Freudian Slip?

 

And part of that variance between trucks can be due to where exactly on the truck that the owner's of those trucks are taking the measurements, especially when comparing voltages in the tenths.

There can be over two tenths of a volt difference (.23v) in the same truck, in the same climate, at the same time, with the variance in voltage due entirely to where on the truck the voltage was measured from.

Photo essay example follows:










So when comparing what Bill measures on his truck, versus what Billy Jean measures on her truck, a difference in voltage can be expected if Bill is taking his reading through his Edge monitor (which is piped through the PCM, which is protected by a diode that causes a two tenths voltage drop) and Billy Jean measures her voltage through a doohicky plugged into the cigarette lighter. This complicates user to user comparisons resolving to the tenths.

 

Lately I have been seeing 14.1-14.3. Super strange. Just never seen a vehicle change so much in voltage randomly unless the alternator/battery was bad.

 

A reasonable question. But, not without ambiguity.

Where the voltage is measured is just as important as the reading itself.

For instance, the (B+) Post on the Alternator shows the maximum charging voltage of the System in it's entirety. Depending upon several variances. I.e. Alternator Condition, Regulator Condition, and Bridge Rectifier Condition. There ((B+)) you should see 14.4 VDC. Anything higher than 15 vdc will cause a DTC for high/low voltage. At the Battery, 13.8 vdc (within 0.1 vdc either direction is acceptable). The PCM see's a differing voltage due to the 5vdc Reference Circuit. Most times about 13.6-14.1. Another very important part of the Puzzle is the Battery Condition and its ability to both accept and store a charge. Any connection, loose, corrode, etc will provide squeed values. Lastly, Heat (which is the hardest on a charging system) or Cold affects circuitry.

With all that being said, and all things considered, variance as stated, 13.6 - 14.4 is an acceptable range.