Dielectric grease helps to improve the electrical connection and also protects the surface from corrosion. It’s also a good idea to clean your battery terminals and connections with a wire brush periodically and apply some dielectric grease to the contact points. You can either make a point of taking the car for a longer drive on the highway once a week, or you can install a trickle charger to keep the battery topped up. If your driving habits include infrequent short trips and many days of not driving, you may deplete your battery and damage its ability to recharge. This can also be performed at any AutoZone to determine if the fault is in the alternator, or the wiring circuit between the alternator and battery. If the voltage is below 13 volts or if it is fluctuating wildly, the alternator is likely suspect and will need to be removed and bench tested. Further tests can determine if the alternator is supplying the correct amperage under load, which can also be done at any AutoZone location. You can test your alternator by starting your car and using a multi-meter across the battery terminals to measure voltage If the voltage is between 13 and 14.5 volts, then your alternator is charging the battery. ![]() If there is a big drop in voltage from the time you tested it, you know there’s an issue there. If you’re suspecting that your battery is not holding a charge, use a battery charger to fully charge it and then let it sit for a day or two before testing it again. A good battery will have a voltage reading of about 12.6 volts and if it’s below that, you may want to consider having the battery tested at your local AutoZone, or replaced. You can test your battery’s voltage with a multimeter available at AutoZone. Your battery won’t be receiving a full recharge in that scenario. When your car is idling, like in heavy traffic or at a stoplight, the engine RPMs are too low to maximize alternator output, so it will focus on providing power to the engine ignition and the essential accessories like cooling fans, water pumps, and HVAC. If you install a high-power stereo system with massive subwoofers you may want to upgrade your alternator because those subs will pull a lot of amps and reduce the amount going to recharge your battery.Īlternators aren’t always running at maximum output, either. Most passenger vehicle alternators have a maximum amperage between 130 and 200 amps, but you can get alternators that are rated up to 400 amps, depending on the application. The output voltage of an alternator will be between 13 and 14.5 volts and the amperage output can vary, depending on the vehicle. Your alternator is a small generator that produces the electricity your car needs to run all the accessories and recharge your battery at the same time. If a battery is started repeatedly without fully recharging, it can start to lose its ability to retain a full charge and you may begin to see battery issues. Because of the incredible strain put on automotive batteries to start the car, their design is optimized to discharge a lot of current in the starting phase and then recharge immediately. Smaller car engines will be on the lower side of that scale, whereas large commercial vehicles may have a big diesel powerplant that requires the upper end of the scale. Starting a car takes anywhere from 400 to 600 amps normally, and can range up to 2,000 amps, depending on the size of the engine. It also provides all the power to any accessories that need to be on while the car is not running, like a security system or dashcam. This may happen frequently in city driving, especially in stop and go traffic, or a traffic jam where you’re stuck in one spot for a while. ![]() ![]() ![]() Aside from this, it will also provide backup power to your vehicle accessories for instances when your alternator is not running at full spin because the engine RPMs are too low. Your vehicle’s battery has one primary responsibility: to provide enough energy to start the car.
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