Car buying guide
Used car purchase inspection. alternator failure case
A Honda Civic used car inspection case study. The dealer claimed the vehicle repair were all done and even posted the repair photos on a major Korean used car platform. However, alternator was measured at12.69V. Trust but always verify, that is the best way in any used car inspection process.
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Please follow the simple steps to check the alternator status.
First, connect the digital multi-meter (DMM) plus to the alternator b+ terminal (plus). Alligator clips are good for this purpose. Next, connect the minus of the DMM to the alternator case and then measure the voltage. measure
- Measure the voltage in the idle state after engine start. The voltage should be between 13.5V and 15.0V.
- At 3000 RPM, the voltage should not exceed 15.0.
Note: The above is for general 12V vehicles, and may not apply to 48V vehicles, BMS and other tuning vehicles.
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