Hi Scotty,
I have a 2 year old subaru forester with a 620 CCA battery. My battery died a few weeks ago, after which, I purchased a volt meter that more often than not shows a resting volt level of 12.2, elevating to 12.5 shortly after a drive and dropping back to 12.2 after resting a while. Any idea why my voltage is low. I did in the last year install a dash cam, that I disconnect at night once my car is in the garage. I also have a disconnected and exposed puddle lamp wire, tucked into the body of the door. Not sure if any of these are relevant confounders.
Love your videos and thanks for any help.
Check the voltage with the car idling. If it's not around 14 volts, your alternator is not working properly.
Fully charged automotive batteries should measure 12.6 volts. At 12.2 volts it's only half charged, 12.5 volts is about 80%. When the engine is running, voltage at the battery should nominally be about 14 volts (plus or minus about 0.5 volt).
https://www.mmbalmainauto.com.au/PDF/State_of_charge_12_volt_batteries.pdf
A friend with a new Subaru had the original battery die in a couple of years, they're probably installing crap batteries at the factory. In that case I don't think the battery was covered by warranty.
I'd have both the battery and alternator tested. If the battery is bad you'll need a new one. If the alternator is not charging that would be a warranty issue. If the battery is good and the alternator is charging but the battery still goes flat after sitting for a while have the car tested for parasitic draw.
sounds like your meter might be a little off
