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Volt gauge reading

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Maybe not the dumbest question every, but maybe I'll at least place...

In the new auto meter dash setup I have a volt gauge. I never thought much about what, exactly, it's supposed to tell me, until I started having battery charging problems. So, I start the car with the charger and drive around to see if the battery will charge. The meter starts out by showing me 14 volts, then awhile later it's up to 16 and stays there for the rest of the drive...

Now the question...

How do you read a volt gauge? What is it telling me?

Thanks,
Gary
 
The volt meter tells you how many volts your charging system is putting out. Generally, a healthy regulator will hover around 14-14.5 V with a normal load. At 16 volts you may be cooking your battery with too much voltage. I suggest you check out your regulator for proper function.
 
+1.

The further away from the alternator/battery point you use your voltage pickup, the lower the voltage will be due to resistance losses. I've seen voltages as low as 10.5V when idling when using voltage coming off of the ignition switch area.
 
If you are talking about the instrument constant voltage regulator, no, as the gauge lights are on a completely different circuit than the gauges. The gauges don't even share a common ground with the dash lamps.

The main alternator voltage regulator only controls the voltage and current allowed to go from the alternator to the battery. An overvoltage at the battery would mean an overvoltage in the car, but all lights and components are designed for 24V.
 
"Midlife" said:
If you are talking about the instrument constant voltage regulator, no, as the gauge lights are on a completely different circuit than the gauges. The gauges don't even share a common ground with the dash lamps.

The main alternator voltage regulator only controls the voltage and current allowed to go from the alternator to the battery. An overvoltage at the battery would mean an overvoltage in the car, but all lights and components are designed for 24V.
Click to expand...

Oh good. I sure wouldn't want to correct two problems with fix...
 
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