How many volts should a battery drop when cranking?
How many volts should a battery drop when cranking? A good battery will sit around 12.6 to 12.8 volts when fully charged. When a good battery is put through a load test equal to its rated CCA (cold cranking amps) its voltage will drop to around 9.6 to 10.5 volts depending on the ambient temperature. It will then shoot back up to ~12.6 volts once the load is removed. What should my cranking voltage be? You can test for proper cranking voltage with a voltmeter while—you guessed it—cranking the engine. Then put a voltmeter across the battery posts while cranking...