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: Is multimeter good enough to test the battery?


Timpo
04-26-2017, 12:15 PM
I've seen people testing the battery with multimeter.

But I know there are battery testers ones that you put CCA rating of the battery and stuff.

Anyways do you think multimeter will give you a good idea of battery condition or no?

iPee
04-26-2017, 12:22 PM
You can just bring your battery to Canadian Tire to have it tested. I think some of the more expensive multimeters will have that option.

underscore
04-26-2017, 12:22 PM
Voltage alone doesn't mean much, it's a good initial test but that's it.

Urrtoast
04-26-2017, 12:56 PM
You need to load test a battery,
A voltage test only tells you how the charge is in the cells.

boibuddha
04-26-2017, 01:49 PM
A multimeter is more than adequate for the job. One just has to test it properly.

Static charge should be ~12.7 V.

To test it under load, take a voltage reading when cranking the engine over. Anything 10.0+ V is considered healthy.

If that checks out alright, you can check for 14+V once the car has started for a healthy alternator to test the rest of the charging system.

Indy
04-26-2017, 03:27 PM
i once tested a battery with a multimeter that showed 0.9 volts and the same after charging. So in that instance a multimeter was sufficient in letting me know my battery was shit :D