Voltage reading

[Torched10]

Sorry to be posting what may be obvious.i posted about getting new battery couple weeks ago
As I noted on my earlier post my voltage reading I see by depressing the down button on wheel has been consistently reading 14
So I figured it was monitoring my alternating output
With my new battery the voltage ranges from 12.5 to 14
So I figure maybe somethings going on with my new battery
Bad cell etc
I had auto zone load test the battery and alternator and all good
I also thought the voltage i was looking at was alternator because it was says 14v
Looked in manual and it's says that voltage is battery voktage
But I figure once battery is being charged its really measuring alternator output
If it wasn't consistently 14v since 2019 was new
I wouldn't be concerned.the highest it gets is 14 and
never goes under 12.5.shoukd I just ignore this.being elec engineer I should be able to figure this out but im not a car electrical guy
Thanks for any help

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[StealthFighter]

It does not make sense to me that your old battery was always being charged at 14 volts, that is not the way the system was designed, when you start the car for a while you might see 13.5/14 volts after a short drive it should decease to 13/13.5. It may according to the current draw and condition of your battery decrease to maybe 12.5/13, all of this is according to alternator and battery with real time condition of the battery.
Once you are driving for a good distance the voltage will mostly stabilize at one charging voltage for most of the trip with differences possible when in traffic stop and go, and according to how much draw there is as to what accessories may be in use.
This will vary slightly with each car and driver , But this is the way '19 had always been until the battery was about to die and then it was at a constant 14 volts.
With the new battery it has returned to the afore mentioned way of charging.

 

[glockholiday]

These have a "smart charging system" or what ever they call it. It's not like the old days where you could have a meter on the battery and it reads 12.6v then start the engine and it'll read 13.5v then rev the engine to 2000rpm and it'll read 14.1v. With the cruise set at highway speeds I've seen a range of 12.6-15.1 (tracks pretty closely with a cigarette lighter volt meter) in a single hour long trip. Drives me nuts too but it's supposedly "smart" and knows what the vehicle and battery wants. Just drive it.

 

[Cory S]

The problem with putting a display of voltage and IAT on the display, is people will always question it…….
They never should have put those on display. Period.

 

[Cobra Jet]

The problem with putting a display of voltage and IAT on the display, is people will always question it…….
They never should have put those on display. Period.

^^^^ Agree… and even with the center PP gauges, some people get all flustered with the Oil PSI gauge…

 

[Torched10]

These have a "smart charging system" or what ever they call it. It's not like the old days where you could have a meter on the battery and it reads 12.6v then start the engine and it'll read 13.5v then rev the engine to 2000rpm and it'll read 14.1v. With the cruise set at highway speeds I've seen a range of 12.6-15.1 (tracks pretty closely with a cigarette lighter volt meter) in a single hour long trip. Drives me nuts too but it's supposedly "smart" and knows what the vehicle and battery wants. Just drive it.

on the 14.0 being flat for 4 years thats why i thought i was seeing alternator output. the manual says its battery.I still think when car is running its reading the charging voltage at the battery,which would be alternator output.I did a google on the charging system, and ford is saying they fine tuned when the battery needs a charge, they say it reduces load on alternator and helps with fuel mileage.
anyway,thanks for taking the time to reply with some helpful thoughts

 

[NeedForGreen]

My stock battery was always 14/14.5 even when it was on its way out so I knew it wasnt accurate. I swapped to an AGM Odyssey and mine varies from 12.5 to 14.

 

[Cory S]

Never seen mine below 13.7 on the dash. The dash is also never the same as what my VOM shows. It’s always .3-.5V different. I trust my VOM over the OEM circuitry.

 

[NightmareMoon]

When operating correctly it should fluctuate from 12s to 14s. Completely normal for the system working as designed. As mentioned the battery is only being charged by the car periodically, as needed.

Nothing to worry about.

If your meter was reading 14 all the time, could be the car was constantly charging it, which would be abnormal.

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