my alternator charges at

[bassHZ]

i have 2000 jeep grand cherokee laredo and my alternator charges at 13.6 at idle i know alot of people would tell me thats a good thing but i want it to charge at 14v i hooked up a dmm to it and it was charging at 13.6 just regular at idle no electronics turned on so i turned on all my electronics such as defroster headlights , and ac/ and heater and radio and also the fan was on for the radiator and it was still the same ... then i accelerated to 3-4000 rpm and the voltage went up to 13.8 does anyone know if this is normal or is it a bad alternator? and is it possible if go get it rebuilt and tell them if they can add more amps or something to make it charge better like change the voltage regulator in it?

thanks to anyone that helps and also i got no electrical upgrades yet and the battery is a wet cell battery probably will upgrade to a deep cycle dry cell later .

[cubs_fan0718]

You dont have the Big 3 done and ur idleing at 13.6?

[ant the ninja]

You dont have the Big 3 done and ur idleing at 13.6?

This. I'd say you've got a pretty strong alt/batt running there.

[bassHZ]

This. I'd say you've got a pretty strong alt/batt running there.

yeah i dont have no big three or anything ..but what u guys mean by strong i thought normal was mid 14's and remember i aint bumping my music or nothing its just a regular idle with everything off

[cubs_fan0718]

I'm sure ur fine, upgrade ur big 3 and then see what ur sitting at i bet it will go up. then ull have ur big three there for when u get a beefier alt. Remember to just add on top of existing electrical.

Edited June 3, 2010 by cubs_fan0718

[bassHZ]

well big 3 is what i plan on doimg in the near future

[Guest DC Power Kyle]

That's normal. Voltage setpoint is right around there on your vehicle. To get the voltage up you gotta either change the regulator or get another alternator. The Big 3 wont really fix this...

EDIT: Or MLA.

[bassHZ]

That's normal. Voltage setpoint is right around there on your vehicle. To get the voltage up you gotta either change the regulator or get another alternator. The Big 3 wont really fix this...

EDIT: Or MLA.

thank you kyle for taking ur time and helping me out now to my understanding the voltage regulator is inside the alternator right? can i buy a better voltage regulator and do it my self or do i have to take it to a alternator shop to get it dont ?

[Deschain420]

Not sure if it's the same on Jeep as Chrysler...but my regulator is in the PCM (car's computer), not on the alt. Messing with that is not something I'd attempt, but thankfully a sweet DC alt can be had with a separate "regulator" (not sure if that's the proper term for this application), that will take care of your voltage concerns.

On top of being a DC alt.

[MECHMAN]

The regulator on that vehicle is mounted inside the ECM. While it is separate from the computer, changing it isn't really practical.

We have adjustable external regulators that you can hook up to the OEM alt.