Charging Issues

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73dart_swinger

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Today, I hooked my battery up and found that the car is charging very weakly or not at all. The alternator shows to be charging. I reached behind the dash and wiggled the wiring to the ammeter, which is aftermarket. I was able to wiggle it and then the car had no power at all. I wiggled it some more and got the car started so it is obvious I have some connection issues there.

While playing with the ammeter, I found it to be very warm to the touch on the face of the gauge. This leads me to believe that there is some resistance there and possibly the reason for the charge from the alternator is not making it back to the battery. Should the ammeter be warm to the touch?
 
I tightened my connections at the ammeter today and took it back up to oreilly's to test it. They took the readings off the battery. It showed the alternator to be putting out 12.8 volts and a reading of less than 30 amps. I am going to pull the alternator in the morning and have it tested by itself. So the tests show it is charging weakly but I am showing a charge on the ammeter.
Does this mean anything? Does it prove that I am getting charge to the ammeter but not out of it and to the battery?
 
73dart_swinger said:
I tightened my connections at the ammeter today and took it back up to oreilly's to test it. They took the readings off the battery. It showed the alternator to be putting out 12.8 volts and a reading of less than 30 amps. I am going to pull the alternator in the morning and have it tested by itself. So the tests show it is charging weakly but I am showing a charge on the ammeter.
Does this mean anything? Does it prove that I am getting charge to the ammeter but not out of it and to the battery?
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Toss the ammeter and tie the ends together,solder them.This was one of Mopars weak links.You won,t have to worry about the ammeter again.Good luck!
 
pettybludart said:
Toss the ammeter and tie the ends together,solder them.This was one of Mopars weak links.You won,t have to worry about the ammeter again.Good luck!
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ok, whats the solution to monitoring your charging/electrical system? Where do you "wire in" a voltmeter or an idiot light(!) to keep your eye on it?
 
mtandrews said:
ok, whats the solution to monitoring your charging/electrical system? Where do you "wire in" a voltmeter or an idiot light(!) to keep your eye on it?
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Get your + wire right off the ammeter wires you connect together and then a good ground somewhere that is accessable for the voltmeter connections
 
nothingbutdarts said:
Get your + wire right off the ammeter wires you connect together and then a good ground somewhere that is accessable for the voltmeter connections
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so you are saying take the red wire from the old ammeter and put it to the red on the voltmeter gauge and ground the black from the voltmeter gauge. What do I do with the old black wire from the ammeter? Tape it up or something...
 
Next step, after you hook the wires together and get a volt reading what is it? If you have a digital voltmeter for testing you should test the alt. output voltage at the output lug off the alt.

If it's different, you might want to look at the terminals in your wiring bulkhead connector on the firewall. Pull it apart and inspect all the terminals!
 
if you run an 8 gauge wire from the alternator stud to the starter relay stud you will eliminate the charging current passing through the bulkhead connector. with is a good thing
 
That's how my car is charging. I have a broken post on my ammeter gauge and just bypassed it this way. No more charging issues at all!!
 
cudaman51 said:
if you run an 8 gauge wire from the alternator stud to the starter relay stud you will eliminate the charging current passing through the bulkhead connector. with is a good thing
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Can you elaborate on this repair? I have the ammeter bypasses but when looking at the alternator setup, the wire goes to the voltage regulator, then to the ballast resistor,.........Which stud on the starter relay do you mean? I have a points system only. Any clarification is appreciated in advance.
 
All the above is good info. I was having the dim headlights at a stop sign so I up graded to a late model 75 amp alternator and regulator, bypassed the ammeter, installed a voltage gauge, ran a 4 ga wire to the starter relay off of the alternator, and installed relays for the hi and low beams. I actually rewired the entire care using EZ wiring kit but that's another story.

I noticed in your avatar you have 73 so I'm thinking that is the year of your car. That alternator should be putting out more than 30 amps if all is functioning correctly and you have that year charging system. I would think you would anyways.
 
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