The in-dash voltmeter will register ~14v after letting the car rest overnight. as i drive the voltmeter reading decreases with any electrical useage ie windows, turn signals ect can be oserved in the voltmeter reading. With a very noticeable fluctuation when the turn signals are on. The alternator has been rebuilt[this is alternator #4] ; the readout on the VAT45 test equipmet reads 160A output and 14v with the car running. I started the car a couple of day ago and the battery light, the water coolant light and the Brake light remained on. after doing a check, I drove the car to the electric shop that had rebuilt the alternator and he replaced the battery with an Optuma. The fluctuations are still present and after a short period of driving the voltmeter is ~ 13v and dips to <12v with the brake lights and turn signal on. Any ideas what the problem might be would be appreciated. Is there an external sensor or something in the path that regulates the volatage? Thanks...

 

sry man
wouldnt know
i got a VR4 so i got a boost gauge instead

 

I get the same - it is just normal, for some reason our turn systems just draw that much power.

One thing you might want to check though if you are worried, is make sure that the positive terminal cable is attached tightly (Mine was loose connecting the wire to the terminal clamp and it didn't charge well until I fixed that) everywhere, and that the terminal clamps themselves are clean.

Also, do you have the BigTyla ground-wire kit? If you do, I noticed that my voltage fluctuations increased a little when I installed it, but it hasn't hurt anything yet - just so much less resistance on the system that the fluctuations are more noticable.

 

The concern is that this is a recent occurence with the fluctuations. As stated earlier, after sitting for a while [like over night] the voltage reading is ~14v, then it will slowly decay as I drive.

 

totally normal operation.

obviously, all electronic items need voltage to function. so turning them on will decrease the overall system voltage a bit.
also, charging systems are designed to decrease output with higher temps, as more voltage is required to compensate for higher resistance when cold. so the output of your alternator may be 14 volts at 70 degrees, but only 13.6 at 110, etc.

alternator voltage is also dependant on RPM, so at idle your alternator should not have enough output to compensate for a total system load.

 

Dude i think thats normal