Was going to a car show last Saturday. Tried to start car, battery was low and would only click the solenoid and not turn engine over. Connected jumper cables and car started right up. However, noticed the ammeter needle was showing a massive charging rate, where the needle was pointing over to the "+" mark right next to the 40. Figured that was OK since battery was so severely discharged. Headed out to the car show but noticed the needle never started "backing off" as the battery began taking the charge from the alternator. Drove about 30 minutes to the show, and needle never moved at all. Turned car off and needle remained "stuck" at the +40 mark on the gauge. Turning on headlights and restarting engine made no change on the position of the needle. Four hours later, ready to head home and car started just fine, but needle still stuck at +40. Got home, shut engine off and needle still hadn't moved. Took a small rubber hammer and tapped on front of gauge to see if needle might bounce back to 0, but did not move at all. Battery voltage showed about 13 volts, and slightly over 14 with engine running. Has the gauge gone bad, or possibly something else? Have owned this car for 47 years, and hesitate to remove instrument cluster (never been out) to replace gauge. Any thoughts on how to troubleshoot this issue.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Jeff
Thanks for any suggestions.
Jeff
Comment