Toyota Forum banner

What should my alternator output voltage be?

48K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  dan mac  
Shanek26 since your battery is charging up to 12.8 v the alternator output will be on the low side.
Spec is 13.2 -14.8 on my 05 Camry per ALLDATA.
Like you, don't no where the 11v is written.
Could be a low v bat cranking spec.

Regarding the alt whining, not showing up as a charging problem so not covered under warranty.
If you measure the A/C voltage across the battery should be less then a tenth of a volt.
A failing diode can cause alt whine if passing a/c voltage and cause charging problems.

In addition verify that there is less than (.1v) voltage drop on the positive side of the charging circuit,
alternator positive to battery post positive and less than .1v drop on the negative side from the bat post neg to the alternator case.
If these test are good then i believe the charging system is doing its job.

To test the higher end of the alternator output discharge the battery( high beams on until v drops to around 12.2v)
Start car, the alt should be outputting a higher voltage than 13.2 until bat charges back up to max.

Let us know the outcome.