Amp meter problem

[Mel H.]

OK... heres what happened.

Was working around the engine and accidentally shorted the battery for an instant with a wrench... of course, sparks flew. Didnt think much of it. Car started fine, but I did notice the amp meter is pegged at the bottom... pointing straight down... wiggles a bit when engine running, but stays there when engine is off. I checked charging system and it appears OK at 14 volts (running).

Yes, boneheaded move... but any ideas whats causing this or if the meter is fried?? Ways to test it?

[Joe R.]

Re: Amp meter problem

Mel,

You will have to remove the amp gauge and zero it back to "0". It's just 180 degrees out of phase.

There is a magnetic strip inside the gauge that zero's the gauge so there is a North and South. Instead of yours pointing North it is pointing South.

JR

[Stephen L.]

Re: Amp meter problem

I had a similiar problem with an amp meter in a Monte Carlo. I had installed a new radio speaker with an oversized magnet too close to the meter and it flipped the meter. I was able to get it "reversed" by momentarily (as in fast) connecting a 1.5v battery in the reverse polarity of the system. Disconnect the meter first from the car system and then touch the battery leads to the meter. (You should be able to find both poles of the meter wiring at a convenient location... not at the meter itself, by using the wiring diagram)This corrected the meter problem and a correct speaker fixed the "magnet" problem.

[Joe R.]

Re: Amp meter problem

Hey, that's a good idea but probably won't work cause they are stops on the 63-64 amp gauges to keep them from getting reverse polarity.
Problem is that the sudden short of 60Amps + probably made the pointer jump the stop.
But try that anyway.
Good news is that the amp gauge pod can be removed without removing the entire cluster.

JR