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Old 07-25-2012, 02:02 PM
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patrickt patrickt is offline
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Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YerDugliness View Post
...the charging rate with no lights, no fan, just the engine running runs above 14 volts, not quite 15. When I turn on the large Spal puller fan, the voltage meter drops below 14, but only slightly. With the previous battery the charging voltage was rarely at 14 and dropped to 12 as soon as the fan was turned on.
Sounds normal to me. I run 14.7v at idle with nothing running, it drops if I throw the fans on, but if I rev the engine up a little bit to speed the alternator up, it returns to normal. Now, I have the old 60 amp Ford alternator. My SPAL puller draws 18 to 21 amps, the pushers (when I use them) draws a little under 10, the MSD draws 1 amp per thousand RPM, and the headlights draw (if I recall) about 10 amps. That's all I have on my car that draws anything over 1 amp. Some guys have much more and a 60 amp alternator just won't cut it.
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