Battery Gauge

[don1965]

Took the new truck on its first road trip yesterday. Everything went fine except, I noticed that the battery gauge was at the low end of the normal area. All I had on was the a/c, in auto mode, and the radio. Is this normal? I'm used to seeing the gauge at 14 volts all the time. On the return trip, at night, the gauge read 14 volts as normal.

Something I'm missing here??

[Yotaman]

Yes it is normal. The Alternator unloads to save the engine from straining and helps to burn less fuel. My 2006 did the same thing. It just means that the battery is fully charged and does not need to work the alternator too hard.

 

Yotaman

[don1965]

Thanks!

Kind of what I figured, but just wanted to make sure. I never had a truck, or car, that has done that, kind of freaked me out!

[chuckl1218]

For more information, Operators Manual helps. From page 5-15...

 

When the engine is running, this

gauge shows the condition of the

charging system. The gauge can

transition from a higher to lower or a

lower to higher reading. This is

normal. If the vehicle is operating

outside the normal operating range,

the charging system light comes on.

The voltmeter gauge may also read

lower when in fuel economy mode.

This is normal.

Readings outside the normal

operating range can also occur

when a large number of electrical

accessories are operating in the

vehicle and the engine is left idling

for an extended period. This

condition is normal since the

charging system is not able to

provide full power at engine idle. As

engine speeds are increased, this

condition should correct itself as

higher engine speeds allow the

charging system to create maximum

power.

The vehicle can only be driven for a

short time with the readings outside

the normal operating range. If the

vehicle must be driven, turn off all

accessories, such as the radio and

air conditioner.

[nahulu77]

Yes it is normal. The Alternator unloads to save the engine from straining and helps to burn less fuel. My 2006 did the same thing. It just means that the battery is fully charged and does not need to work the alternator too hard.

 

Yotaman

I notice when my hid low beams is on and I'm on the road driving, the gauge would be at 14, but as soon as I turn off the headlights, the gauge would drop to 12 volts. So is this normal also?

[nahulu77]

And also, pretty much when I don't have the headlights on, the volts would be at 12, only when the lights go on, the volts go back up to 14. Thanks.

[Yotaman]

Yes Normal, when the lights are on the battery is being drawn on harder thus the alternator has to run to keep the battery charging up. You are all good.

 

 

Yotaman

[tanner709]

Noticed this today while driving in the highway... Makes a lot of sense, great info to know.

 

Most times I see the gauge around 14v and today was around 11.5-12v (estimate)

[anthony2558]

Thanks guys for the info. I to was seeing the gauge drop to low normal range and was a little stumped.

 

 

 

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