Does an alternator work equally well at idle as at higher RPM?
2006-12-17 03:14:13 · 7 answers · asked by kg4yni 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
no the faster it spins the more juce up to a point.....abt 14 volts if u have lots of elect junk on lights may dim at idol...u need more amps...
2006-12-17 03:20:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
An alternator will have output at all engine rpm's but will peak at around 14.2 volts no matter how fast the engine is running. The in built voltage regulator will limit the output to prevent overcharging. If you want to test the output at different rpm's, place the red lead on the positive post on the alternator and the black lead to any ground, make sure your voltmeter is set to 12v DC.
2006-12-17 03:45:54 · answer #2 · answered by Mike D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An alternator will not put out the same amperage at idle, especially after-market high amp units. Think about it--the thing is a generator turned by the engine, and the faster it turns, the more juice it puts out. It will put out the same voltage, but amperage is the key measurement with alternators.
2006-12-17 05:23:56 · answer #3 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
an alternator will definitely put out more power at 1500 RPM compared to idle speed of around 800 rpm.
2006-12-17 03:25:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the higher the rpm the higher the out put This is why it takes 45 min. to charge a dead cell idling and only 20 min. on the highway
2006-12-17 03:31:12 · answer #5 · answered by chotpeper 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If there is no "load" on the battery it will be the same. Idle, or full speed.
If, however, there is something drawing power from the battery like lights, fan, wipers, or whatever, then the alternator would not be able to produce enough AMPERAGE to maintain battery voltage.
It's going to be the same Voltage 14. volts, but less amperage at lower speeds.
2006-12-17 03:29:25 · answer #6 · answered by Mr. KnowItAll 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
From my experience the stock fan does the job, Not that electric fans can’t flow air like the clutch fan or better but clutch fans are usually more reliable long term. Most important thing you should do is make sure you install a temperature controlled trigger for your electric fan so that it’s not running all the time because that would shorten it’s reliability. Also keep in mind that ones you get the car up to speed the fan be it electric or clutch type is not doing much to cool the engine the natural airflow across the radiator takes care of that.
2016-05-23 01:59:57 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋