Bypassing the Ammeter???
There has been a lot of discussion recently on electrical issues. I suggest looking at the other strings out there that are discussing their individual problems. It really comes down to a few issues.
Yes, think of the power coming from the alternator running through the bulkhead connector, and then going back out the bulkhead connector to the starter relay as one big loop. Inside the car, there are welded splices that feed power to the lights, radio, and ignition switch off that large black wire. Like it has been said, ALL the power for the car pass back and forth through these two large wires from the alternator to the battery... depending on the load that your car has.
So, there are a couple of actually easy steps (but time comsuming to do them correctly) that can be done to help relieve the strain on this single loop.
1. Make sure your original wiring is is good shape. Check for frays, poor/corroded connections (ESPECIALLY at the bulkhead connector- that is where most of the problems start), and butched wiring from years of modifications. Get this in shape before moving to anything else.
2. If you upgrade your alternator to a higher amp unit, you need to upgrade the wiring. The factory wires are not large enough to support what you may be trying to push through them. Since I knew I was going to add a 400W amp, new stereo and aftermarket A/C, I decided to add a chrome PowerMaster alternator to keep up. However, I knew that my stock wiring most likely would burn up if I didn't give it some attention. To relieve the strain of the charging system (power coming from the alternator), add a decent size wire (10 gauge or larger) from the power + post on the alternator (around the harness) back to the large post on the starter relay. Make sure to use an appropriate size fusible link on this wire before connecting. What that does is provide a straight shot to the battery for charging that has NOTHING else pulling from it. It also takes a little bit of the strain off your interior wiring. See my modified diagram below.
YES, take note that once this wire is added, your amp gauge will not work properly anymore since the amp really measures the charge/discharge that the car is receiving. But that was the point of this anyways right?
3. Right now all your power for your headlights comes from the headlight switch inside the car. The 12 volts has to make a VERY LONG path in small wiring from that switch to the headlamps. That will cause dim headlights (especially if that bulkhead connector connection is a problem). Moving your headlights power to a relay system really improves their ablity to function correctly, PLUS the headlight switch no longer has to provide a large amount of power straight to the headlamps, but just the little (probably no more than .3 amps) to just turn on and off the relays. Ideally, you would power the new headlamp relays straight from that large battery post eliminating distance and giving you the ablity to wire those relays again with a decent size wire. Your headlamps will work 1000% better and again, load will be taken off that interior wiring. More information can be found here:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html
Here is what my relays look like... I hid mine under the battery tray. (I have fog lights, that why there are 3 relays).
4. Aftermarket A/C or car stereo amps need their own new power wire (with correct fuse/circuit breaker) from that large post on the starter relay (starting to see a pattern?) Use quality wire and fuses and make sure to protect any connections from the elements (heat shrink, etc.)
Good luck! Remember, there are many discussions on this that have already occurred and can be found by just doing a search in the electrical forum.
There has been a lot of discussion recently on electrical issues. I suggest looking at the other strings out there that are discussing their individual problems. It really comes down to a few issues.
Yes, think of the power coming from the alternator running through the bulkhead connector, and then going back out the bulkhead connector to the starter relay as one big loop. Inside the car, there are welded splices that feed power to the lights, radio, and ignition switch off that large black wire. Like it has been said, ALL the power for the car pass back and forth through these two large wires from the alternator to the battery... depending on the load that your car has.
So, there are a couple of actually easy steps (but time comsuming to do them correctly) that can be done to help relieve the strain on this single loop.
1. Make sure your original wiring is is good shape. Check for frays, poor/corroded connections (ESPECIALLY at the bulkhead connector- that is where most of the problems start), and butched wiring from years of modifications. Get this in shape before moving to anything else.
2. If you upgrade your alternator to a higher amp unit, you need to upgrade the wiring. The factory wires are not large enough to support what you may be trying to push through them. Since I knew I was going to add a 400W amp, new stereo and aftermarket A/C, I decided to add a chrome PowerMaster alternator to keep up. However, I knew that my stock wiring most likely would burn up if I didn't give it some attention. To relieve the strain of the charging system (power coming from the alternator), add a decent size wire (10 gauge or larger) from the power + post on the alternator (around the harness) back to the large post on the starter relay. Make sure to use an appropriate size fusible link on this wire before connecting. What that does is provide a straight shot to the battery for charging that has NOTHING else pulling from it. It also takes a little bit of the strain off your interior wiring. See my modified diagram below.
YES, take note that once this wire is added, your amp gauge will not work properly anymore since the amp really measures the charge/discharge that the car is receiving. But that was the point of this anyways right?
3. Right now all your power for your headlights comes from the headlight switch inside the car. The 12 volts has to make a VERY LONG path in small wiring from that switch to the headlamps. That will cause dim headlights (especially if that bulkhead connector connection is a problem). Moving your headlights power to a relay system really improves their ablity to function correctly, PLUS the headlight switch no longer has to provide a large amount of power straight to the headlamps, but just the little (probably no more than .3 amps) to just turn on and off the relays. Ideally, you would power the new headlamp relays straight from that large battery post eliminating distance and giving you the ablity to wire those relays again with a decent size wire. Your headlamps will work 1000% better and again, load will be taken off that interior wiring. More information can be found here:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html
Here is what my relays look like... I hid mine under the battery tray. (I have fog lights, that why there are 3 relays).
4. Aftermarket A/C or car stereo amps need their own new power wire (with correct fuse/circuit breaker) from that large post on the starter relay (starting to see a pattern?) Use quality wire and fuses and make sure to protect any connections from the elements (heat shrink, etc.)
Good luck! Remember, there are many discussions on this that have already occurred and can be found by just doing a search in the electrical forum.
