I am pretty sure I saw a display for battery voltage (it was like 11.4 V) the other day when I was looking at the diagnostic menu. For the life of me I cannot find it now. Can anyone help before I lose my mind?

 

There is no display for battery voltage in an 06 Rl. Better to say I have never seen one. If the car was running, and you saw only 11.4 v, you have a problem.

 

Not sure if it is what you are looking for, but there is SOME voltage displayed, just not sure what it means.
Map-Menu-Cancel for 5 sec to get to Diag. menu
Select "XM(HIP) ECU"
Select TELEMATICS SELFDIAGNOSIS
Among other entries I have "Voltage 13.87" there.

 

Thanks for that info. I really thought I was losing my mind, or at least hallucinating.

 

Just checked and showing 12.09V with car off. Also, is that a hour meter below the readout for the voltage? Mine shows 385:45. Maybe that is used for the oil monitor.

 

AcuraLink works thru the XM satellites, if I'm not mistaken. So, that info can be sent to Acura to diagnose problems.

At normal conditions (70 degrees and 50% humidity) your battery at rest should be 12.6V. Your 13.87V must be with the car running, or has just been charged recently. You can tell the state of the charge of the battery with a chart, or a voltmeter, but the rule of thumb is anything less than 12.0V and you need to charge and/or replace. Just had my battery replaced by my Acura dealer when it was at the 11.4V that I stated above and would not charge.

 

just checked the battery voltage and mine says 10.83. I haven't driven my car for a few days now because it's out of alignment from curb rash during a snow storm. Should I be concerned about the battery?

 

Is the "eye" on the battery white as opposed to blue or red? If it is 10.83V then your battery needs to be charged, or is toast. I would start the car and check in a few minutes to see if the voltage goes up meaning the battery is charging. See this for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_battery

Disclaimer: Perform any or all diagnostics at your own risk. Changing, either intentionally or unintentionally, any of the parameters in the diagnostic menu could cause damage and/or effect how your car will perform.

 

My battery reading is 11.4V with car off, key in accessory position. Car hasn't been driven in a few days. Will check later for reading after driving for a while.

Does this reading with the car off seem out of the ordinary?

 

I will check tonight when I get home from work. I usually don't have problem starting the car, but I have had a few incidents that my steering wheel didn't lower when starting the car. As mentioned in other posts, those two might be related.

 

According to this chart, found in the wikipedia article in the link above, my battery, reading 11.4 volts on the diagnostic screen, is dead. (Chart edited to eliminate 6 volt column.)

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* The open circuit voltage, measured when the engine is off. It can be approximately related to the charge of the battery by:

Open Circuit Voltage (12V) Approximate charge Relative acid density
12.65 V 100% 1.265
12.45 V 75% 1.225
12.24 V 50% 1.190
12.06 V 25% 1.155
11.89 V 0% 1.120

Open circuit voltage is also affected by temperature, and the specific gravity of the electrolyte at full charge.
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My RL seems to be working fine, though.

 

The reading from the diagnostic screen is, by definition, NOT an open circuit reading. The battery being measured is under load, powering the accessories, including the screen, CPU, etc. To get an open circuit reading you must disconnect one of the battery cables (i.e. open the circuit), and measure the voltage across the terminals with a volt meter.

The voltages measured on a battery under load (and a considerable load at that) are very hard to characterize.

 

Thanks, woof. I do know what "open" means when referring to an electrical circuit and should have realized that the chart is not directly applicable.