Alternator Gauge Concern

2000 Gmc Jimmy 4.3 4x4
I have replaced both my Alt and my battery and belt but my gauge still hangs right below the middle line
when i turn my turn signal on the needle moves with the turn signal up and down slightly
and when my car has been running awhile and i shut it off and then back on after a few min it seems the gauge needle takes forever to get back to the center of the gauge

i had the battery and the alt tested both are working fine and i made sure i had the correct alt in my truck

i checked out a buddies and his gauge stays in the middle and never moves when running and after starting his after running for awhile his goes right to the middle fast

any suggestions would be great

Thanks

My first suggestion is not to care so much what the factory gauges do. They should be considered more of a guideline than the absolute truth. Have the charging system properly tested while the truck is running. As long as you are getting 13.5V or more at idle there is nothing to worry about. My gauge on my 99 Jimmy likes to play games too. It can be below the middle line at idle when in drive and goes lower if I have alot of accessories going. It does jump up when I hit the gas. That is all that matters.

Are you having trouble with the truck not starting? If not, stop replacing parts as they are probably working fine.

PS: Check all your grounds for the engine under the hood as well.

yeah starts fine no problems there

guess it just concerned me how long it took to come up to the 14 mark when its hot outside or the truck has been running awhile is all

if its cold outside everything works great


thanks for the reply