After Market Ammeter?

nm9stheham said
FWIW... the later plastic ammeters were a lot worse to fail than the earlier ones. And harness/connection failures take place separately from the ammeters, so that is confusing issues. Ammeter aren't worthless if you know how to read them; voltmeters don't tell you everything either.

Regardless, Coalman is getting good help and advice.

I agree. I actually used to prefer ammeters. Some clusters are constructed in a way that the ammeter studs must "sandwich" everything together including the plastic. When the plastic gets warm and soft because of the ammeter current, "things loosen up." Then you have meltage

In this part of the country, I used to see a fair number of the melted ammeters just exactly like on the Mad site caused by various things, including winches and snow plow lifts

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

A photo I stole from Ramcharger Central. Yup. Melted

There is nothing to hold it all together. Obviously the nuts. But when the plastic softens, it all is now loose, and "makes heat" from current flow