The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Alternator charging rate.

Just checked the water in my battery this morning, and all cells are low. My '55 Chev 2nd series 3100 runs on 12 volts, and has a Pontiac 400 engine and one wire alternator. It starts fine and runs great. No electrical problems other than it shows 14 volts charging when running, all the time. I did not check the water level when I installed the new battery 6 mos ago. Another thing that has puzzled me is that the voltmeter has power to it when ignition switch is off. This has not been a problem, but there must be some small amount of drain here? I have a battery cutoff switch and use it to cut power when the truck is parked overnight or not going to be used for a while, (anti-theft)

I think 14 volts is normal. An ammeter will show what your alternator is putting out in amps at all times. That is why I had rather have an ammeter in the dash.
Is your battery going down? If not, maybe just add water and everything is ok?

How much water did you need to add to the battery last month, and the one before that? Letting one go six months without at least checking the electrolyte level isn't a good idea, as just normal evaporation will cause battery cells to get low. Depending on the state of charge of the battery, terminal voltage can be anywhere from 13 volts to 14.7 or slightly more. Voltmeters are good, ammeters are better, but the best way to check a charging system is a hydrometer. A fully-charged battery will have electrolyte specific gravity of 1.250 to 1.265, depending on the strength of the acid that was installed when the battery was new. High specific gravity with minimal water loss is the ideal situation, but I can't think of any modern charging systems that have an adjustable voltage regulator.
Jerry

I have to confess, Jerry, that I have not checked the water in the battery until today. All the batteries in my other vehicles these past years have been sealed. Kinda got out of the groove, so to speak! Just bought the battery for my '55 6mos ago and did not even notice that it was not maintainance free. Only was down a little, altho I could see metal above the water level. Topped it off, and will try to check it monthly from now on! The voltmeter working when the ignition switch is off is still bothering me, is it drawing current?

A voltmeter draws virtually no current- - - -it simply measures voltage like a pressure gauge monitors oil pressure, which requires no flow to indicate what's happening. An ammeter requires current to flow to get a reading- - - -not so for a voltmeter.
Jerry

Thanks Jerry and Old GMC Gold, guess this was just a false alarm, but I have learned from it, so all is good. Red Ryder is running good, and life is sweet! Son, your'e gonna drive me to drinkin, if you don't stop drivin' that hot rod Lincoln... My fave old time rock and roll except for "Summertime Blues".....

The voltmeter pos. term. should be wired in the accessory circuit of the ign. That's the way all vehicle manufacturers do it.

HRL is my favorite Karaoke tune, but only after a stiff drink or three!
Jerry