How many volts should my alternator be charging at in a 98 Cavalier with a 2.2L is there a standard voltage that all cars should charge at? right now it charges at 12V at idle and and about 14.5 when reved. So is this good or bad or what? Thanks in advanced!
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Going faster one mod at a time
16.03 @86mph
When idle ( the car running ) the battery should be 14.4 volts. With no engine running the battery should be about 12.2 - 12.8 volts.
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Jeff
Velocity Custom Home Theater
Mobile Audio/Video Specialist
Morden, Manitoba CANADA
Sounds like you Might have a bad voltage regulator. One of the regulators functions is to turn the alternator on and off. But once you rev the engine and bring it down to idle dose it start to put out juce? With the car on at idle you should have around 13.8 and 14.4 volts. But the reason I ask is there are a couple different types of alternators that turn on different ways. Some turn on by the RPM’s so once you rev it the regulator will turn on and the others the battery wire and an ignition wire activate the alternator. With this setup the alternator starts charging as soon as the engine is running. This is the standard type that manufactures normally use. I would try and check the voltage coming off the alternator as well as the battery and see what you get. But I would try and replace the regulator and see what happens. But if the regulator is internal (built into the alternator) then you will have to replace the alternator.