# Normal Battery Level?



## oMAHONEYo (Mar 23, 2012)

Hey all,

So after my battery dying during trifecta install, I've been trying to figure out why this hadn't happened to anyone else. Since then I've been paying more attention to my voltage on the DIC.

Is this normal? I have zero knowledge so I'm not sure what I'm looking at (besides my assumption that I have a 12v battery)

I've attached 2 images, one with the key in the 'on' position and one with the car started.

Car started: 14.6v (read 15v at one point) 








Car in 'on' position: 12.5v








Is this the load or? Hoping someone can shed some light on this!



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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

These cars have a variable alternator that tries not to charge unless absolutely necessary (and then it only does it when lights are on and/or while coasting - cutting the alternator out under acceleration for more power). This helps save fuel. You can see the voltages on the DIC alternate between 15V and 12.x V while driving down the road.

12.5V is an acceptable charge level, thought slightly low. 12.8 is ideal for a full battery.

More important than voltage is cranking amps. Have your battery tested at an auto parts store for free. If it's low on cranking amps, it can die on you in the middle of the winter or summer when its really really cold or really hot. 

I have seen some OEM batterys only last 2 years.


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

For some reason mine has been reading 15.1-15.2v consistently never dropping lower than 15v at night time and I haven't seen it go lower than 14.8 during the day. Keep in mind my amps are pulling 1000-1300 watts which should make the voltage drop.

It use to go down to 12.8ish before returning to 15v (day time driving)

When the car turns off its sitting around 12.4

What I'm wondering is if the alternator computer sees a high consistent draw and is making the alt recharge 24/7 now?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

tecollins1 said:


> For some reason mine has been reading 15.1-15.2v consistently never dropping lower than 15v at night time and I haven't seen it go lower than 14.8 during the day. Keep in mind my amps are pulling 1000-1300 watts which should make the voltage drop.
> 
> It use to go down to 12.8ish before returning to 15v (day time driving)
> 
> ...


Yes. It's based on load pulled from the system.


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## oMAHONEYo (Mar 23, 2012)

Thanks for the explanation, jblackburn. It makes somewhat of a sense now. Still a little concerned that the car died when I was tuning it last time, so now time to look into a trickle charger to keep it alive to do it this time.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

When the engine is running the voltage displayed on the DIC is the rate of charge, not the battery level. If the engine is off then it displays the battery level when the key is in the Run position.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

After looking into this question and checking with my resources I have found that the displayed battery voltage will fluctuate at all times. The normal expected battery voltage should be between 10-15 volts. If you feel you are having an issue with your battery I would recommend that you contact your dealer and have them look into this for you. 
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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