Hi, if I was going to do the power bypass with the two 10ga wires around the front of my car (64 Dart GT), wouldn't I need to install a voltage regulator in the lines to limit the power going from the alternator to the battery?
Amp meter bypass
- Thread starter Claydart
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MDchanic
Connoisseur d'Junque
No.
MDchanic
Connoisseur d'Junque
To elaborate:
Alternator makes AC current, diodes in alternator rectify it to create pulsed DC, regulator senses voltage at a given point (after the ignition switch, before the coil, in this series of cars), regulates the amount of current fed back into the alternator's rotor, through the brushes, which regulates the voltage produced by the alternator (more rotor current = higher voltage output).
The voltage in the electrical system recharges the battery, which will accept more current at any given voltage, if it is discharged, and less if it is charged. Lead-acid batteries will charge, and then maintain their charge without overheating, at about 14V (there are specific values for various flavors of lead-acid battery), so the regulator tries to keep the voltage to about 14V. It has no problem doing this when RPMs are high and demand is low, but the voltage will drop when RPMs are low and/or demand is high.
And, don't take this the wrong way, but if you don't have a good handle on how your charging system works, I would be cautious about following instructions from a bunch or people on the internet you don't know, to modify a perfectly functional electrical system.
Learn about the system first (the factory service manual gives a good description about how each system in the car works, as do the Master Technician's Service series) before you start doing major things to it.
– Eric
Alternator makes AC current, diodes in alternator rectify it to create pulsed DC, regulator senses voltage at a given point (after the ignition switch, before the coil, in this series of cars), regulates the amount of current fed back into the alternator's rotor, through the brushes, which regulates the voltage produced by the alternator (more rotor current = higher voltage output).
The voltage in the electrical system recharges the battery, which will accept more current at any given voltage, if it is discharged, and less if it is charged. Lead-acid batteries will charge, and then maintain their charge without overheating, at about 14V (there are specific values for various flavors of lead-acid battery), so the regulator tries to keep the voltage to about 14V. It has no problem doing this when RPMs are high and demand is low, but the voltage will drop when RPMs are low and/or demand is high.
And, don't take this the wrong way, but if you don't have a good handle on how your charging system works, I would be cautious about following instructions from a bunch or people on the internet you don't know, to modify a perfectly functional electrical system.
Learn about the system first (the factory service manual gives a good description about how each system in the car works, as do the Master Technician's Service series) before you start doing major things to it.
– Eric
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You already have a voltage regulator, unless something is very wrong. The factory one is a two terminal metal box about the size of a lemon bolted to the firewall near the starter relay. Bypassing the ammeter doesn't affect its operation.
Thanks
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