Battery voltage

[Faze]

My truck broke down on highway, looks like blown diff.
When waiting for tow truck I went through all the gauges and made a video.

Now seeing that the battery was at 13.2v and I believe I saw a post where it says it should be over 14v otherwise the battery might be bad.

What is your voltage? Want to make sure they address this at the dealership as well

 

[Webbo]

Mine hovers around 13.7-13.8 (periodically to 14) and is usually 14.2-14.3 right after starting. I just had both of my batteries load tested at the dealer when it was in for my BSM/AEM issues and both batteries passed.

If you are worried about it, you can ask your dealer to load test both batteries while it’s there for repairs.

 

[Deange2001]

My truck broke down on highway, looks like blown diff.
When waiting for tow truck I went through all the gauges and made a video.

Now seeing that the battery was at 13.2v and I believe I saw a post where it says it should be over 14v otherwise the battery might be bad.

What is your voltage? Want to make sure they address this at the dealership as well

View attachment 9765

lol went into a deep dive on this topic in another post but basically when the car is running you ideally have 14.5v and have it hold steady. Anything over 14v is fine tho. With the engine off but car on the battery needs to be above 11v (which was my situation, 11.2v). I called three different dealers on the topic (all of whom saw my truck for one reason or another) and all said the same thing. Take it for what it’s worth. I bet I’ll still need new batteries sooner than normal.

 

[frogjbm]

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• 13.7 – 14.7 volts: Normal charging range with engine running.
• 12.6 volts: Fully charged battery with the engine off.
• 12.4 volts or less: Battery may be undercharged or weak.
• 15 volts or more: Possible overcharging issue—alternator regulator could be faulty.

 

[BLKRHO2169]

Hovering around 14.1 during idle.

 

[Banger]

Mine is consistently 14.3-14.5 when running.

 

[MattH89]

Mine goes between 13.9-14.3 while running.

 

[Faze]

ok will have them that checked as well

 

[Adub]

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• 13.7 – 14.7 volts: Normal charging range with engine running.
• 12.6 volts: Fully charged battery with the engine off.
• 12.4 volts or less: Battery may be undercharged or weak.
• 15 volts or more: Possible overcharging issue—alternator regulator could be faulty.

Is this in a manual or come from the service department? I'm trying to keep track of mine as it seems weak. I just saw this and went and checked with the engine off and it's at 12.4v

 

[AusputzerAri]

I had my batteries replaced three weeks ago. Truck was completely dead. But now when I start the truck, I see the red battery light momentary for about two seconds about 9 out of 10 times. After that it is gone. The volt meter goes from 0 to initially 14 V, but now it seems to be dropping .1 volt every day. I’m around 13.2 now. Is this an indication of these new batteries dying as well?

 

[Deange2001]

I had my batteries replaced three weeks ago. Truck was completely dead. But now when I start the truck, I see the red battery light momentary for about two seconds about 9 out of 10 times. After that it is gone. The volt meter goes from 0 to initially 14 V, but now it seems to be dropping .1 volt every day. I’m around 13.2 now. Is this an indication of these new batteries dying as well?

This is normal. When starting the car draws a lot of current to get the starter motor going. Once it turns over the alternator turns on and pumps the battery back up. Very normal to see the battery symbol come on for a second then turn off.

 

[xkpgx81]

My truck gets as low as 13.2 when driving and then 14.5 depending on the situation. Never had a single electrical, battery or starting issue at all - I just passed 4K miles.

 

[frogjbm]

Is this in a manual or come from the service department? I'm trying to keep track of mine as it seems weak. I just saw this and went and checked with the engine off and it's at 12.4v

I googled it and then ran it through AI Gemini. Seems reasonable. Just charge your battery all night and monitor it.

 

[Webbo]

Prior to leaving the truck home for a work trip, I hooked up a Noco 5 to charge the batteries and some favorable results so far. I hooked it up and it only had one red light then let it charge all the way (took about 2.5hrs). Left the truck for 5 days and started right up.

On my drive today, the voltage never dipped below 14.1 the entire drive to and from the office. Prior to charging with the Noco 5, mine would stay at 13.2 and jump up to 14.2 then back and forth. Seems like charging it once has helped. Just an observation if anyone with batteries in the 13’s want to try.

 

[Steadi]

I leave to go to Italy on Sunday. I’ll be gone for 2 weeks. I’ll charge the batteries the night before and leave it unplugged while I’m gone and report back.

So far, I’ve not had any issues with the truck and I’ve charged the batteries a handful of times, just kind of sporadically.

 

[Deange2001]

Put 500 miles on my truck this weekend. Up to 1000 miles with no problems (2600 total miles). That said on the drive home the battery was at 13.3-13.4. I am thinking I might just replace the batteries with what others have used on the forum. I am slightly torn, like should I wait for them to just go or spend the $450 and get the new batteries? I guess my concern is if the new batteries don’t do anything it’s a waste of money bs making the dealer keep replacing as needed but I want to get in front of this. Anyone have any tips on changing the batteries beside the obvious (neg first then positive etc).

 

[jmill012]

Okay so I’m now worried about my battery. While driving I’m hovering around 13.5 but when I brake it goes up to 14.5. As soon as I hit the gas it drops back to 13.5.

When the start/stop kicks in and it shuts down I’m at 12.6v.

With the truck off and not running I’m at 12.4v.

Thoughts?

 

[Webbo]

Okay so I’m now worried about my battery. While driving I’m hovering around 13.5 but when I brake it goes up to 14.5. As soon as I hit the gas it drops back to 13.5.

When the start/stop kicks in and it shuts down I’m at 12.6v.

With the truck off and not running I’m at 12.4v.

Thoughts?

I would suggest trying what I mentioned in my post above. I had the same voltage variation as you (actually a little worse) and mine has stayed above 14V ever since.

 

[jmill012]

I would suggest trying what I mentioned in my post above. I had the same voltage variation as you (actually a little worse) and mine has stayed above 14V ever since.

Thanks!

Mine got worse after driving for an hour. Now it’s at 13.2 while driving and when I turned it off I check the battery and it’s low

 

[Deange2001]

Thanks!

Mine got worse after driving for an hour. Now it’s at 13.2 while driving and when I turned it off I check the battery and it’s low

This is what I am most concerned about. When I drive for a while (2 hour trip let's say) my voltage will start up fine and go to 14.4V and then after driving it slowly drops. I have had it drop as low as 13.2V. Maybe this is normal? Can anyone confirm (does anyone work for a dealer here in parts) that this is normal or expected?