AudiSportB5S4

So my old battery after being in for like 6 years started dying after I jumped a car. ANYWAYS, with the car off, it would sit just below 12 the old one, the new one sits above 12. is that normal?? I had shut my car off and right away checked the volts and it was halfway between that first tick past 12, not quite 16 if you know what i mean... my battery isn't "overcharged" is it?

be easy on me im learning

S4armer

It's fine. No worries.

HIS4

A fully charged battery should measure 12.6V.

S4_Cinci (I S'edTFA)

multimeter from just about any hardware store. Sears has them, Harbor Freight, AZ, etc. Measure across the battery terminals with car on, car off. The gauge on the dash is OK, but it is really a ballpark gauge and not dead accurate.

AudiSportB5S4

thanks a lot ! yeah it starts like a champ now HAHA i think its the OEM battery!

S4_Cinci (I S'edTFA)

@ 2.12 = 12.72 theoretical full charge volts. And you need about 1 Volt higher pressure to charge it - just so you know what numbers are normal and which are not. If your alternator only puts out like 12.2V, it won't be able to charge the battery properly. This is what happens sometimes when alternators get old and start to die. Also, good that you replaced the old battery right away, as a bad battery can sometimes kill an alternator. Also a bad alternator can kill a good battery. Good to keep in mind for the future (but hope you never have an alt. go bad on you!).