Catechism an Alternator With a Metre
Testing your alternator with a voltmeter is the easiest and most efficacious hang-up to pride absent provided it has Sufficiently ability to recharge the battery. You don't carry to disconnect the battery cables to assessment the alternator; actually, disconnecting the battery, while the engine is running, is fatal. Not single achieve you risk shocking yourself, you risk pathetic the alternator and other meaningful engine components. Instead, let the battery be the window to the alternator's process.
Instructions
1. Uplift the hood and establish the battery, removing its insert whether there is one. It should be between 13.6 and 14.3 volts if the alternator is strong. If the reading is below 13.6 volts, the alternator is too weak. Take it to an auto parts retailer for further diagnosis.
Always connect the positives first then the negatives to avoid electric shock.
3. Start your vehicle's engine. Look at the reading on the screen of the voltmeter. Determine the certain and negative posts on the battery. The positive post has a red connector and a "+" sign beside it; the negative post has a black connector and a "-" sign beside it.2. Attach the positive wire of the voltmeter to the positive battery post and the negative wire to the negative battery post. You may have to replace the alternator if nothing can be done to recharge it.
