Voltage Regulator on 2002 WRX

[David Spektor]

When it gets cold (10 - 20 deg.F) starting car in the morning noticed that
voltage gauge jumps up to 16V (actually observed 16.7V !). As car warms up,
it drops down to 13.7 V at normal driving revs and then behaves. I don't
think that car's electronics appreciates seeing 16V+ even for 3-5 minutes.
Did anybody experienced similar voltage regulator behavoir, or should I
bring dealer's attention to such phenomenon?

Dave

 

[David & Caroline]

Does the "charge" lamp illuminate in the instrument cluster? It's supposed
to go of when the voltage is excessively high (defined as >16V in the
service manual). Where does the voltage gauge measure voltage - is it
directly across the battery terminals? What do systems in the car see?
(use a multimeter and measure voltage from a switched power lead to ground -
see if it's actually that high) Is the electrolyte in the battery foaming
over? Are you certain the gauge is accurate?