The amp guage on my '64 hasn't worked since I got it. There has been no obvious cutting or splicing into the engine compartment wiring harness, but the carburator is not original and has an electric choke, which is wired into the coil connections. Could the addition of the electric choke have messed up the amp meter circuit?
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Re: Amp Guage
Hi Mr. Hedberg!
Most electic chokes are wired to the ignition circuit; i.e. powered when the key is in "ON" mode & during driving. I sincerely doubt this would affect the charging circuit; the guage is suspect. Tracking electrical problems is a laborious chore - ensure power to the guage, etc. Quick check would be to substitute a "known working" guage to the harness connector. Also inspect for previously modified wiring.
I know this is of little help but 'tis somewhere to start.
Good luck! Carl -
Re: Amp Guage
Hi Mr. Hedberg!
Most electic chokes are wired to the ignition circuit; i.e. powered when the key is in "ON" mode & during driving. I sincerely doubt this would affect the charging circuit; the guage is suspect. Tracking electrical problems is a laborious chore - ensure power to the guage, etc. Quick check would be to substitute a "known working" guage to the harness connector. Also inspect for previously modified wiring.
I know this is of little help but 'tis somewhere to start.
Good luck! CarlComment
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Re: Amp Guage
Assuming (I know...) that the gauge is good, the most common cause of anp gauge failure in a midyear is corrosion at the connection between the engine side wiring harness and the IP passthrough. the gauge actually measures slight voltage drop across a 12 gauge wire to infer the charge rate. a small amount of resistance added to the line and it is inop. also check your wiring to see that it is attached properly at the engine compartment side. on a '63, there is an 18 ga red wire that connects to the red 12 ga feed at the horn relay. the other wire is an 18 ga black wire that connects to the battery stud of the starter solenoid.Comment
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Re: Amp Guage
Assuming (I know...) that the gauge is good, the most common cause of anp gauge failure in a midyear is corrosion at the connection between the engine side wiring harness and the IP passthrough. the gauge actually measures slight voltage drop across a 12 gauge wire to infer the charge rate. a small amount of resistance added to the line and it is inop. also check your wiring to see that it is attached properly at the engine compartment side. on a '63, there is an 18 ga red wire that connects to the red 12 ga feed at the horn relay. the other wire is an 18 ga black wire that connects to the battery stud of the starter solenoid.Comment
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Re: Amp Guage
Mark, there have been numerous posts on this subject in the past. As the other posts here state, could be the connection at the firewall on the engine side or it could be the gage. My 66 had no indication on the amp meter. so I checked things out. You can check each side of the amp gage while lying on your back with a multi-meter. You should measure around 12-14 volts on both sides. Next, check the firewall connection on the engine side. My 66 has two connectors. I carefully removed both and noticed quite a bit of corrosion. I used naval jelly (basically just acid) and a small glue brush and carefully brushed some on both male and female connectors. After about 20 seconds, I hosed it off using copius amounts of water and checked it. Did one more application and then I carefully wire brushed the connection pins and re-installed the plugs. That cured the problem. I have talked with others who have also had corrosion problems on the firewall connections.Comment
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Re: Amp Guage
Mark, there have been numerous posts on this subject in the past. As the other posts here state, could be the connection at the firewall on the engine side or it could be the gage. My 66 had no indication on the amp meter. so I checked things out. You can check each side of the amp gage while lying on your back with a multi-meter. You should measure around 12-14 volts on both sides. Next, check the firewall connection on the engine side. My 66 has two connectors. I carefully removed both and noticed quite a bit of corrosion. I used naval jelly (basically just acid) and a small glue brush and carefully brushed some on both male and female connectors. After about 20 seconds, I hosed it off using copius amounts of water and checked it. Did one more application and then I carefully wire brushed the connection pins and re-installed the plugs. That cured the problem. I have talked with others who have also had corrosion problems on the firewall connections.Comment
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Re: Amp Guage
Mark,
I can confirm that that as Bill & Gary state, the most common failure mode is excessive resistance in the bulkhead connector. I found this to be the problem in my '64.
Fred OComment
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Re: Amp Guage
Mark,
I can confirm that that as Bill & Gary state, the most common failure mode is excessive resistance in the bulkhead connector. I found this to be the problem in my '64.
Fred OComment
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