CAR BATTERY VOLT METER SKIN

At 0℉ (-17℃), your volt reading will be slightly less if you have a good battery.įor reference, a lead acid battery that’s about 75% charged will have a volt reading of around 12.45V.At 30℉ (-1℃), the battery voltage will be around 12.58V and 12.51V.Whereas a fully charged AGM battery will have an open circuit voltage of about 12.8V to 12.9V. For a standard lead acid battery at around 80℉ (27℃), a good battery that’s fully charged will be in the 12.2 – 12.6 volt range.Remember, the outside temperature and your battery type affect your batterys voltage. When connected to a fully charged battery, the multimeter will highlight your car battery voltage as being between 12.5V to 12.6V if everything is working as it should be. Then connect the positive point (red) on the multimeter to the positive terminal on the battery. Touch the probes on the digital multimeter to the corresponding points on the battery.įirst, connect the negative cable (black) on the multimeter to the negative terminal on the battery. You can go ahead and turn your headlights off. Setting it to 20V isn’t a must the important thing is that it’s above 15V DC volts, so you get the correct reading. To do this, adjust it to about 20V DC volts. Now that you’ve prepared the battery, you can start setting up your digital multimeter to test your batterys voltage. If everything looks alright, move ahead to the next step. While you’re there, double-check that you fastened each battery cable correctly. Read this guide for instructions on safely removing corrosion from your battery. If you see some corrosion, you can clean that off with a battery-cleaning solution, like baking soda and water or some fine sandpaper. Corrosion might even explain why you’re having battery issues in the first place. It usually looks like a white or yellow crust that forms around your battery terminals. You want to look out for any corrosion buildup which could be affecting your battery performance. While you’re waiting with the headlights on, you can go ahead and give the battery a quick visual inspection.

We do this because we need to test the battery’s resting voltage otherwise, you can get a false reading, as the battery might still be holding a charge from the alternator. Don’t turn the car on, just the headlights.

To do this, t urn your headlights on for about two minutes. Remove The Surface Charge From The Battery With that taken care of, let’s get into how you can start testing your battery life: Step 1.

CAR BATTERY VOLT METER SKIN

This will protect your skin and eyes from battery acid. Always wear rubber gloves and goggles when working on your battery. If you have a battery with plastic caps, you will need a hydrometer to test it, not a multimeter.Ģ. These batteries don’t have plastic caps on each cell. These instructions are for what’s referred to as maintenance-free batteries. However, before testing your battery with a multimeter or any other car battery tester, there are a few things to remember.ġ.

Remove the surface charge from the battery The process is quite simple, just follow these steps:ġ. However, a multimeter is your best bet since both a voltmeter and a power probe are more limited in their capabilities to test battery performance. Some other car battery tester tools, like a voltmeter or power probe, can also get the job done. You can grab one at your local hardware store for less than $10.

Car battery volt meter