What causes the gauge to jump is that the charge of the battery is changing and this can be quickly or slowly depending on the problem with the alternator and if it is cutting out and dying or something else. The reason the needle jumping doesn’t mean that the battery is bad is that if you have a battery not holding a charge that will only cause the needle to not go up as high on the gauge, but it won’t cause the gauge to jump. The needle jumping means that the battery isn’t getting the same amount of charge consistently. Your alternator is responsible for taking extra mechanical power from the engine and turning it into electrical energy to recharge the battery or keep it charged. No, it actually typically means that you have a problem with your alternator. So, does the needle in the battery gauge jumping around means the battery is bad. Well, this is true that power is being taken from the battery, but power is also being given to the battery while driving. You may be thinking there is power being taken from the battery by the radio, headlights, and other parts of the car while driving, so shouldn’t that make the needle go down? You may be wondering to yourself why the needle shouldn’t move while driving.
Why Shouldn’t Battery Gauge Goes Up And Down? That is why it is a concern when it does jump around while driving. The needle may move some while driving, but in reality, the needle shouldn’t move much while driving if everything is working right. Not all cars have the battery gauge on the dash, but it is a useful thing to have because the battery gauge is essentially a voltmeter that is always connected to your battery.Ī voltmeter is a tool used to get the reading of how much power is in your battery. What Does It Mean When Battery Gauge Goes Up And Down? Battery Gaugeīefore going into detail about what it means when your battery gauge jumps around, we will first talk about what the battery gauge on your dash actually is.