Battery Basics

Battery Basics · 01/04

Read the
numbers on
your battery.

A 30-second voltage check tells you more about your battery's health than a warning light ever will.

12.62 VDC

Forged Battery Supply

The Voltage Scale · 02/04

What your
reading means

12.6V+

Fully charged. Resting voltage, engine off.

12.4V

About 75% charged. Still healthy.

12.2V

About 50% charged. Consider charging soon.

12.0V

About 25% charged. Weak start likely.

<11.9V

Discharged. Risk of a dead cell if it won't hold a charge.

Do It Yourself · 03/04

How to test it in 4 steps

1

Let it rest. Turn off the engine and accessories, and wait 30 minutes so the reading reflects true resting voltage.

2

Set your meter. Switch a multimeter to DC volts, 20V range.

3

Connect the probes. Red to the positive (+) terminal, black to the negative (–) terminal.

4

Read the display. A steady number is your resting voltage — compare it to the scale.

Know When to Replace · 04/04

Signs your battery is done

✕

Still reads below 12.2V after a full charge.

✕

Voltage drops fast once a load (headlights, AC) is applied.

✕

Won't hold a charge overnight, even when otherwise healthy.

✕

Case is swollen, corroded, or over 3–5 years old.

FORGED BATTERY SUPPLY

Built Different

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