I should say that the blower hasn't worked since I rebuilt the engine. I gutted the dash and haven't put stuff back together. That's not to say the blower doesn't have energy, but it definitely ain't blowing.
I should say that the blower hasn't worked since I rebuilt the engine. I gutted the dash and haven't put stuff back together. That's not to say the blower doesn't have energy, but it definitely ain't blowing.
Went back underneath, and noticed the ammeter wiring was wedged between the light switch ground post and one of the ammeter posts. I relocated the ammeter wiring away from the switch ground, and now the dash lights work properly again.
Yes.Someone tell me if this makes sense: when the positive battery cable melted and grounded against the header, it shorted and caused the ammeter to spike
Reasonable theory.the ammeter wires got hot and melted against the light switch ground,
Something like that. As far as you can tell the switch is fine. So seems more like the insualtion between the instrument light wire and one of the power supply wires got chaffed/cut/pinched and melted together.shorted the switch, which caused the switch wires to melt together and kept the dash lights on whenever connected to power.
It also helps to be a contortionist as well. Ugh.Thanks, I’ll do that. The good news is that I’ve pulled the cluster several times, so I’ve got that process down pretty good.
Yeah, I'm 6'1" and not 25 anymore!Luckily I’m 5’10”, so it’s not too terrible. I feel bad for those 6ft+ fellas out there…
Hey folks, back from fighting fire in Oregon
Assess that one you can take a better look. From the photo above only looks like damager to a portion of the insulation. IF SO, I'd fix that and not replace. Second option would be to splice in a short length. The reason is those factory ring terminals are generally very well fitted and insulated for that job. If they're damaged, then that's another story. If you do add wire, keep the length clsoe to original making allowance for the loss of flexibility at the splices.replace the damaged gauge wires
Compared with house wire? Yes sure. Automotive wire is always stranded.1) I read somewhere that it is wise to use wire that is specific to automotive applications, as it is made to withstand vibrations, etc. Is that true?
Two possibilities:changing RPM. More specifically, the needle moves to the charge side (right) with increased RPM.
Ok. Its possible that one of the diodes is out or one of the windings (there are three) is broken. This would cause lower output at all times, but most noticiable at low speed.but I'm starting to suspect the alternator. Thoughts?
View attachment 1715777862 Did that once - in Idaho - I got a pretty easy assignment - structural protection. My hats off to you and anypone with a red card right now.
Assess that one you can take a better look. From the photo above only looks like damager to a portion of the insulation. IF SO, I'd fix that and not replace. Second option would be to splice in a short length. The reason is those factory ring terminals are generally very well fitted and insulated for that job. If they're damaged, then that's another story. If you do add wire, keep the length clsoe to original making allowance for the loss of flexibility at the splices.
Inline wiring splice clips........from the Dodge RAM service manual
Compared with house wire? Yes sure. Automotive wire is always stranded.
Under the dash, General Purpose automotive wire is sufficient. Sometimes its labeled primary wire.
There are other stranded wire grades that have more density, flexibility, and/or insulation that is more resistant to heat, oil and gasoline.
In the engine bay I often use marine wire or a SAE with a medium wall insulation.
Two possibilities:
1. Battery is low and the alternator is maxing out at slow idle. When you raise the rpm, the alternator can produce more power and the battery is sucking up that additional power. Make sure the battery is fully charged (use a charger) and see if this goes away.
2. The regulator isn't regulating properly. Two directions to investigate here:
a. Has the brush from the rotor that normally is connected back to the regulator been grounded? If this happens the regulator can't control current through the rotor. It could be internal or more frequently, the green wire has been pinched against the body or the regualtor failed.
b. The regulator is sensing the wrong voltage. If the regulator is seeing less than 14ish volts, it will let more current through the rotor in an attempt to bring the voltage up. Check what the regulator is seeing by comparing the alternator output voltage to the voltage at a convenient location near the regulator's sense wire (Blue). Ballast resistor or the blue wire where it connects to the alternator are two locations that can be fairly easily backprobed.
Ok. Its possible that one of the diodes is out or one of the windings (there are three) is broken. This would cause lower output at all times, but most noticiable at low speed.
Here's where I would begin.
1. Charge battery
2. Start car and this time have a handheld voltmeter to make measurements in conjunction with reading the ammeter.
If when ammeter shows increasing charge the system volts go up above 14.8 or so, then there is a lack of regulator control. If so, then measure what the regulator is seeing, and go from there.
Kinda reminds me of when i was a kid and installed a Grant steering wheel, i made a right turn and the horn went on and wouldnt stop LOL! I had a friend in the car he was looking at me like WTF? I seem to recall pulling over yanking the battery cable then ripping the horn button off and disconnecting the wiresLOL!
There ia one about hooking the coil wire to the metal seat frame on the drivers seat, the spark is high voltage shocks the driver tush. I have never tried it. and another about taking a mountain dew bottle full of antifreeze, sticking a vacuum line it it and resting it on the manifold of a carbed car hooked into manifold vacuum. Creates a nice plume of white smoke for the whole neighborhood to enjoy...Haha! I've heard of friends connecting their buddy's horn to the brake switch...I'd love to do that someday.
I'll get the battery on the charger now. I checked the regulator before I left town, however I checked its resistance, not the voltage it was seeing. I re-check and look for voltage this time.
Voltage of the J2 circuit should be fairly close to the votlage measured at the alternator output and the battery at hte same time.
If there is a big difference, then that indicates resistance to current flow.
That's terrible, but possible the VR was working correctly. After all, it appears it was controlling to 14.6 Volts.Okay, I checked the voltage at the battery, alternator, and VR while idling.
Battery ~16.4
Alternator ~16.4
VR ~14.6
Argh!I also checked the ammeter, and I got -0.75 when the needle was pegged to the right.
You may have solved it, or part of it. Its not clear if it was the regulator or a connection or both.I'll be honest, I still don't quite have a firm grasp on what I'm dealing with, but as you said
so, I thought I'd swap voltage regulators to see if there would be any change, and BOOM. Problem solved. No more erratic ammeter needle. I still wonder if there could be a problem elsewhere that hasn't made itself obvious yet, so I'm going to keep checking.
Apologies, but I thought that's what you meant with your original test. I thought I was to connect the voltmeter to the ammeter while the car was running (and showing the problem) to see what voltage the ammeter was seeing. I'll try again today, and also try turning on some accessories. Actually, all I have to turn on are the lights...no fan, radio, etc. Haha.If you see that, shut it down and find the problem.
I waited until the battery was fully charged before beginning any diagnostics. In fact, when my charger indicated the battery was fully charged/maintaining, I checked the battery with the voltmeter and it showed 16.6 volts. Could the charger have overcharged the battery? It's not exactly a high quality unit, just something I picked up from WallyWorld a few years back.I'm guessing by hte time you changed regulators the battery finally came up to full charge since you put it on the charger.
In fact, when my charger indicated the battery was fully charged/maintaining, I checked the battery with the voltmeter and it showed 16.6 volts. Could the charger have overcharged the battery? It's not exactly a high quality unit, just something I picked up from WallyWorld a few years back.