[RichardJ]

>>Early systems liked ~14.5V but that went up and up as vehicles used more Watts. The Voltmeter on my late model reads ~18V.<<

Flawed conclusion. You have a bad voltage regulator or bad ground somewhere. If you're looking at a "late model" dash volt meter and seeing 18V, it could be a bad volt meter. Check voltage at battery before you cook it to death.