74 duster elelctrial help
This is exactly why that 'advice' is poison.
When the fusible link blows there is a dead short in the system, or it has been horribly abused over time.
What I mean by dead short is the battery positive is connecting to ground.
You must find the problem(s)
The ammeter is nothing but a flat plate with two studs pressed in. If the studs are loose there will be resistance or no connection, otherwise its fine. The needle deflect due to the lightl electromagnetic field created when electrons move through the plate. Don't waste your time chasing a red herring. If the ammeter connections were shorting, the fuse or fusible link would blow as soon the battery was connected.
Here's how it works.
The battery feeds goes to a junction on the other side of the ammeter.
All of the wires connected at that junction are hot when the battery is connected.
Short any of those wires and the battery will max discharge. It will be big spark show. The fusible link will melt more quickly the worse the short. It's a better than no protection but not a guarentee.
Also notice the ignition feeds are not fuse protected. If there is a short in the ignition feed, the engine stops running. That stops hte alternator but the battery is still connected. The ammeter will show severe discharge from the battery until you turn the key switch to off, or something burns through. The fusible link is 16 gage but so is ignition wire. Which one will melt first is anyones guess. The link protects the 12 gage wires and maybe the 14 gage wires, but not the 16 a and 18 gage wires.
You can find the problem by looking for signs of where wires are burned, and looking for places insulation is missing and wires are rubbing against metal or getting pinched.
Anotehr way is to use a lamp or a circuit breaker and test each circuit. Or disconnect the battery and use a multimeter or circuit tester.
Post some pictures and we can probably come up with a plan to find the problem.
Just say NO.
This is exactly why that 'advice' is poison.
When the fusible link blows there is a dead short in the system, or it has been horribly abused over time.
What I mean by dead short is the battery positive is connecting to ground.
You must find the problem(s)
The ammeter is nothing but a flat plate with two studs pressed in. If the studs are loose there will be resistance or no connection, otherwise its fine. The needle deflect due to the lightl electromagnetic field created when electrons move through the plate. Don't waste your time chasing a red herring. If the ammeter connections were shorting, the fuse or fusible link would blow as soon the battery was connected.
Here's how it works.
The battery feeds goes to a junction on the other side of the ammeter.
All of the wires connected at that junction are hot when the battery is connected.
Short any of those wires and the battery will max discharge. It will be big spark show. The fusible link will melt more quickly the worse the short. It's a better than no protection but not a guarentee.
Also notice the ignition feeds are not fuse protected. If there is a short in the ignition feed, the engine stops running. That stops hte alternator but the battery is still connected. The ammeter will show severe discharge from the battery until you turn the key switch to off, or something burns through. The fusible link is 16 gage but so is ignition wire. Which one will melt first is anyones guess. The link protects the 12 gage wires and maybe the 14 gage wires, but not the 16 a and 18 gage wires.
You can find the problem by looking for signs of where wires are burned, and looking for places insulation is missing and wires are rubbing against metal or getting pinched.
Anotehr way is to use a lamp or a circuit breaker and test each circuit. Or disconnect the battery and use a multimeter or circuit tester.
Post some pictures and we can probably come up with a plan to find the problem.