Due to lockdown in NYS, I have not been driving much in the past 2 months and sometimes not much driving for 2 weeks+. It never occurred to me to check battery since the truck seemed to start ok each time. Yesterday, I decided to use a multimeter to check the voltage and was surprised (or may be should not have been!) that it was reading at 11.7 - 11.8V when at rest. Truck - a 2014 LE - still started ok. So I drove about 35 miles mostly highway. Today I checked again and it's up to 12.2V. What should be a good voltage to aim for? This battery is OEM replacement maybe 2 years old. I'll probably drive another 35 miles to see if the voltage goes up but if not, do I need to buy a battery charger/maintainer and if so, any recommendations?
Battery question
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Next time you replace the Battery go with a AGM type and buy a Ctek 7002 Maintainer/Charger Or something comparable.
Nothing is worse than a dead battery when you are in a hurry.
I have A dual battery system and I still put them on a charger.
BobsTrail
Senior Member
Found this online: A perfect voltage with the engine running is between 13.7 and 14.7V. With the engine off, you should get a reading of 12.6 volts. If the battery isn’t fully charged, it will diminish to 12.4V at 75%, 12V when it’s only operating at 25%, and down to 11.9V when it’s completely discharged.
00Sebby
Senior Member
As long as you're doing what you're doing... driving it every couple of weeks for 20-30 minutes, I would say you don't need to buy anything. My old 4Runner lived in an airport parking garage for a week at a time 40+ weeks a year, and many times 2 to 4 weeks. Never had an issue with the OEM battery until it was about 8 years old. i replaced it and that battery was fine until i sold it last year doing the same routine.
Nuke
New member
A fully charged 12v automotive battery should be at 12.6v at rest and about 12-24 hours after charging. 12.3v is considered to be 50% charged.
I use Battery Tender Juniors on numerous starting and deep cycle batteries. Although a battery tender will eventually charge a battery as low as yours was, it would be best to charge a weak or discharged battery with a good 10 amp or higher automatic charger, THEN put the tender on it if the vehicle is going to sit for more than a week or so.
nglayton
Senior Member
I have to agree with this. Similar situation for me, stock battery, sitting unused for 2 weeks at a time, lasted at least 7 years before I moved it to another vehicle where as far as I know it's still going strong. I never "topped it off" with any kind of charger. The starter doesn't require 13+ volts to crank the engine....
wsgoat
New member
The original OEM Panasonic batteries are awesome, unfortunately they're not available, in the US, aftermarket. I store my '17 4-Runner every winter for 5-months (inside/50 degrees) with no battery tender or trickle charger.....never any issues starting the truck after it's been sitting that long.
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