Alternator charging voltage?

[shawn71]

What should the alternator fitted to a 412 Variant be charging at?

I have tested mine, at the battery and it reads 13.5 volts but the Haynes manual says it should be 14v, is 13.5 acceptable or do I need to get the wifes nail files out and clean the terminals on the alternator?

By the way revving the engine seems to make no difference to the reading either.

[Editor]

It sounds a bit on the low side.
Have you had any problems with slow starting? I think unless you get a problem, ignore what voltmeters show - my son diagnosed a faulty regulator on his car, got another one, and found the same 'high' reading. When I used my test-meter, I got an acceptable reading. His was reading around a Volt too high.

[shawn71]

I replaced the battery about a fortnight ago due to slow starting during the cold spell we had.

Took the car to one of those tyre/exhaust places who tested the battery and showed it was knackered. So for the £50 for a new one thought I had better change it, the car now starts a lot easier and I hoped it might resolve a couple of the other little problems associated with low voltage like the lumpiness at low revs and the eberspacher not working.

It did resolve the eberspacher probs, well some of them, as it now works when the car is turned off and cold but not when the car is moving and warm, still need to sort this one out.

The lumpiness at low revs was not fixed although someone has suggested this might be down to the ignition being too far advanced...?