Car battery reading 16 volts

[aleksboch]

Hi all,

Need some advice, as a general google search isn't turning anything useful.

I have a Yuasa YBX5053 battery that was removed from a car in November 2019 and has been sitting in my house disconnected since then. Before removal the battery was healthy.

Wanting to check on it's condition today, I used my multimeter to check the DC voltage and it's reading 16 volts.

Why on earth would that be? Is the battery faulty?

[imagineifyeswill]

Is the internal battey in your multimeter running low, with mine it reads high when internal battery is running out.

[aleksboch]

I will check

[aleksboch]

Yes. Battery in meter is low

[aleksboch]

This thread can be closed

[Vipers]

My multimeter was reading low as well, seems the Duracell battery had been in in it for 40 years, not bad I thought.

[Dogwatch]

16 volts would be a world record for a 12v battery!

Easy to forget how long a battery has been sitting in a multimeter. As an occasional user I take the battery out of mine in between uses. Bit of a faff but if the battery leaks at least the meter is still serviceable.

[TekoTime]

I once spent a couple of weeks diagnosing a dodgy alternator that was charging at 17 volts. Did all kinds of things like swapping in a scrap yard alternator, changing the power connector, new battery, checking for a short somewhere on the car etc. After a while the battery warning light came up on my multimeter. After I put a new one in I found there was absolutely nothing wrong with the alternator. Doh!

[Penelope Stopit]

TekoTime said:

I once spent a couple of weeks diagnosing a dodgy alternator that was charging at 17 volts. Did all kinds of things like swapping in a scrap yard alternator, changing the power connector, new battery, checking for a short somewhere on the car etc. After a while the battery warning light came up on my multimeter. After I put a new one in I found there was absolutely nothing wrong with the alternator. Doh!

I admire your confession

[Vipers]

TekoTime said:

I once spent a couple of weeks diagnosing a dodgy alternator that was charging at 17 volts. Did all kinds of things like swapping in a scrap yard alternator, changing the power connector, new battery, checking for a short somewhere on the car etc. After a while the battery warning light came up on my multimeter. After I put a new one in I found there was absolutely nothing wrong with the alternator. Doh!

Good post, we can all learn from that.