Checking Car Battery Voltage With Multimeter

The temperature outside affects the voltage of the battery.

Checking car battery voltage with multimeter.

For readings that are over 12 5 volts it means that your battery is fully charged and it is in good condition. For your battery to pass a load test the multimeter must read between 9 5 to 10 5 volts straight for 30 seconds when the battery is tested. Set the dial to 20 which will allow you to accurately measure between 0 20 volts. Touch the red probe to the positive terminal and the black probe to the negative terminal.

We selected 20v before proceeding to measure the level. Any reading of voltage below 9 5 volts or if the battery holds a good record for a while and steadily drops or even when it falls instantly to 0 volts then it means there is a problem and the battery. Then proceed to check the reading on the multimeter display. How to check a car battery with a multimeter.

Load test a car battery using a multimeter. A fully charged battery ideally measures at 12 66 volts and above but 12 6 volts at 80 degrees 12 588 degrees at 30 degrees and 12 516 volts at 0 degrees are. Set the dial to 20. How to test a car battery.

This will allow you to accurately measure 0 20 volts. The battery ratings vary a lot from car to car but choosing 15 20 volt is good enough. A car battery s voltage is dependent on the outside temperature so assuming it s 27 degrees celsius here s what you should make of the readings you see on the multimeter display. You can use a multimeter to find out if your battery has enough charge.

The first test with your multimeter will measure dc voltage indicated with a solid line and a dashed line above a letter v. With the headlights on at 80 f there should be a voltage drop of at least 11 8 volts 25 charged and ideally 12 5 volts between the positive and negative terminals. In modern vehicles a load test is a better way to tell if your battery is good or needs to be replaced. Allow us to give you a piece of advice here you should keep the headlights on for a few minutes before checking the battery.

Using your multimeter you want to measure dc voltage this is indicated with a solid line and a dashed line above a letter v. How to check car battery with multimeter. At about 80 degrees a fully charged battery will be around 12 5 12 6 volts.