Del Help! Cuda not Charging

You might want to double check your meter, even if you only "find a friend" with a multimeter

If the meter is OK, then now you are lkely seeing what I've written on here "lots." "Voltage drop."

If the VR is not perfectly grounded to the battery NEG, there is voltage drop in the ground circuit

If the VR IGN (blue) terminal is not within a couple of tenths of a volt of the battery positive, there is voltage drop in the hot side of the circuit

SO................you need to check that.

You need to hook your meter up to "the closest" you can get to the VR. This can be difficult, but the easiest access is often the 12V IGN wire feeding the alternator field. Clip one lead of your meter to that

Clip the other probe to battery + Turn the key to "run" with engine stopped.

You are hoping for a very low reading, the lower the better. Anything more than .3V ( 3/10 of one volt) is too much, and indicates a poor connection in the circuit path from the battery to the VR

This is most likely the bulkhead connector, the ignition switch connector, or the switch itself. More rare can be ammeter connections or the ammeter. Rarest of all is a failure of the "welded splice" in the black ammeter wire under the dash.

And, if you have re-did splices under the hood, might be a problem there.

Make sure the VR connector is OK. wiggle it and feel for "tight" Inspect it inside for corrosion. Work it in /out to "scrub" the terminals clean

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Next check the ground. Run the engine "fast idle" to simulate "low cruise." With engine running, stab one prob onto the top of the battery NEG post. Stab the other probe into the VR mounting flange. Make sure you get through paint, rust, etc. Once again, the lower the reading, the better, Zero is perfect. Any reading, say, .2V or more, means you need to improve grounding between battery / engine/ and body.