what does your alternator charge at (idle)?

just had to change my wife's subaru battery. on a whim i checked my battery as comparison.

at idle, i am getting a even 14v. if my wife brings the RPM up, the voltage creeps up, but only to about 14.07, maybe 14.1.

i always thought i should see somewhere better than 14.2? i need to roadtrip into the mountains..deep deep into the mountains next week..anything to address now?

at rest, battery is around 13v..so i know it is charging.

 

The nominal charging voltage is 14v. An acceptable variation would be between 13.8 and 14.2. Your voltage sounds just fine. A fully charged wet cell battery is 12.7. When a battery is first removed from a charger it will often read higher due to surface charge on the plates. Once that dissipates it will settle at 12.7. Anything over the battery voltage will charge the battery, but the high voltages are more efficient.

 

thanks badg..

the internet got me all confused. as always.

 

Anything between 13.8 and 14.6 is acceptable.