Amperes is the measurement for current. Maybe your iPad shuts down unexpectedly despite having plenty of power left, or inexplicable supercharges. Got my neighbors to give me a jump, battery gauge went up to the middle line and my car started, as soon as he took the cables off the gauge light came back on and the battery gauge started going down slowing and finally got to the lowest. Check your grounds on left side of engine block and ground for ECM. Q: My digital fuel mileage read out and is going up and down erratically. This means that the battery is fully charged and the charging system is providing the current. You will find the needle indicating amp will move down to the point you set for an amp. If the oil pressure is good and reads stable, replace the sending unit and drive the car again to verify your repair. I go inside the car, car still in P, i turn the key and start the car. Two days ago I noticed my fuel mileage was at 17.2 mpg. 4WD. The battery gauges on most vehicles I have owned stays around 13 to 14 volts and doesn't move much unless something that consumes a lot of power is turned on. Things such as the radio and interior lights. ♦ Suppose, if you are charging a car battery, you might set 10 amp as it's the common amp for a car battery. With car running (alternator charging) voltage is between 13 and 14.2 volts , the voltage regulator stop charging at 14.2-14.3 volts. When I full stopped, I turned the car off and then . When the battery reaches to two lower bars, the engine may start to recharge the traction battery up into the "blue" level (3 bars and above lit blue). KARATEMAN. When checking the belt you want to check two things. I think your gauge cluster is inadvertently entering this test mode, maybe because it's got a problem, maybe because your battery voltage isn't all it should be at startup, like VDC and others have said. Second, check the connections between the battery and the gauge. Truck is an '01.5. If so, you aren't the only one to experience a battery going haywire. Cars operate on a 12-volt electrical system. 4. i have a 2002 tahoe z-71. There are several reasons your car battery voltage can be too low. 1. In an ideal situation, the voltage will read somewhere close to 14.4 volts but it will stay at this number and won't continually fluctuate. So, does the needle in the battery gauge jumping around means the battery is bad. It goes to the red zone as well. Faulty Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor. When I am coming to a stop my battery gauge goes way down and the lights dim and the idle drops way down but then it will come back up when I hit the gas pedal. Your generator is the world's worst design. If the fuel gauge needle doesn't move, then you know you have an issue with the gauge itself. Checked actual voltage when this happens, and it's 14.0. show up, gas gauge keeps going up and down. Once in a while just driving along, the battery voltage gauge on the dash will drop to zero (well not really zero it's 8 but you know what I mean). Make sure that the connections are clean and tight. That means the charging system is working correctly. 1,815. driving battery voltage drops. The first thing to check when you have your cars battery gauge jumping around is the serpentine or alternator drive belt. 24,227. Most of the time, there's little to be worried about since breakdowns caused by loss of oil pressure is very low on the list of things likely to go wrong with your . Then it just sits at zero, sometimes it jerks up again, to say 3000, then back . The battery meter dips from about 15 or 16 down to below 14 and then back up to normal. A few days later it will do the same thing again. Step 7: When you connect with the black terminal, it may cause a spark. Temp gauge going up and down! "Mine is having the same issues while driving, door locks going up and down, gauges moving back and forth, lights flickering, sometimes the tahoe shutters, and this usually happens anywhere from 3-10 seconds. it sits over night the battery voltage shows low but the batteries are at 12.5 v and it is hard to start when it warms up the battery voltage gauge shows lo . MEMBER. Well, this is true that power is being taken from the battery, but power is also being given to the battery while driving. If your car battery is failing, it's not going to be able to fully power your vehicle's electrical components - including your headlights. A bad sending unit will usually also show signs of leaking engine oil. I did a code read out by turning the key three times and got 12-47-55. 1,815. driving battery voltage drops. At lunch, it wouldn't start. Two days after I posted my question, my car battery completely died. The battery in the truck is a optima yellow top and is about 1 to 2 years old and the alternator is about 8 to 10 months old. A couple years ago, I shopped around and found Sears Die Hard Gold (made by Johnson Controls) to be the best battery in terms of power, longetivity (consumer reports). 2 weeks later the tempature gauge and rpm gauge quit functioning properly. Depending on the load on the electrical system, anything higher than battery voltage is good voltage for a vehicle. Broken Wirings. 6.Check if there is any gas leakage near by your car engine. 12.6v is the optimal battery voltage. In an ideal situation, the voltage will read somewhere close to 14.4 volts but it will stay at this number and won't continually fluctuate. 100,500 MILES. If the vehicle has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage display on the Driver Information Center (DIC), you may see the voltage move up or down. With car running (alternator charging) voltage is between 13 and 14.2 volts , the voltage regulator stop charging at 14.2-14.3 volts. I have a 2009 GMC Envoy/Denali- V-8, and I am on the THIRD alternator- two rebuilts and a brand new one since February of this year, plus a brand new battery. I own a 98 suburban with a 454 Vortec, and all HD everything. If the fuel gauge indicates the tank is full for more than 75 miles or reads erratically, there may be a problem. Fuel gauge stuck on empty. Also the "check gauges" light comes on. When the state of charge is high, the voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging. The alternator is basically a generator that provides an even amount of low-level electricity, which it generates with a circular bundle of copper wires and a rotating magnet. Sears replaced the battery in. Here is a more detailed list of the most common causes when a temperature gauge stays on cold. 7 Causes of Car Temperature Gauge Stays on Cold. If the cells are discharged, they will need to be recharged. This morning the needle was about 1 volt below (13 volts) the middle mark (14 volts) on the gauge. Optima Batteries RedTop Car Battery. It is a measuring unit for how fast a machine is working. A normal battery reads at about 12-14V without a load on it, with 12V being the standardized figure. Do All the above your car will be smooth and there will be no problem related . 1999 FORD RANGER. Other wise, charging current won't flow. During starting it can go down to 9 volts or less , medium cars starter motor are 250/300 amper rated. However, if the gauge approaches the higher (hot) end of the scale under normal driving conditions, it usually points to problems with the cooling system . Diagnosing A Car Battery That Runs Down by Larry Carley copyright 2019 AA1Car.com. Checking the voltage at the fuel gauge can be a simple procedure. That means the charging system is working correctly. 2. It was running great, parked it to run in the house for a few minutes, went and started it up and, everything was normal, then all the sudden the battery volt meter dropped to 9 and the check gauge light came on. Feb 25, 2010 • Mercury Marquis Cars & Trucks 1 helpful 2 answers 1998 chevy express van electrical problem I have a 97 jeep tj, 2.5L. With car running if everythig is working properly voltage at the . C. Alerts in advance once the car battery drops down too low, which allows you about one hour to go to a repair center before you are completely stopped on the way 2008 AWD SLT-2 Blue Gold Met/Ebony, 18", NAV, HUD, XM, Built 11/07<br />2004 Toyota Highlander AWD Ltd Hey friends if your car RPM goes down to zero then do following steps. Contents show. Step 6: Connect the red cable from the charger to the positive red battery terminal. the message center flashes battery,security,low fuel. 5. Voltage rises during acceleration, but decreases once I take my foot off the accelerator. What do I look for next. If your car battery voltage is discharged, or has less than 12.4 volts, the power decreases dramatically. Here is the scenario: the car is parked inside, engine is off. Answer (1 of 6): So that you can verify that they work correctly. Step 1 Look at the voltmeter on the dashboard of your vehicle. When all of the gauges or warning lights in your car stop working at once, the problem is something that all of the gauges and lights share in common. car runs fine and starts great. Solution: It's easy to check whether the alternator is not working, or the battery is at fault.You will need to connect a voltmeter to the battery when the car is running and idle. The door chime was going off at first than stopped, tried to start again and nothing happen. A fully charged car battery voltage for a vehicle that isn't running should fall between 12.4 volts and 12.6 volts. Fuel gauge stuck on full. If there is a problem, an alert will be displayed. Maybe two weeks, after I got the car, the engine light came on, and now will not go off. When the air is on and the auxiliary electric fan kicks in, my voltage drops from 14.2 down to about 12.5-13. The needle is moving from one end to the other. Step 4: If the battery is fitted to the car, make sure you turn everything off. The battery charger is the full bucket and the hose, while your car's battery is the empty bucket. Needing to press on the gas pedal to start. You get somebody to give you a jump start, or you connect the battery to a charger and charge it up until it has enough juice to start your engine. The stud threads into the block near the front corner of the cylinder head. Will tend to drop on longer trips and go back up after a while. For instance, a deficiency of six tenths of a volt can lead to a power loss of up to 75%. Here is what is going on. Alternator gauge going up and down but battery and Alternator are both brand new 2 Answers. Consistently does this on and off religiously everyday when sitting at a light or just in park. I have checked my coolant fluids and seem to be good, I have replaced the thermostat and even replaced the water pump which was a pain in the a**. Keep to making sure that your car's system is off—and no "on" ignition keys! Jul 24, 2016by Eric Viitala This is ford 460 in rv. However, there is a significant risk of water spilling or the bucket tipping over from the water "surge". You may want to check out clogged components such as the heater core, radiator hose, coolant level, thermostat, or water pump. When the state of charge is high, the voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging. During starting it can go down to 9 volts or less , medium cars starter motor are 250/300 amper rated. Only show this user. Also the "check gauges" light comes on. 4. The car may drain down the traction battery during stop and go driving at a rate determined by how much current you are using while stopped or driving in stop and go conditions. AUTOMATIC. Backfiring. Use a voltmeter to test the voltage on all of your 6 batteries. Now what? All it needs to do is disconnect the battery charge cable from the battery with a relay, or maybe a simple command the alternator's built in regulator to drop it's voltage down to 12V.. A Bad Alternator Bad Alternator The vehicle alternator is an electric generator. The Problem is that my temp gauge is going up and down. It must be between 13.75 and 14.75 volts. This is normal. jfeck September 19, 2011, 8:41pm #8 It turned out to be the battery. Then even later I notice it's back up to 3/4. So still having issues with the voltage fluctuating anywhere from as high as 14.3 down to as low as 12.1. then the oil pressure gauge started messing up, and it stays buried above 80, and does not come down. but lights flicker when driving down the road. Unhook power to the battery meter for 10 minutes. Unlike many of the gauges on a car which are understandable with common sense and simple logic, the oil pressure gauge sometimes seems to be erratic. I can usually turn the engine off and back on about 5-8 times and it will reset back to normal. If the meter sis still showing a "full status", continue on to step 2. There are a few things you can do to fix the battery gauge going up and down. A temperature gauge will normally rise above the middle range when driving in heavy traffic, carrying or pulling a heavy load, or going up a steep hill. Also, check the pink wires on the body relay box under left hand side of dash. I thought t. Here are the 5 most common reasons why is your battery gauge fluctuating: A Bad Alternator Old Battery Car was Abandoned Loose Connections Battery Corrosion 1. The ammeter gauge should read a little greater than zero when the engine is on and the system is functioning properly. RPM go up and down. Is it trying to predict how much gas I have based on current speed? oilpressure gage and volt gage are not affected. The tachometer needle starts moving up and down like crazy, pretty fast - as you saw in the video. When I replaced the old alternator and tension pulley. Also replaced the battery in 2006 and then again yesterday (so getting about 2 years 8 months on a battery) I . 6. 2.Make it Throttle body clean. Fortunately, the car keeps driving. and the speedometer starts working. The battery connection is self-explanatory and tackled first. ♦ After switching on, you will notice that the amp needle will move to your set amp. If the vehicle has a voltmeter gauge, you may see the voltage move up or down. Similarly, if the gauge drops to empty very soon after filling the tank, it should be checked out. When driving, occasionally all the dash lights will come on, but the gauges like gas, battery, and mileage, will all drop down to zero. After the engine is running, the alternator takes over. Truck is an '01.5. I have a 1988 car. Why is my voltage dropping? The coolant passageway might be blocked with sediments or rust. Clicking sound when you turn the key. I assume there is a reverse current relay to ding the DIC if there is a charging problem. Voltage will drop when the battery is fully charged and few accessories are being used - will go back to 14.7 or so to charge the battery. The fuel gauge should go up and down all the way during the test. My car does not have any leaks and full on coolant. Your terminals will stay clean and wet weather will not be an issue anymore. That was the last gauge to go. 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