Flat Batt revisited

No, that is just fine for a charging voltage. Anywhere between 13.8 and 14.2 is good.

The voltage looks good ... but is there any charge current? Just because the warning light goes out doesn't mean it's charging.

Regards Steve G

Modulating amplitude in the microcurrents shorting across his synapses, SteveG involuntary reflexes miraculoosely formed...

There was another post with same question not long ago. 13.8-14.7 ish is average range. Some Jap models go to 16-ish but rare (aftermarket alternators???). If regulator goes,batt may not charge but chg light goes out.

99.9% of the time (IME) this is the problem (in all cars I've seen, not just L/R). 14.1 should be fine - loose wires/ropey connections or broken wires inside "sheaths" - check for frays - intermittent shorts If you're worried about charge rate and problems, park on a hill, engine off and leave lights on for half an hour or so. Bump start down hill (lights off - daytime for preference ) and check charge rate. Or switch lights on and off watching voltage change.

Slightly off topic but maybe useful (some people read posts)- if you want a higher rate alternator and don't mind a bit of modification - check Volkswagen alternators. Simple to wire, reliable, cheap as chips (brand new - Bosch etc. - no plug but Euro Car Parts/German&Swedish), and enough amps for most things. 70a alternator off 1.6 Golf - I'm running it on a (don't laugh - 40 mpg pays for lots more 8mpg hooning in the toys!) sorted 1.3 Golf with a 30%ish smaller pulley - 4sp box so alt is spinning much faster for longer than usual and no probs at all. Lucas

11ACR (standard later SIII) is only 45a and much slower spinning anyway.. One of the Passats (poss. TD) had 110a.

Hope some of this helps and the other bit provides help / info / flamebait for the "Don't strip our VWs lobby"/ a reason for you to be online slightly longer (if millions pick this up I might buy a second BT share ) / a reason for someone to say, "You can't blah blah etc.." / an opporchancity for LittCrit 101.

And I'm no auto electrician (mostly no worries, but I know when to call a real professional and I know a voltmeter can be wired as an ammeter (or vice-versa - or maybe even both!) - something to do with series and parallel makes the difference - may be worth googling for - handy if you have a spare ammeter/ voltmeter (I can remember reading part of the article but didn't finish it - in (possibly - don't laugh - some were s**t h*t cars) a Reliant club magazine. Someone _will_ know. I didn't finish the article because brain went "bleugh", started "Postal" thoughts, and reverted to penguins again.....

A voltmeter and ammeter are essentially the same mechanism, reacting to current. (I'm talking about the old pre-digital type.)

For voltage, there would be a resistor in series, and the same small current through the meter and the resistor. Maybe 1 milliamp at full- scale deflection. So the designer, knowing the FSD current, the meter resistance, and the voltage desired for FSD, would work out the series resistance with Ohm's Law.

For current, you have a resistor in parallel, a very low resistance, and most of the current goes through that. For the same mechanism, the coil resistance had to be around 1000x bigger than the shunt resistor to measure 1 amp.

What is means is that measuring voltage is relatively easy. That cheap meter might be limited by insulation, but it could measure a couple of thousand volts. But measuring high current, such as alternator output, gets tricky.

There are ways around this. If you can connect a sensitive voltmeter across the earth strap, and you know the resistance, the voltage indication tells you the current passing. Calibration might be a bit tricky, but that is essentially using the earth strap as a remote shunt.