get the dash gauge reading correctly - take the instrument cluster out and burnish the pads where the connectors contact. Just did this and the volt meter is back up to snuff. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Brian]

i know there are a thousand threads on this....

the instrument cluster - do you have to pull the whole dash to clean it up? i have several gauges taht don't work too well. i'm pretty sure they just need to be cleaned up. i've not done it yet because i don't want to pull the whole dash.



please tell me there's an easy way to get at the gauges. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/unsure.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Greimann]

Oh yea, just a few screws.



Remove steering wheel and then screws at these locations.

After it is loose there are 3 connector plugs on the back that need to be unlatched with the little toggle lever on each side of the plug. Don't just start tugging on them, find the levers.

        [attachment=1825:attachm

ent]

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[Simuse]

Thanks for the pictures - I was going to ask the same question but Brian beat me to it!

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[Brian]

thanks, dave. pictures worth a thousand curse words when you try the job without the pictures... or something like that...



i don't mean to push, but did i miss the part about removing the steering wheel? i'm guessing it must not be tough if you didn't mention it. any concerns with the air bag?

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[Brian]

okay, i'm lazy.

i found a link for the whole dash removal.

i printed out the parts pertaining to the ip.



http://www.968forums.com/index.php?showtop...=steering+wheel

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[Simuse]

Though it might get buried here - but not wanting to start another electrical related thread on my little electrical hiccups - has anyone installed a voltage stabilizer? Good idea? Stupid?



Last weekend I did get half of the previous owners after market installs ripped out (I found it cathartic ripping out old wiring). One thing I hope helps is that I found the wiring to a CD changer (no longer in car) had just been cut (so wire ends exposed) - so power wire from battery to trunk just kind of sitting there...ground from trunk to body not doing much of anything, and two wires running to the stereo that - behind the stereo - were just cut there...need to get in there to see if something might still be connected to my stereo that is causing my stereo weirdness from before....

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[Greimann]

I don't think you need to get anything fancy like a voltage stabilizer. Fix your wiring, clean your grounds and everything should work fine.

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[jww968]

There is a write-up in the DIY section for a CS steering wheel install. This provides more detail on disabling the airbag. I think you have to wait 20 minutes after disconnecting the battery, but do not rely on my memory.

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[Brian]

sim - sounds like you got a car somewhat like mine.

the p.o. had 'installed' a radio in the worst possible way. two speakers were burned out. the 5 channel amp had two channels burned out. wires were twisted together and simply elec taped. at least he had enough sense to put a fuse on his amp power lead. he had a tube sub in the trunk that wouldn't even allow the lid to close fully.



but back to the point, i also found a decent gauge set of power wires up by the radio that weren't hooked to anything. i thought of using them for the radio because they were higher gauge than the actual radio power wires, but then decided to stick to the orig wires for fusing reasons and in case it would throw off the brains of the car at all.



i wonder what that power wire is for up there???

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[Simuse]

Today I hope to rip out the last of the PO electrical installations and check my ground points - I was also going to check into the voltage regulator and found that what I have currently is a Bosch AL170X - this has an internal regulator - yes? So maybe we don't all have the regulator option...?



Am also thinking about cleaning up the dash guages - sounds like a good idea - process of elimination!



And - time allowing - would like to get behind the stereo too - will be interesting to see if I found these power wires Brian is mentioning...

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[Greimann]

[quote name='Simuse' date='Feb 11 2006, 08:46 AM'].... I was also going to check into the voltage regulator and found that what I have currently is a Bosch AL170X - this has an internal regulator - yes? So maybe we don't all have the regulator option...?

[right][post="15829"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

That is the alternator model number. All cars have the same unit. The regulator plugs into the back. See my pictures above.

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