so i charged my batt for the millionth time and it was reading 13.47 volts. when i put it on the car and started it, the batt was reading 12.47 volts. i dont get it, how/why am i loosing voltage when the car is on? i also noticed that when i stepped on the gas my batt guage would get lower, then very slowly go back up if it even did go up at all.

another problem, when i recent posted something about my temp guage i said it would not shoot up when the car was started, but that was my mistake, it does shoot up (meaning it works i guess) then goes back down and after that it doesnt seem to ever go up to tell me the temp of my engine. what could be uip with that?

 

when the battery is hooked up and the car is running you should have 13.5 to 15.5 volts as per GM service manual.

Now turn off the car and the voltage should be around 12.5 or so.

If your car is running and the voltage isn't that high then you need a new alternator.

 

when the car is running i have less voltage than when it is not running. im gonna get my alt bench tested today, but if it shows that it is working correctly, what could be causing this low voltage when the car is running?

 

i think the battery is your problem...get a new one...trust me, at least try it. No battery should be at 13.47volts when not charging or anything. like u said u charged it for the millionth time...batteries do go bad quickly, especially if they are always drained and charged and re-drained over and over. i had a car spiking the electrical system form 11.2 volts to 15.7 volts and problem was the battery...try it and see, i may be wrong ...but im pretty sure

 

if i am to get a new batt, would a dry cell deep cycle 1200 cranking amps batt be able to work with my camaro?

 

I agree with the battery suggestion. You don't need some freaky high powered cold cranking amps BS battery like you mentioned. Just get a good one to replace the old one. If your old battery is at least 4 years old, or was in the car when you bought it, it's sfe to say it's probably the battery. A battery can really mess with your head. You can test it and it will seem fine. My wife's Cadillac was doing all kinds of freaky stuff like that. I got tired of dealing with it so I just replaced the battery and the electric problems went away. If you're still in doubt, just go to Wal-Mart and get a battery there and try it out. If it doesn't work, just take it back. Wal-Mart will take anything back. When I was single, in college, and lived on ramen noodles most of the time, I would buy a vacum cleaner at Wal-Mart once a week and vacum my room. I'd take it back after I was done. They'll take your car battery back too. Matt

 

well i figured id get a powerful batt cause of the system i have yet to install...but i could try the trash mart thing and if that batt doesnt work then at least i know i have some other electrical problem and ill return it, then get the one i want and try to find this problem.

 

Your temp guage will peg during the crank time. It is designed that way, it is the self test mode. It's the same as a car with light indicators they usually all light up during the crank cycle. If you are not moving up in temp look on the driver side between cyl 1&3. The guage sender is there, it could be as simple as the wire being off. If the wire is on the guage sender, take it off and ground it. the guage should peg telling you the circuit is ok after that point. You either would have a bad sender or perhaps no stat is in the car. A battery right after it comes off the charger will typically read higher than it will after it is installed in the car. A charged battery at rest should read about 12.6 volts and stay right around that point unless the car sits around for a few days. At 12.4 volts it's indicating probably about 60% of charge. The big issue is wiil it crank the car. If it does then it is probably good enough to use. When it first starts up the alt should bring up the terminal voltage to 14-15 volts. If it's not then the alt is the issue. most auto parts stores will do a load test on the battery for free. You might want to consider that. Based on what you say you have a bad alt, I doubt that the battery will turn out to be the issue.

 

my temp guage does peg when the car is started but once the car is running the guage will not move from the rest point there fore not measuring the temp. i am getting my alt tested today, i have a feeling that is one of my electrical problems but i still have this guage and my electric fans and possibly water pump to get fixed. what could be wrong with my temp guage?

 

Go to the driver side of the block around cyl number one. Above the plug you should see a brass fitting with a single green wire. That is the guage sender. it could be as simple as the wire being off.

 

alright im going to check that out.