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Old 21-01-2009, 09:13 PM   #1
RibZe
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Question In car digital voltmeter.

Where can i buy one of these?

I tried Repco but they didn't have any (not sold out, don't stock them)
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Old 22-01-2009, 08:14 AM   #2
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any auto store should have them , super cheap, autobarn, a different repco etc.

Or try ebay

I suppose it depends - are you looking for a round guage style one or a little rectangular box ?

Also try Jaycar - their catalogue is on their website www.jaycar.com.au
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Old 22-01-2009, 09:37 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogo View Post
any auto store should have them , super cheap, autobarn, a different repco etc.

Or try ebay

I suppose it depends - are you looking for a round guage style one or a little rectangular box ?

Also try Jaycar - their catalogue is on their website www.jaycar.com.au
The rectangular box is the one im after.

I found one on Jaycar's site, it's not the one i was originally after but it looks fine, has a stopwatch and something else in it, Plus it has velcro straps so it will be easy to mount under my head deck. $35.
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Old 22-01-2009, 06:10 PM   #4
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could also make one yourself for cheap as chips using a VU metre from an old 80's home stereo amplifier
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Old 31-01-2009, 10:32 PM   #5
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Got it from Jaycar.

It's a voltmeter that's inside something that bolts onto the positive battery terminal and allows wires to be put in it.

I'll take a proper pic once it's installed properly. It was dodgily done by one of my mates with it reading the power going to my amp. My mechanic mate said it should be on the battery so i get the actual charging system volts.
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Old 01-02-2009, 03:57 PM   #6
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lol i just remembered my old camira had a voltmeter as a part of the cluster
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Old 01-02-2009, 09:39 PM   #7
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I'm not gunna make a new thread but add it in here.

The reason i wanted to voltmeter was to see what was going on whilst i cranked the system. (splits and speakers running off 600w 4c amp, 12" running off 1000w monoblock).

My battery died back in december (it was due for replacement) so i've now got a much bigger battery then my old one. It's 475CCA, i think the old battery was 300CCA, definately not above 400CCA. It dealt with my system for 10 months. So i wonder why when i have a brand new, bigger, better battery that my car plays up. The battery is NRMA Premium series.

What's happening? Well the first thing i noticed was after a 45min drive (to/from the girlfriends) the next time i started the car it would take two times (note new leads and platinum spark plugs). Then on other occasions i would notice the revs drop from 800(normal) to 500. I think the thermo fan turns on at this stage. Another time i was sitting at the lights and the car just stalled/switched itself off.
My mate seems to think my amps are drawing too much power and the battery can't cope. But as i said i have a bigger better battery!!!!
It's not like i just added another amp to my system. The only difference is that i installed splits, but that only draws the extra 100wrms (50x2) from the amp.

This is why i wanted the voltmeter, i had it connected to my 4 gauge power cable going to my amp, it read 14.2v on start up and 13.7 when playing music. However my mate said i should have it going to my battery to be sure. He did a load test with all accessories on and the volts on the battery went to 12.5, which you should all know isn't good.

I'm wondering if a capacitor is for me.

I'm heading to the autoelectrican tomorrow to get my air con re-gassed so i'll ask him.


Just wanted some more opinions on here.

Last edited by RibZe; 01-02-2009 at 09:44 PM.
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Old 02-02-2009, 12:02 AM   #8
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i think you should know that most of the time, unless you have a rediculusly big system, your alternator does all the work. if your alternator is good you should be able to dc the leads of the batery once the initial 475 cold cranking amps turn over your engine. if your alt is not good your batery will depleat and die, and i dont think that the batery alone is enough to run the coils anyway.. the car will drop in rpm when the thermo fan switches on, thats normal, but it should come back up to whatever your idle is within a few seconds. your starting problem might be due to a dirty dizzy or a oil leak from dizzy ring. check that as well and clean the points i hope that helps man, if not someone else will come up with a solution
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Old 02-02-2009, 05:53 PM   #9
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Quote:
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i think you should know that most of the time, unless you have a rediculusly big system, your alternator does all the work. if your alternator is good you should be able to dc the leads of the batery once the initial 475 cold cranking amps turn over your engine. if your alt is not good your batery will depleat and die, and i dont think that the batery alone is enough to run the coils anyway.. the car will drop in rpm when the thermo fan switches on, that's normal, but it should come back up to whatever your idle is within a few seconds. your starting problem might be due to a dirty dizzy or a oil leak from dizzy ring. check that as well and clean the points i hope that helps man, if not someone else will come up with a solution
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Autoelectrican (AE) said my alternator is running fine, my battery is healthy, However the load test proved that my system drains too much, it once again dropped to 12.3v.

The starting problem only happens the next time after ive being playing my system for a while. If i don't use it, the next time i start the car it's fine. The dissy O ring was leaking but it was replaced two weeks ago as well as the dissy cap, it still needs to be degreased and hosed down though.

The AE said a bigger alternator would work, but isn't worth the money. I'm better off if in stop and start traffic with the A/C on and my stereo that i turn one or the other off. He said a capacitor would help but at the end of the day it too needs to be charged by the alternator. He also suggested fatter wiring from the alternator to battery. I've defiantely do the latter and will talk to a car audio expert about the capacitor.

I'll get the voltmeter installed properly so i will be aware when the volts drop to dangerous levels. I need a fuse though (to save my wires getting fired and the obvious as a circuit breaker to avoid engine fire).


****ing money pit of a car.
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Old 03-02-2009, 11:34 AM   #10
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capacitor shouldnt doo much - they're designed for rapid discharge not as a constant load support. They might help if the lights were dimming on bass beats etc.

have you checked with the radiator fan on and off ? They drain a lot of power
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Old 03-02-2009, 10:47 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogo View Post
capacitor shouldnt doo much - they're designed for rapid discharge not as a constant load support. They might help if the lights were dimming on bass beats etc.

have you checked with the radiator fan on and off ? They drain a lot of power
Ahh i see. I'll still check up on it but i'll be taking into account that the salesman will want to sell it to me whether i need it or not.

Not sure about the thermo fan being on or not. I think it comes on when the revs hit 500 (aka 12v range).
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Old 04-02-2009, 09:16 AM   #12
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The thermo fan should be temperature triggered - and most often comes on when the car is stationary ( because there's no flow of air to cool the radiator )

But the air conditioning should also turn on its fan, which adds a big electrical load.
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Old 04-02-2009, 09:17 AM   #13
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Also check that the grounds on your stereo are "good grounds" , which means that you have bolted them to a solid part of the chassis, and sanded back the paint to ensure bare metal on metal contact of the ring terminal.
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Old 04-02-2009, 09:53 AM   #14
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what audio system are you running?

capacitor will not help at all, they are for rapid discharges when your system overdraws the battery/alternator (and even then you only really need one if your alternator isn't up to it).

sounds like you may need a better alternator, unless something else is putting a big drain on the system
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Old 04-02-2009, 06:15 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogo View Post
The thermo fan should be temperature triggered - and most often comes on when the car is stationary ( because there's no flow of air to cool the radiator )

But the air conditioning should also turn on its fan, which adds a big electrical load.
That would contribute to my problem when driving at low revs and stationary.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogo View Post
Also check that the grounds on your stereo are "good grounds" , which means that you have bolted them to a solid part of the chassis, and sanded back the paint to ensure bare metal on metal contact of the ring terminal.
I'm pretty sure all the groundings are good, they were checked beforehand with some device.

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what audio system are you running?

capacitor will not help at all, they are for rapid discharges when your system overdraws the battery/alternator (and even then you only really need one if your alternator isn't up to it).

sounds like you may need a better alternator, unless something else is putting a big drain on the system
6" Jaycar kevlar splits in the front, 6" Pioneers in the back tray, 600w 4 channel Pioneer amp, 12" Alpine type R sub, 1000w Alpine v-power monoblock amp, Pioneer head deck, 4 gauge wiring kit used.

Yeah i figured that the capacitor wouldn't really help because the alternator will need to recharge that aswell.

Alternator expensive

Last edited by Rupewrecht; 04-02-2009 at 07:51 PM.
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Old 05-02-2009, 08:36 AM   #16
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200 bucks maybe ?

Or get ur current one rewound.

The worst part is actually going to be the labor to get the silly thing out. The drivers side driveshaft has to come off !
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Last edited by Dogo; 05-02-2009 at 08:39 AM.
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Old 05-02-2009, 10:07 AM   #17
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get one from the wreckers for around $30 bucks, it's a bit of pot-luck but just pick a shiny one. My alternator went within 2 weeks of getting the car, got one from the wreckers lasted me over a year. it's a good mornings job.

You'll need ramps and a car-jack to get it onto the ramps. Found my BG was too low for standard ramps.

You need to get underneath and above, best to have someone help.
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Old 06-02-2009, 09:08 AM   #18
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200 bucks maybe ?

Or get ur current one rewound.

The worst part is actually going to be the labor to get the silly thing out. The drivers side driveshaft has to come off !
He also said the problem with a bigger alternator is trying to mount the thing. So theres big labour as you said.
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Old 06-02-2009, 09:09 AM   #19
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get one from the wreckers for around $30 bucks, it's a bit of pot-luck but just pick a shiny one. My alternator went within 2 weeks of getting the car, got one from the wreckers lasted me over a year. it's a good mornings job.

You'll need ramps and a car-jack to get it onto the ramps. Found my BG was too low for standard ramps.

You need to get underneath and above, best to have someone help.
Mmm i had that thought. My mate spoke about getting it rebuild.
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Old 06-02-2009, 01:38 PM   #20
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mate i don't know how your audio system is killing the battery, its not a high drain system? check your earths, it maybe pulling more power to overcome bad earthing

maybe look at other power drains (fans etc?) too

getting to the alt has to be the biggest b****. i'm leaving mine till i pull the engine
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