Mulitmeter help

[WogBoyz]

just wonder ppl

i bought a mulimeter exactly same as this one



now im wanting to test my battery for the amout of volts or whatever it is at cold starts ive been told it shud be around 14 when engine off, and around 13 when running

now i have no idea how to use this thing haha what do i set it on to test it?

cheers people

[mulligan-can]

Turn the dial to the 20 near where it is presently pointing to in that pic

Put the red lead on the (+) terminal of the battery and the black lead on the (-) terminal.

Should be 12-13 when stopped and 13+ when running I think.

[WogBoyz]

ahh kk so set it to the 20 in the v section
cheers the help man

[hako]

A cold battery or one that has sat overnight should read a minimum of 12.6 volts engine stopped and when the engine has been running for a fair while and things are nice and warm it should read a maximum of 14.2 volts engine running. Have fun.

[WogBoyz]

kk what about when its hot but engine isnt running and cold but engine running?

[hako]

You're getting technical now - that's the trouble when you get new toys. Wiki can explain it better than I can so maybe read what they say. A multimeter is very handy.
Car battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Cursed CX8]

just make sure the current doesnt blow the shit out of that little multi meter.

[Locky_MAC]

You will have to change the RED plug that goes into the multimeter to the DC Voltage or you will get nothing?

Are you testing something or just having a look?

Voltages will stay around the same hot or cold, 12V something when engine off and 14V something when engine on if your alternator is working?

If you want to truely test your battery, start your engine while reading the voltage it should stay steady at around 9V.

Have fun.

[WogBoyz]

im just having a look, gunna do same to my dads and mums car too just to check it out

[WogBoyz]

just make sure the current doesnt blow the shit out of that little multi meter.

how will i do that lol if i just set it too to the 20v and put the red on the + and the black on the - it shud be fine

[hako]

My advice is to leave it where it is in the picture except move the dial to 20v just as mulligan-can says.
Also if you move the red lead to the next one up you will be bypassing the internal fuse - this means you can destroy your multimeter as that terminal is unfused....so I wouldn't risk that. That particular terminal is used when you want to measure current up to 10 amps and has a warning next to it saying it is unfused.
Edit: please don't ever be tempted to check household 240VAC as you will probably kill yourself and ain't nodoby going to be happy then.

[Cursed CX8]

that multimeter is only rated to 10A-DC. A car battery is around 450amps

[88GreenVN]

I think I'll leave my MM in it's box. Safer that way by the look of it.

[delcowizzid]

measuring voltage is fine amps has noting to do with it at all .but if testing current when multimeter is connected inline not connected in parrallel like testing volts .it will only handle 10amps when inline and set on amps setting

[WogBoyz]

i did sparky for a year i know not to test my house haha so can i use this thing or not lol

[delcowizzid]

yeah leave it all plugged in like it is in the pic set on 20v dc and hook it to the battery.

[WogBoyz]

kk thanks man

so when engine off it shud read 12v's and when running should say 14v's approx

and if i test it while it turns over should say about 9v's

that all correct?

[mulligan-can]

kk thanks man

so when engine off it shud read 12v's and when running should say 14v's approx

and if i test it while it turns over should say about 9v's

that all correct?

Why would you want to test it while it's turning over? Just curious? But no, it should, in theory if you have a decent battery, still read approx 12v.

As said before, 12-13v powered off is a suitable reading for a 12v battery. At least 13v while charging, 14v is a more common min as it will allow faster charging.

So long as the potential (voltage) across terminals when charging is greater than the potential across the terminals while in standby by about 2v your charging system is working fine. NB, standby must be >= 12v

Warning:
Do NOT move the "red" lead from the present location unless you plan on measuring currents. It is, as said above, unfused. It is also NOT connected to the rest of the multimeter, only the ammeter mode will work (on mine and any that I have used anyway).

Anyway mate, everything you need to know about checking the basic condition of a battery has been answered here. If you want to get a better idea of the health of it then go out and grab a load box + impedance tester.

Now, go out and make some sparks! (or play with the multimeter, whichever you prefer)

Mega Warning!!!!:
DO NOT EVER USE THIS MULTIMETER FOR HOUSEHOLD TESTING.

It is essentially "uncalibrated" and lacks any decent insulation and safety rating.

It is suitable for ELV DC/AC (extremely low voltage ie < 50vac or 100vdc) ONLY.

[WogBoyz]

cheers for the help man by charging do u mean while the engine is running? sorry for the noob questions lol

[WogBoyz]

well i tested it today here are the results

while engine off it read - 12.62

while engine running - 14.4

is that a healthy battery?

[muttley383]

looks like a healthy charging system.
To check if the alternator has enough grunt you can turn on all accessories, ie: headlamps on high beam, thermo fans on, aircon on etc. Check that the voltage level is still above the 12.62v with all ancillaries running.

[Nanos]

the only true way to test a battery health is to do a load test. You can buy proper load tester from most auto shops.

basicly what a load tester does is put a short across both terminals and shows a voltage reading.

A bad battery may still sho correct voltage on a meter when sitting with no load, but once load is put on it, it will drop fast.

If you want to test load with a meter, turn engine off, turn on as many things as possible, headlights, fans, radio, rear demister, wipers etc... then watch the battery voltage. it should stay around the 12.62 volt mark you mentioned above. if it looks like it is dropping fast and not holding voltage for long, then your battery is need of replacing.

[WogBoyz]

kk ill turn everything on the test with my meter again and see how my alternator holds up

how much wud one of these load testers cost? and what they look like btw?

oh and also i cant turn aircon and all of that on with the engine off

"If you want to test load with a meter, turn engine off"

so what ya mean by that?

[muttley383]

There are 3 types of battery condition testers.
The first type is your standard battery acid hydrometer.
The second is the load test unit described above. The of the quality of the unit is related to how long you can load the battery down.
The third type is a battery internal resistance checking device. It will give you a reading of number of CCA that it thinks the battery is good for. Compare the result to your batteries specs to determine condition. These units also check charging system condition also.

[WogBoyz]

oh ok man to much effort n complicated ill just stick with my multimeter