Posted by Don Williams on August 20, 2000 at 18:44:13:
In Reply to: Alternator question. posted by Steve Elliot on August 19, 2000 at 18:10:09:
OK, I'll add my 2 cents worth. When checking battery voltage, always have a load on the battery to get a correct reading. Just putting a voltmeter on an idle battery can give false readings. The internal resistance of a battery is high enough that even an almost useless battery can show good with this kind of test. You can also do it the way my dad always did. He never used a voltmeter to test a battery. He used a hygrometer (sp?) to test the specific gravity of the battery electrolite. I still do it that way myself whenever I have a battery that doesn't have a sealed top.