Ok so where should the voltmeter of ammeter gauge be on an 85 GL? Mines above the 12 a little, is that normal? It goes lower when I turn my lights on or fan or something... is that normal too?

Thanks...

with a healthy alternator and battery I think it should be reading a big higher. My guage used to read like 13.5 on my GL when running. A voltmeter read 12.6 off the battery when parked.

 

you may be able to get a free charging system test at autozone or schucks or something. I did that with my brat because the guage is slightly off.... it says 12 volts exact when I make a little more really. So either your guage could be off or something there is weak. as far as telling which one... get tested, its free.

Cool, ya actually i think it is a bit higher too. I tested it myself and the batt read 12.6 and when I started the engine it read 14, I think thats pretty normal right? The batt is a few yrs old and not sure about the alternator, probably original...

Thanks.

ya your car sounds normal... probably just a miscalibrated guage (over time)

I think the source of the error is in the wiring too the gauge, caused by a voltage drop across the wiring. From what I have seen in the past there is about a 1 volt difference between what the battery voltage really is and what the gauge shows. If you want to prove that, you can measure the voltage at the meter connections with a seperate meter.

 

The readings you gave are right where they should be for both static and charging levels.

Agreed. 12V is ideal when the engine is off, 14.4V is ideal when running. A little fluctuation, especially of the parked voltage is normal.

Agreed. 12V is ideal when the engine is off, 14.4V is ideal when running...

Ummm... 12V is not ideal, though it may be "normal" at the dash meter. Ideal is 13.2V, the nominal voltage of a 6-cell lead-acid battery (aka 12v car battery).