Bypassed AmMeter on 63 dart, now I get nothing

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Memyfofum

Memyfofum

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Had a few people tell me I needed to bypass the ammeter, so I re ran wire and didn’t run it from the relay to the AM, now I get no power at all. I attached the diagram I'm following and as far as I can tell everything is making contact. The only thing I can think is that the power coming from the alternator needs to go straight to the battery since everything seems to feed off the Alt wire instead of the battery. Electrical isn’t my strong suit so any help is appreciated.

D38134AA-F23D-42FD-ABFB-24D602DB6410.jpeg
 
Sorry, man but from your description I've no idea what you did or why.

Does it have mostly factory wiring, and is it kinda, or mostly, or not hacked up?
Do you have a factory service manual?
What is "AM?"

What do you mean "re ran wire?" What wire? And from where to where?

I'll have to look, as some years of the early girls don't really need a bypass because the bulkhead connector has better terminals for the ammeter. This does not mean that in some cases the ammeter might not be damaged, etc

This is the link from MyMopar for the aftermarket wiring diagrams. They do not show a 63 factory manual there. You have to download these, "unzip" them, and pick the ones that fit

https://www.mymopar.com/downloads/wiringdiagrams/1963Wiring.zip
 
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67Dart273 said:
Sorry, man but from your description I've no idea what you did or why. What is "AM?"

What do you mean "re ran wire?" What wire? And from where to where?
Click to expand...
AM is AMMeter. What i did was run a new wire from the battery to the starter relay without the fork in it that leads to the AMMeter. And then did the same for the alternator wire, stock route just doesn’t go to the meter. Followed the wiring diagram that I attached. I’ve had a few people already tell me that the AMMeter is a fire hazard and that I should ditch it
 
See if this works..................(EDIT)......NOPE the software re-sizes them, hang on.........

63DartB.jpg


63DartA.jpg


EDIT.........Download and save these

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52039748412_c85e66d8c5_h.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52039748387_27e3c97a70_h.jpg

The site software will not allow posting images full size. Download and save the links I posted I cannot tell for certain from the diagram, but it appears that you have the smaller, "less safe" ammeter terminals in the bulkhead connector
 
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Memyfofum said:
AM is AMMeter. What i did was run a new wire from the battery to the starter relay without the fork in it that leads to the AMMeter. And then did the same for the alternator wire, stock route just doesn’t go to the meter. Followed the wiring diagram that I attached. I’ve had a few people already tell me that the AMMeter is a fire hazard and that I should ditch it
Click to expand...


You listened to the wrong people. Unless you are running a big fuel pump, aftermarket ignition and a bunch of power eating stuff the ammeter is fine.

Put it back the way it was and drive it.
 
Rat Bastid said:
You listened to the wrong people. Unless you are running a big fuel pump, aftermarket ignition and a bunch of power eating stuff the ammeter is fine.

Put it back the way it was and drive it.
Click to expand...
Yep that’s exactly why I bypassed it, previous owner put an electronic ignition, Fuel pump an amp and apparently a high output alternator (don't know how high output it is). Just trying to avoid a fire between my legs.
 
Rat Bastid said:
You listened to the wrong people. Unless you are running a big fuel pump, aftermarket ignition and a bunch of power eating stuff the ammeter is fine.

Put it back the way it was and drive it.
Click to expand...
That is only true if the bulkhead connector and ammeter is in good condition.
 
Memyfofum said:
Yep that’s exactly why I bypassed it, previous owner put an electronic ignition, Fuel pump an amp and apparently a high output alternator (don't know how high output it is). Just trying to avoid a fire between my legs.
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So what ignition and fuel pump. You got me on the amp. I don’t have stereo’s in a performance car.

How many amps is the alternator?
 
Rat Bastid said:
So what ignition and fuel pump. You got me on the amp. I don’t have stereo’s in a performance car.

How many amps is the alternator?
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Overkill Holley fuel pump dont know the exact model, the alternator is either 110 or 120 amp can’t remember but I know it was over 100, and no clue on the ignition all I know is the cap is blue
 
If you are trying to run a 100A alternator on a stock harness, YOU BETTER bypass the thing. First start by reading the MAD article:

Catalog

Now, you don't necessarily need to do so as they did here, but this article goes through the "why" of ammeter/ and bulkhead connector damage. You can buy new terminals, or you can drill them out and run larger wire through the connector body.

You can bypass the ammeter by running a direct FUSED wire from the battery direct to the alternator. FUSED

Then (with battery disconnected) unhook the ammeter and check the wire ends, and if they appear to be OK, bolt them together and TAPE them Then you'll need a voltmeter or other device to monitor the battery
 
67Dart273 said:
If you are trying to run a 100A alternator on a stock harness, YOU BETTER bypass the thing. First start by reading the MAD article:

Catalog

Now, you don't necessarily need to do so as they did here, but this article goes through the "why" of ammeter/ and bulkhead connector damage. You can buy new terminals, or you can drill them out and run larger wire through the connector body.

You can bypass the ammeter by running a direct FUSED wire from the battery direct to the alternator. FUSED
Click to expand...
Thank you, thats what I was looking for, and yeah I already have a lower output alternator on the way.
 
67Dart273 said:
If you are trying to run a 100A alternator on a stock harness, YOU BETTER bypass the thing. First start by reading the MAD article:

Catalog

Now, you don't necessarily need to do so as they did here, but this article goes through the "why" of ammeter/ and bulkhead connector damage. You can buy new terminals, or you can drill them out and run larger wire through the connector body.

You can bypass the ammeter by running a direct FUSED wire from the battery direct to the alternator. FUSED

Then (with battery disconnected) unhook the ammeter and check the wire ends, and if they appear to be OK, bolt them together and TAPE them Then you'll need a voltmeter or other device to monitor the battery
Click to expand...
If the amperage draw is close to what the stock components can draw, I don't see what difference it makes to the ammeter as to what output the alternator is capable of.
 
Bodyperson said:
If the amperage draw is close to what the stock components can draw, I don't see what difference it makes to the ammeter as to what output the alternator is capable of.
Click to expand...


Start by reading the MAD article.
Simple.
Because if you reach a situation where you have "a lot going" like, heater, headlights, wipers, (up here where we have winter LOL) and if the battery is down, especially if for some reason it is quite down, the alternator will REALLY tax the stock wiring. The wiring, the bulkhead terminals, and the factory ammeter are marginal, especially the wiring and connector

Ma knew this, and if you look up in the factory manuals wiring, cars which had optional 65A alternators had changes done which are normally referred to as"fleet/ police/ taxi" where larger wiring was run through the firewall using separate grommets.

Older factory ammeter wiring was none too large to start with. The bulkhead connectors are essentially 1/4" wide spade/ flag terminals. These were used in electric furnaces I used to work with, most of which as back up heat for heat pumps, and they FAILED often. These saw only 20--25A nominal, because a "standard" 5KW electric element draws about that amperage at 240V
 
Bodyperson said:
If the amperage draw is close to what the stock components can draw, I don't see what difference it makes to the ammeter as to what output the alternator is capable of.
Click to expand...
Correct. Under normal uses, it doesn't make a difference.
In fact an alternator that can keep up with high loads even when the car is stopped will be easier on the ammeter and battery feed.

That said, batteries will draw more current as their charge state decreases.
For example, a battery that has just started a car will draw 15 amps from the alternator for a few seconds, then 10 amps for maybe a half minute and the current will continue to decrease until its practically zero five minutes later.
But a battery that has been discharged by accidently leaving the parking lights on for 5 hours will be another story. If the engine has been started with a jump, and is now running at fast idle, the battery is going to be very hungry and draw 45 amps. Now if the maximum the alternator can produce at 14 Volts is 40 amps, then 5 will go to the ignition and field, that leaves only 35 amps to go through the ammeter to the battery.
 
I would have just got rid of all the power hungry equipment and left the stock wiring alone. If you need the high powered stuff, you need to rewire just about everything to handle the extra load. It's not just the ammeter or bulkhead connection that are the trouble areas when you start putting heavy loads here and there. Oh, and when you just need to bypass the ammeter itself, simply take one of the ammeter wires and connect it to the other one right on the ammeter post. On a stock '63 model the need to do so escapes me though....
 
Where are all those items sourcing power? Battery or alternator. On a mopar they should be on the alternator side of ammeter.

I don't like ammeters in cars, others love them. People say ammeters aren't an issue, except when they become one.

When I sell the wire around, I suggest leaving all the OEM wiring in place (inspect bulkhead/wires and fix if necessary), bypass ammeter and install the charge wire.
 
I guess I've been lucky and haven't had any problems with the ammeter itself. Bulkhead connectors, yes, an ammeter gauge, no........well except for the '75-80 Dodge pickups.....and even then it's as much fault of the gauge as it is the plastic instrument cluster housing. Now you get into aftermarket add-ons and high powered alternators, and you're talking a whole different problem.
 
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