• Re: Car battery testing over double 12 volts??

    From AMuzi@21:1/5 to Michael Trew on Thu Dec 23 19:13:42 2021
    On 12/23/2021 6:44 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
    I can't process how this is happening. I have an old car
    battery in one of my cars. It is worn out enough that it
    died on the first freeze that we had, sitting 2-3 days
    without starting. Said battery has also been leaking a bit
    of acid from around the terminals, and they are corroded.

    So, lately, the alternator belt has been squealing if I slow
    to an idle (1993 Geo Metro), and the airbag light randomly
    flashes. The alternator belt is not worn and is torqued
    properly. I've noticed other electrical oddities such as
    the gas gauge going up and down (at almost the same rate as
    the throttle/RPM increase/decrease).

    Finally, I pulled it this evening and threw another tested
    good (checked 12.7 v) battery in the car. I am about to go
    drive to my evening shift at work. I decided to test the
    old battery with the same voltage tester, and it tested at
    27 V!! I can't find any info on a web search about this issue.

    I checked it twice, and even put it on a charger for a
    minute to see if that would make a difference. The cheap HF
    trickle charger showed "fully charged"... then it tested at
    27.2 V after unplugging it. Hopefully it hasn't damaged the
    ECM in the car, or something.

    Does anyone know how the voltage of a 12 V car battery can
    double or more, just with regular usage? Possibly the cells
    in the battery shorting, or something? I thought that
    shorted cells decreased the voltage, not increased it. What
    an odd issue; thanks for the insight.

    Possible voltage regulator problem. Other issues: https://gear4wheels.com/why-is-your-car-battery-voltage-too-high/


    Another interesting link: https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/45283/is-15v-too-high-for-a-standard-car-battery

    --
    Andrew Muzi
    <www.yellowjersey.org/>
    Open every day since 1 April, 1971

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  • From Michael Trew@21:1/5 to All on Thu Dec 23 19:44:42 2021
    I can't process how this is happening. I have an old car battery in one
    of my cars. It is worn out enough that it died on the first freeze that
    we had, sitting 2-3 days without starting. Said battery has also been
    leaking a bit of acid from around the terminals, and they are corroded.

    So, lately, the alternator belt has been squealing if I slow to an idle
    (1993 Geo Metro), and the airbag light randomly flashes. The alternator
    belt is not worn and is torqued properly. I've noticed other electrical oddities such as the gas gauge going up and down (at almost the same
    rate as the throttle/RPM increase/decrease).

    Finally, I pulled it this evening and threw another tested good (checked
    12.7 v) battery in the car. I am about to go drive to my evening shift
    at work. I decided to test the old battery with the same voltage
    tester, and it tested at 27 V!! I can't find any info on a web search
    about this issue.

    I checked it twice, and even put it on a charger for a minute to see if
    that would make a difference. The cheap HF trickle charger showed
    "fully charged"... then it tested at 27.2 V after unplugging it.
    Hopefully it hasn't damaged the ECM in the car, or something.

    Does anyone know how the voltage of a 12 V car battery can double or
    more, just with regular usage? Possibly the cells in the battery
    shorting, or something? I thought that shorted cells decreased the
    voltage, not increased it. What an odd issue; thanks for the insight.

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  • From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to michael.trew@att.net on Fri Dec 24 02:07:30 2021
    Michael Trew <michael.trew@att.net> wrote:

    Finally, I pulled it this evening and threw another tested good (checked
    12.7 v) battery in the car. I am about to go drive to my evening shift
    at work. I decided to test the old battery with the same voltage
    tester, and it tested at 27 V!! I can't find any info on a web search
    about this issue.

    Was it a Fluke?

    What did it test as with a small load?
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Michael Trew@21:1/5 to Scott Dorsey on Fri Dec 24 00:25:03 2021
    On 12/23/2021 21:07, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Michael Trew<michael.trew@att.net> wrote:

    Finally, I pulled it this evening and threw another tested good (checked
    12.7 v) battery in the car. I am about to go drive to my evening shift
    at work. I decided to test the old battery with the same voltage
    tester, and it tested at 27 V!! I can't find any info on a web search
    about this issue.

    Was it a Fluke?

    What did it test as with a small load?
    --scott


    I jumped the gun. The voltage meter was on the wrong setting. I didn't
    think that the meter was on the wrong setting, because the newer battery
    that I pulled out of another car happened to test at exactly 12.7 V on
    that same wrong setting. What a coincidence.

    I pulled the new battery from a car that slid down my back dirt alley 2
    weeks ago. I haven't bothered to pull the car out yet... my come-along
    isn't enough to pull it out.

    Anyway, that car that slid down, the dirt hillside was in contact with
    the rocker panel firmly, and I guess that TOTALLY drained that battery.
    On the correct setting, the new battery just tested at 2.some volts...
    yikes.

    I have the new battery on a little 1 amp charger now, maybe it will come
    around by tomorrow. I was very confused after my first post, when the
    car would not start at all. Yep, I guess 2 volts will do that.

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  • From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to michael.trew@att.net on Fri Dec 24 20:24:17 2021
    Michael Trew <michael.trew@att.net> wrote:
    On 12/23/2021 21:07, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Michael Trew<michael.trew@att.net> wrote:

    Finally, I pulled it this evening and threw another tested good (checked >>> 12.7 v) battery in the car. I am about to go drive to my evening shift
    at work. I decided to test the old battery with the same voltage
    tester, and it tested at 27 V!! I can't find any info on a web search
    about this issue.

    Was it a Fluke?

    What did it test as with a small load?


    I jumped the gun. The voltage meter was on the wrong setting. I didn't >think that the meter was on the wrong setting, because the newer battery
    that I pulled out of another car happened to test at exactly 12.7 V on
    that same wrong setting. What a coincidence.

    Because you had it on the AC setting and it wasn't a Fluke?
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Michael Trew@21:1/5 to Scott Dorsey on Fri Dec 24 22:25:31 2021
    On 12/24/2021 15:24, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Michael Trew<michael.trew@att.net> wrote:
    On 12/23/2021 21:07, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Michael Trew<michael.trew@att.net> wrote:

    Finally, I pulled it this evening and threw another tested good (checked >>>> 12.7 v) battery in the car. I am about to go drive to my evening shift >>>> at work. I decided to test the old battery with the same voltage
    tester, and it tested at 27 V!! I can't find any info on a web search >>>> about this issue.

    Was it a Fluke?

    What did it test as with a small load?


    I jumped the gun. The voltage meter was on the wrong setting. I didn't
    think that the meter was on the wrong setting, because the newer battery
    that I pulled out of another car happened to test at exactly 12.7 V on
    that same wrong setting. What a coincidence.

    Because you had it on the AC setting and it wasn't a Fluke?
    --scott

    Yes. I believe it was set to "200" A/C instead of "20" D/C.

    Surprisingly, I was able to use a huge old heavy duty battery charger to
    bring the 2.4 volt battery (the new one) back to life. Hopefully I
    didn't damage it too much by letting it drain down that far.

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  • From Xeno@21:1/5 to Michael Trew on Sat Dec 25 14:33:06 2021
    On 25/12/21 2:25 pm, Michael Trew wrote:
    On 12/24/2021 15:24, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Michael Trew<michael.trew@att.net>  wrote:
    On 12/23/2021 21:07, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Michael Trew<michael.trew@att.net>   wrote:

    Finally, I pulled it this evening and threw another tested good
    (checked
    12.7 v) battery in the car.  I am about to go drive to my evening
    shift
    at work.  I decided to test the old battery with the same voltage
    tester, and it tested at 27 V!!  I can't find any info on a web search >>>>> about this issue.

    Was it a Fluke?

    What did it test as with a small load?


    I jumped the gun.  The voltage meter was on the wrong setting.  I didn't >>> think that the meter was on the wrong setting, because the newer battery >>> that I pulled out of another car happened to test at exactly 12.7 V on
    that same wrong setting.  What a coincidence.

    Because you had it on the AC setting and it wasn't a Fluke?
    --scott

    Yes.  I believe it was set to "200" A/C instead of "20" D/C.

    Surprisingly, I was able to use a huge old heavy duty battery charger to bring the 2.4 volt battery (the new one) back to life.  Hopefully I
    didn't damage it too much by letting it drain down that far.

    Slow charge it.

    --
    Xeno


    Nothing astonishes Noddy so much as common sense and plain dealing.
    (with apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson)

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  • From Michael Trew@21:1/5 to Xeno on Sat Dec 25 15:53:02 2021
    On 12/24/2021 22:33, Xeno wrote:
    On 25/12/21 2:25 pm, Michael Trew wrote:
    On 12/24/2021 15:24, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Michael Trew<michael.trew@att.net> wrote:
    On 12/23/2021 21:07, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Michael Trew<michael.trew@att.net> wrote:

    Finally, I pulled it this evening and threw another tested good
    (checked
    12.7 v) battery in the car. I am about to go drive to my evening
    shift
    at work. I decided to test the old battery with the same voltage
    tester, and it tested at 27 V!! I can't find any info on a web
    search
    about this issue.

    Was it a Fluke?

    What did it test as with a small load?


    I jumped the gun. The voltage meter was on the wrong setting. I
    didn't
    think that the meter was on the wrong setting, because the newer
    battery
    that I pulled out of another car happened to test at exactly 12.7 V on >>>> that same wrong setting. What a coincidence.

    Because you had it on the AC setting and it wasn't a Fluke?
    --scott

    Yes. I believe it was set to "200" A/C instead of "20" D/C.

    Surprisingly, I was able to use a huge old heavy duty battery charger
    to bring the 2.4 volt battery (the new one) back to life. Hopefully I
    didn't damage it too much by letting it drain down that far.

    Slow charge it.

    I had it on a 1 amp trickle charger all night, it didn't do a thing
    after 12 hours. I put it on full-blast on my old Silver Beauty charger,
    10 minutes cranked the car over, and drove around town. Hopefully that
    didn't damage it too much.

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