LucRZA Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Hi All I received a 1996 tdi300 for my 18th birthday a year ago and all was pleasant until I decided to have a look under the dash to discover a horrific site of spaghetti wires leading to many dead ends. Anyway it hasn't plagued any functioning as yet however... The voltage coming out of my cigarette lighter seems to be blowing anything I have put in it. I have gone through two cell phone chargers and a few other bits and bobs and decided to measure the voltage. I took measurements with the engine on and off. It fluctuated between 11,5 to 14v. So my question is there a way to see why this is so high or a solution to make it less varied and preferably under 12v. Or would making a trip round to the auto electrician more viable option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 That is perfectly normal, alternators put out anything up to high 14's when the engine is running Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMB Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Agree - range measured is perfectly normal. Assuming that you are using equipment properly designed for in car use it's more likely to be voltage spikes, which a standard meter will not indicate. If so, a couple of capacitors directly across the cigarette lighter socket may help - something like a 0.1 microfarad polyester (NOT electrolytic). Unfortunately, many cheap chargers are only rated to 16-18v input and spikes on a charging system can easily exceed that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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