Just had a new battery fitter at the weekend and I’ve noticed that the alternator charge has dropped from 14.6 volts to 13.3 volts is that normal with having a new battery with plenty of charge in 

I hope so  mine read the same  14.6 when it was replaced.  I'm finding it generally has a high of 12.9 after a run and a low of 11.6 if its been stood for 5 days. New battery been on approx 2 months now.

 

What’s your alternator changing at when it’s running mine was at 12.3v when the engine was running tonight and it was 14.6 when it was first replaced on Saturday 

2 hours ago, DaveG1975 said:

Just had a new battery fitter at the weekend and I’ve noticed that the alternator charge has dropped from 14.6 volts to 13.3 volts is that normal with having a new battery with plenty of charge in 

NEW BATTERY ON A  YEAR OLD CAR WHY

It was knackered had AA out to it wast holding charge 

4 hours ago, DaveG1975 said:

Just had a new battery fitter at the weekend and I’ve noticed that the alternator charge has dropped from 14.6 volts to 13.3 volts is that normal with having a new battery with plenty of charge in 

I haven't changed my battery but it mostly charges at 14.6 to 14.8 Volts although it sometimes charges at low voltage/high current (13.5 Volts) or high voltage/low current (14.9 Volts). I have never seen it as low as 12.3.

The smart charging system on these cars has different charging modes as per this screenshot. It usually starts on conventional but sometimes it can change to one of the other modes during any journey. It is when it is charging on one of the non conventional modes that the voltage can be different

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22 hours ago, DaveG1975 said:

What’s your alternator changing at when it’s running mine was at 12.3v when the engine was running tonight and it was 14.6 when it was first replaced on Saturday 

When the car is running its at 14.6. 

Today it was at 11.9 ( its been stood since last Friday/ 5 days)  

Been for a trip to BnQ 35 mile round trip and throughout the journey it was registering 14.6. Back home and its was registering 12.9 once it was switched off. Hope this helps. 

Yeah it does started mine this morning it was at 14.6 then after 20 minutes drive it went down to 13.3 do you leave yours plugged into cigarette lighter all the time?

42 minutes ago, DaveG1975 said:

Yeah it does started mine this morning it was at 14.6 then after 20 minutes drive it went down to 13.3 do you leave yours plugged into cigarette lighter all the time?

Thats exactly what mine read at the start. 14.6 when new battery was swapped. I then took it around the block after 10 mins of idling so the electric system had time to reset and it showed 13.3 when switched off. 

No. I unplug it after ive switched the car off. It fits into to top of the arm rest when car is not in use.

Ive got into a routine of taking a mental note of what it was when switched off. 

Ok cheers for the help hopefully that’s mine sorted for a few years now I’ve nothing but problems with battery not holding charge since I bought the car and the dealership said there was nothing wrong with I still turn the stop start of when I’m doing short journeys 

15 minutes ago, DaveG1975 said:

Ok cheers for the help hopefully that’s mine sorted for a few years now I’ve nothing but problems with battery not holding charge since I bought the car and the dealership said there was nothing wrong with I still turn the stop start of when I’m doing short journeys 

No probs. Yeah I turn mine off too. Never has any issues with the Mk3 stop start or battery. Sometimes I wish I hadnt changed. 

Yep, same here, I hate stop/start and also turn it off straight away. My niece has a Renault Megane with stop/start and the battery failed on it 3 weeks out of it's warranty and Renault wouldn't pay for a new one, so it cost her £128 for a replacement whereas standard batteries are usually around the £40-£50 mark.  Granted I don't travel in heavy traffic a lot so reckon it doesn't cost me an extra tenner a year in fuel by not using the stop/start, and this pales into insignificance compared to the cost of a new battery and/or starter motor...no brainer !!

 

On 6/30/2020 at 8:43 PM, Midgeman said:

NEW BATTERY ON A  YEAR OLD CAR WHY

 

On 6/30/2020 at 9:27 PM, DaveG1975 said:

It was knackered had AA out to it wast holding charge 

+1 Ford batteries are hit and miss some dont last long atall,

Personally I prefer the Bosch S5 range; my 1.6TDCi has a Bosch S5 007 

I run alot of accessories which the bosch is well capable for too.