Voltage drop when I hit the brakes Options

[PinetreePorsche]

What's wrong here? The voltage on my meter (stock- center console) falls from near 13 to 11-and-a-bit, daytime, and has a corresponding drop from a slightly lower starting (mid-12 area) with the lights on. Turning on the lights, without other loads, barely deflects the needle down, maybe .3 volts--that's for 2 fr. corner, two taillights and two markers. Why would the brake bulbs drain so much more? -is there a short somewhere--and no, I haven't been blowing any fuses. Just wondered--don't want to get stuck in an after-dark traffic jam, sit with the brakes on and drain the battery. -C

[Dave_Darling]

As I always tell people, the voltmeter is there "strictly for entertainment". It even jumps around when you have your turn signals on, which makes me snicker.

If you want an actual indication of the health of your charging system, you need to measure with a decent voltmeter directly across the battery posts. Not the clamps, the posts themselves.

Once you get to know what your stock VM does under different conditions, you may be able to use it to know when a light bulb has burned out. Apart from that, it's pretty useless...

--DD