December 24, 200322 yr Originally posted by calebz Perhaps it belongs with the 3500 year old hub cap from the other post.... damn, just what I was thinking! lol....
December 24, 200322 yr Author WRX huh. I guess it just looked old to me with the serviceable ports and such....
December 24, 200322 yr Wow--and it still works?? Even 360s were 12 volt, but they were positive ground. The entire electrical system hd 3 fuses (4 if you got the radio!), the signal light relay, six switches (turn signals, headlights, starter, brake lights, reverse lights and fan, plus the radio switches [not counted here]), the wiring and assorted light bulbs. To the best of my knowledge SoA has never used a 6-volt battery in a US market passenger car.
December 24, 200322 yr Yeah I don't think its too old. When I had my 2000 2.5RS it has the same battery as pictured. With the service holes and such. I don't think I ever had to fill it.
December 24, 200322 yr Bet we could carbon date it! It looked like a 13 volt to me.............. Or maybe a 14 volt. (Whatever it takes) Glenn, I'll be quiet now.
December 24, 200322 yr All or most batteries made today have date stamps on them. Is there any branding visible on the battery Mick?
December 24, 200322 yr Author I'll have to check it out again today.... I'd never seen a SOA battery before, because generally people around here don't put a OEM battery in an older car, especially one that's 24 years old....
December 24, 200322 yr call me a dork but did you notice that the service ports are like little stars, and thers 6 of them hummmmmmm there just arranged wrong LOL:D
December 25, 200322 yr 12 volts is also proper spec for automotive. It's actually a voltage *range* anyway. Devices are designed to operate from 12 to 14 volts or thereabouts. When the alternator isn't running, a well charged battery will usually generate anywhere from 12.5 to 13 volts. With the alt running it's up around 13.8 to 14.5 or so in my experience. GD
December 25, 200322 yr A "12-volt" battery is actually 13.8 volts, in most cases. If you look at a laptop power supply for a 12V plug adapter, chances are it'll say 13.8 volts--the 1.8 volt difference is not meaningful to most electronics, but laptop makers throw it in there to cover their backsides (since power supply warranty work is very expensive), making that the best example. Most people just say 12-volt, as it's easier to remember than 13.8-volt. Have a look: http://www.google.com/search?q=13.8+volt+auto&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 Just browse through the headings, you'll see what I mean.
December 25, 200322 yr GD, although in practice it is a range, 13.8 is the check figure for computing aperage/wattage when designing or testing electrical components. So the "gold standard" for testing to lab-quality standards (yeah, right) is 13.8 volts. The "thereabouts" in your post is the key. The voltage doesn't matter as long as it's high enough to power the car and low enough to not fry the electrical system.
December 25, 200322 yr with batteries you get a higher unloaded voltage, but it drops when under load. A good battery will always be a bit higher than it's number. eg a brand new 1.5v aa battery will be about 1.6v when not under load (tested with a multimeter) all batteries do this to my knowledge, though probably to different extents, and the amount is proportional to the size of the battery. When you put a load on them they will drop down closer to the normal voltage. same principle actually applies to any power source, alternator or switching power supply etc.
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