ammeter

[red cuda]

is there anything I need to do to the stock ammeter on thee 65 Barracuda after I done the v8 coversion?65 im still using the slant 6 alternator. Everything works fine, but I have heard stories that my car may catch on fire, if I don't make some adjustment. not sure what they are talking about. anyone know?

 

[69_340_GTS]

No, you should be O.K. But here is a tip: Get rid of the ammeter, they just cause problems. Easy way is to run a 10 gage wire from the alternator lug right to the + battery (at the starter solenoid, is usually easiest spot). Just make sure it has a fusible link in the wire somewhere. This bypasses the ammeter and all the crummy old stock wiring. Then install a voltmeter... they tell you a lot more about the car's electrical system anyways.

 

[67Dart273]

Actually the above is only partly correct. Running a direct wire to the battery does nothing if your trouble is in reality the bulkhead connector, which is much much more likely to be damaged than the ammeter

Please read this article

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

One reason I re-re-re-re-re re........post this so often, is that it's an excellent article. I shows the whys and hows of how this stuff goes wrong

If you have a completely factory stock car, and the bulkhead connector is brought up to "as new" with a stock alternator, you likely can get by fine.

All these old girls, however ARE under-fused compared to newer stuff

 

[69_340_GTS]

Actually the above is only partly correct. Running a direct wire to the battery does nothing if your trouble is in reality the bulkhead connector, which is much much more likely to be damaged than the ammeter...

Why? By doing what I suggested, the bulkhead connector and the ammeter are completely taken out of charging system's operation. It worked on my car!

 

[67Dart273]

Why? By doing what I suggested, the bulkhead connector and the ammeter are completely taken out of charging system's operation. It worked on my car!

No, the bulkhead connector is NOT taken out. Power still has to get into the interior feeding the ignition switch, headlights, and all accessories. You HAVE taken some of the load off, but you have NOT repaired any damage that might already be there

That is why the MAD article is so important. It explains all this

 

[Beatnik]

Yea but running a wire from alt stud to starter relay stud w/ fusible link takes virtually all the charging load from running in and back out of the bulkhead connector and ameter wiring which is most of the issue. True however that a cruddy bulkhead could still be problematic but the danger of meltdown is all but eliminated. If you do the bypass you may as well pull your bulkhead connectors too and inspect/clean both sides and pack with dielectric grease while your at it.

 

[RedFish]

Yea but running a wire from alt stud to starter relay stud w/ fusible link takes virtually all the charging load from running in and back out of the bulkhead connector and ameter wiring which is most of the issue. True however that a cruddy bulkhead could still be problematic but the danger of meltdown is all but eliminated. If you do the bypass you may as well pull your bulkhead connectors too and inspect/clean both sides and pack with dielectric grease while your at it.

Amp loads from heater blower motor, wiper motor, headlights, everything you can turn on inside the cabin still gets its power through the same wires. Bypassing those connections that typically fail doesn't really fix anything.

 

[cadboy]

I agree the easiest is to do the MAD change.

I did this earlier this year and the car has been very good and no electrical problems any more, as most of the electrical issues were under the dash, added cables, shorting, and the bulk head connector was showing signs of burning.

Mine was converted from 6 cylinders to 8 two years ago so the best way to keep her safe was to do the MAD change.

 

[69_340_GTS]

...True however that a cruddy bulkhead could still be problematic but the danger of meltdown is all but eliminated. If you do the bypass you may as well pull your bulkhead connectors too and inspect/clean both sides and pack with dielectric grease while your at it.

Absolutely. I would still inspect & clean all those connections, as well as making sure the engine is well grounded to both the body, and directly grounded to the battery. If you're having electrical problems it's usuallly more than just one thing.

 

[BillGrissom]

All wrong advice for a 1965 (or 1963). They have dedicated "buss bars" that feed the big BATT and ALT wires thru the bulkhead (look at yours). You don't need to do anything other than clean those bolted connections (sand to shiny, coat w/ di-electric grease) on the engine side. On the cabin side they are soldered/crimped, so no problem. I put a 65 bulkhead in my 64 for this reason.

Other places to check are good clean connections at the ammeter (rear of dash) and that your under-dash "ALT" and "ACC" "fused junctions" aren't corroded. You can find photos of the later (under wrapped tape. My junctions were a bit green in CA, so an MS car might be worse.

The V-8 shouldn't matter, as long as you didn't upgrade to a non-factory >100 A alternator (modern Denso or such). For that, you could install a "diode bypass" that I designed, but only for hard-core electrically smart guys (engineers or techs).

 

[red cuda]

I noticed I have a fusible link at at the bulkhead. I cant remember where it goes though. ill look when I get home. I bought new stuff like regulator, and solenoid, starter. and I cleaned behind the bulkhead. I need to get some dielectric grease for it.

 

[67Dart273]

All wrong advice for a 1965 (or 1963). They have dedicated "buss bars" that feed the big BATT and ALT wires thru the bulkhead (look at yours). You don't need to do anything other than clean those bolted connections (sand to shiny, coat w/ di-electric grease) on the engine side. On the cabin side they are soldered/crimped, so no problem. I put a 65 bulkhead in my 64 for this reason..

Can you detail the exact differences between 63, 4, 5? I thought they were pretty much the same

I thought 65 or 66 was the first year for the integrated bulkhead connector

 

[nm9stheham]

^^^ I just looked up the diagrams on mymopar for 63, 64, 65, 66. Indeed the 64 and 66 have the alt and batt wires through the standard molded bulkhead spade connections but the 63 and 65 show the heavy connections outside of the molded bulkheads. I am familiar with these as my '62 has these heavy, separate lugs also.

I can post a pix if desired. Kinda like a factory and disconnectable MAD pass-through idea. I wonder if they switched in '64, had immedate problems, went backwards for '65, and then decided they had the issue fixed by '66 and reintroduced the heavy juice through the molded bulkhead connections.

 

[67Dart273]

I didn't know that. I knew the early ones, I thought 64? earlier were separate. Very very wierd.

Too bad they didn't LEAVE it that way.

I'm always bringing up "fleet and taxi" wiring. That's what that was, essentially

 

[nm9stheham]

Here is the one from my '62; the heavy red (Batt) and black (Alt) wires are connected to the tabs in the firewall with tapping screws with a 1/4" hex head. There is a 3rd position between these 2 that is not used on this base model car; it is for accessories, likely A/C or electric windows or seats on a Polara level car, etc. (Sorry for the sideways pix!)

 

[BillGrissom]

I have posted photos of those buss bars several times (62,63,65). They were in C-body as well (B body too?). Indeed, I got the 65 bulkhead for my 64 from a 65 Fury. The 1965 one looks like 1962 in post #15 (photo is sideways) except the upper connector is the same full-width 10-terminals of the lower connector.

My guess is that some genius decided they could save a few nickles by running the big ALT and BAT wires thru regular spade terminals in 1964. Testing or engineering experience must have argued problems since they went back to the buss bars in 1965, which made the 2-connector bulkhead just 1/8" taller than 1964. In 1966, the wiper motor moved to the engine bay, necessitating a 3rd bulkhead connector. The original genius may have gotten his way again in pushing the big wires back to spade terminals, perhaps arguing that few warranty claims arose in the 2 yrs 1964's had been sold, plus a cheap way to support the 3 connectors. The rest is the sordid "melted bulkhead" connectors most people here have dealt with.

Not a Mopar-specific problem. In my 82-85 M-B diesel world, most people have melted a #8 fuse/terminal from the large cabin blower current. You will likely see that too in old Mopar 5-button pneuo-electric switches and L-M-H blower switches if you don't retrofit a relay for the Hi position.