Toyota charging system
30

Asked by Guru9SG4FJ Oct 24, 2021 at 09:48 AM about the 2017 Toyota Highlander Limited

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I put a voltmeter on a  2017 Highlander that I just bought. The readings don’t make any sense.

When it is idling in park, the voltage is 14.6V. If I am idling in Drive, it is 12.4V. RPM ~ 700. If  I give it a little gas to bring the RPMs back to 1000 it does not change back to 14.6V where it was in park. When I am driving, the voltage is 12.4V. RPM can be anything. If I take my foot off the gas pedal while I am driving, it goes back to 14.6V. That can't be right.

I expect it to be in the 14V range while driving and possibly to decrease if the RPMs fell as in when I took my foot off the gas.

I have checked the belt and it is in good condition and tight. There is no noise that would indicate it is slipping.

12.4V is not a fully charged battery. So why is it reading 12.4V at higher RPM when driving and increases to 14.6V when I take my foot off the gas and RPMs drop?

1 Answer
30

Guru9SG4FJ answered 3 years ago

the answer is fuel economy. When the vehicle is powering the drive train, the alternator is free running to allow all the engine power to go to the wheels.

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