I know that the question has been asked before, but here it goes anyhow. All summer long my ammeter hasn't worked on my 66. It shows a constant very small charge, even with all the accessories on, ignition in Run, and the engine off. I was just too busy working, driving my car, and doing family stuff to look at it. Tonight I measured the voltage at the alternator and got 13.0 V. I pulled the aftermarket volt regulator and swapped in my 30 year old original and the volts went right to 14.7 V. Still no reading on the ammeter. Are these two separate problems or is it possible that the ammeter sat so long without moving, or working, that it froze internally? Any other ideas? I am a couple of days away from putting this in remote storage and I would like to clear up the last little details. Thanks and keep up the good work. Gary #21136
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Re: 66 ammeter readings
Two separate problems likely, the charging voltage should be approx 14.7 volts so you may have had a problem with the regulator, but the failure of the ammeter to read either acharge or discharge is usually located in one of two spots, the gauge itself or the wiring connection at the firewall where the dash harness connects to the engine compartment. The way the system works is that the gauge actually measures the voltage drop at two ends of the Power feed to the ignition switch. This is a large wire (about 12 ga) and the voltage drop being measured is quite small. This reading is easily disrupted by a small amount of corrosion at the dash to engine interconnect. You can check the gauge by using an ohmmeter set on a low resistance scale and touching the probes to the terminals at the back of the gauge on the IP. It should move either + or - . if it does move, the chances are that the problem is at the dash connection. -
Re: 66 ammeter readings
Thanks, I will take a look at the dash connector tomorrow. Always apprecitate people who have more know-how than me. GaryComment
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Re: 66 ammeter readings
I have been having problems with my ammeter on my '67 too. For starters, the gauge was bad. I connected my gauge up to my friends '67 (with working ammeter), and the needle didn't move. A new gauge, and I still had trouble. There was a loose connection in the firewall. If I wiggled the wires enough, the gauge started working. The gauge should swing to the positive side at higher RPMs. It should swing to the negative side with the lights on. I have a digital voltmeter that plugs into the cigarette lighter, and you can watch the voltage drop/rise. The ammeter measures the direction of current flow between the alternator, and the battery. To check the connection, you can measure the continuity between to two plugs of the ammeter. If everything is connected, your meter should buzz. If not, check one plug to the alternator, and the other to the positive post of the battery. Find where it's open and fix it. Chances are it's in the firewall, although from you description, I wouldn't be suprised to find you have a bad gauge.Comment
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