No Start, ignition and ammeter problems
Sweet, thanks for the posts. I jiggled and tightened the alt side of the ammeter and things are working. My only fear is that it may have been somewhere further down the line and when I was behind the dash I knocked it back into position. But ill find out if she dies in me again.
A problem that comes and goes in this manner is a sure sign of bad trouble. What you have in there somewhere is a BAD CONNECTION and it must be in the main battery/ charging lead, the very very thing that the MAD article covers.
I'm starting to think my work here is unheeded. You need to CHECK things. I can understand if it's cold, winter, maybe you don't have a heated garage or even a garage. BUT you need to take steps to make it reliable, OR NOT DRIVE IT, because it WILL leave you stranded again.
I've already told you what the top suspects are:
The bulkhead connector,
The ammeter and it's connections
The "in harness" welded splice
One thing you could do TEMORARILY would be to find a place to run a no12 or no10 wire through the firewall. Put a ring on the interior end, and hook it to the RED side of the ammeter Hook the other end to the big stud on the starter relay. Be sure to unhook the battery ground when you do all this.
Next, run a no12 or no10 direct from the alternator output stud to the big stud on the starter relay.
This will cause your ammeter to be inoperative, but it will relieve strain on the "main" conductors of the bulkhead connector.
You MUST find a way to deal with this. If you don't you'll be freezin' your you - know - what's off at the side of the road some dark night.
