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So what I'm wondering is if you have almost no load and a very good battery, will the alternator back off the voltage because there isn't any demand? It certainly appears to be doing that.
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Hmm... It may have to do with this, which I had in an
old link under "automotive" in my browser:
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The sensor for the regulator is usually connected to the positive post of the battery and when it senses a low voltage condition, allows more energy to flow in the rotor coil, creating more energy in the stator coils. It does this through a series of points, raising the points off of the contacts to allow less current to flow, or dropping points onto the contacts to increase current flow.
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If you think about it, it could be preset to something like 13V and the 13.2V is still not registering as a "low voltage condition."
When the car starts, if it's at 12.8 or something, the charging circuit is going to kick into high gear and maybe charge it back up to a preset 13.8V and kick back off again.
Here's an idea:
Before you start your FJ next time, see what the battery reading is. Report back and we'll see if this theory has any merit.
