Alternator gauge just went on vacation...MMMM!

[woodwiz]

I suppose it would help if I added some pics of the firewall harnesses and the back of the alternator,there’s a green ground wire right in the vacinity of it that leads me to my next question…are there more than 2 wire connections to the alternator? I know I’m bugging the S$&T out of everybody today,shops here are backed up 2-3 months @$100+ bones per hr. Like to try and solve it myself.
Thanks!!

 

[Carl Ray]

Quit worrying about the alternator for now, if the battery doesn't discharge the alternator and associated wiring is most likely fine. Take a look at the Ammeter is this Ebay post. In one of the pictures you can see the insulator that is inside the gauge, there will also be a similair insulator on the outside of the ammeter can. I've got some extras if you need them.

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[woodwiz]

Not the greatest pic,but here is the back of the gauge. Both the nuts are tight on the posts but that whole assembly moves about. Made sure that those wire connections weren’t touching anything other than the studs. It kinda looks like at some point they may have got warm,the yellow insulation looks deformed.
Hoping it’s just funky from age,but this wiring is not original,it’s too flexible. Car was quote”restored 16yrs ago” so I got that going for me…which is nice!

 

[woodwiz]

Hey Carl,not too worried about the alternator,just that someone on here suggested to make sure the ground was good on it. Hence the question about how many connections on it.

 

[woodwiz]

Quit worrying about the alternator for now, if the battery doesn't discharge the alternator and associated wiring is most likely fine. Take a look at the Ammeter is this Ebay post. In one of the pictures you can see the insulator that is inside the gauge, there will also be a similair insulator on the outside of the ammeter can. I've got some extras if you need them.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3939200812...sQcr2joNv2GPz6cIcMeY7Zy4aAo3kEALw_wcB[/QUOTE]

Sure! that would be great! how do you want to do this?

Quit worrying about the alternator for now, if the battery doesn't discharge the alternator and associated wiring is most likely fine. Take a look at the Ammeter is this Ebay post. In one of the pictures you can see the insulator that is inside the gauge, there will also be a similair insulator on the outside of the ammeter can. I've got some extras if you need them.

OER 1277453 for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for OER 1277453 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[V.R.D]

you should down load the service manual and read the charging system . please disconnect the battery cable that spark is a sign of a short .

 

[Carl Ray]

Neither of those wires are from the factory. The red wire appears to have been pretty hot at one time. I had the same issue with my 69. Symptoms were a bit different, Ammeter nuts were tight, but studs were loose. When you get it apart you will likely see something like this. Insulator deteriorated and corrosion on the studs. Easily fixed but it has to come apart

 

[woodwiz]

Let me put this out there for the electrical guru's....for the time being can i clip those 2 wires and tie them off and tape them up until i pull the cluster? i have to drive it somewhere to get some front end work done and don't want to worry about pulling the fire extinguisher...if you know what i mean!!

 

[Carl Ray]

The two wires need to be connected to each other, that is currently done thru the ammeter. You could put both under 1 of the ammeter studs or cut and slice the wires together. If you put both wires under 1 stud there will be no current flowing thru ammeter and less chance of heat issues.

 

[woodwiz]

That was the plan I think. Gotta maybe order another gauge or some insulation material and cut to fit when I pull the cluster. Less danger with the tie together if even temporary.
Thanks!! Brother!

 

[Russ69Runner]

No cardboard - varnish cambric insulator. Should have a separate ground wire to the alt attached it on motor block. Have a bolt on back of my alt. that the ground wire fastened to. Beware a green wire does not always mean it is a ground wire under dash or in your harness wire's. Check your wiring diagram. The fuse link on bulkhead connector does not protect the wire's coming to amp meter. Only power going to ignition switch. If I am not wrong. Someone will correct me, if I am wrong. Study the color wiring diagram closely.

 

[Ranger]

seems to be a little backing plate strip of metal connecting the two and that seem to move around a little.

That is not metal. That is an insulator, preventing the two studs from making contact.

Did notice that if I moved the back of the gauge their was this very small little spark,it might be due to that loose gauge connectio…

That is an indication of a bad insulator causing a short. Be advised that there is also an identical insulator inside the gauge that may be deteriorated. That is what caused my problem and why I bypassed it.

 

[woodwiz]

Thanks guys!! That is what I’m doing with those wires today. Gonna try and disconnect them from the studs first (with battery disconnect) and if that’s too tuff then I will cut them and splice together and tape off. I figure instead of trying to rebuild a 50+yr. gauge,we’ll order a new one. Besides I have to pull the cluster to chk out the rest of the gauges,limiter etc.
Never pulled the cluster on one of these cars…What might be the PITA part of it?

 

[woodwiz]

Ok! Not happy about putting both wires from the gauge together and wrapping them up in electrical tape.
Started the car to go for a spin and put my hand on the joined wires and they got very warm if not hot so that is curtailing my drive…any advice on that one??

 

[Russ69Runner]

Wires do get warm with current running through them. DC is worse than Ac. Shows load on the wire. We do have to replace the batterie cables after years of use. Same thing heat in the wire's over time. Loose connection or poor in your bulkhead connector is a lot of the problem. That is why some of us replace everything on the wiring side of these old cars. Worth every cent. If wires are not tight on a lug or a stud it tends to act like an ark welder hence forth will burn up as it gets really hot at the connection.

 

[woodwiz]

What would be my next course of action?…was thinking of putting it out of the garage start it let it run and see how warm/hot they get…..with extinguisher in hand. Do you think this would have done this had I just moved one wire over to the other gauge terminal…like was suggested?
I do have new gauge coming from Classic.

 

[woodwiz]

Also started up and let it run a while,once it was at normal idle the wires were at a normal kind of warm,but once I revved it up a bit the wires got almost too hot to handle. Does that ammeter when hooked up right not have hot wires?
I’m at a loss…electrical is not my bag.
Now what?…crap!!

 

[Carl Ray]

The wires were probably a lot hotter when running thru the Ammeter. How did you connect the wires? Butt connector? Bolt them together? The Red wire has been hot in the past so the terminal currently crimped to it is suspect, as are the wire ends. Current flowing thru the wires will vary a bit, more current will flow if the battery is a bit discharged. From the factory, that purple wire has a welded splice that feeds the interior before going back out thru the bulkhead and fusible link. What do the terminals on your bulkhead look like. Separate the connectors, visually inspect the terminals. Have they been hot?

 

[woodwiz]

I have a feeling that those wire end insulators have been hot way before I ever knew of this situation. That being said much thanks for educating me. All I did was take the wire connections off of the studs and put a small bolt through them and then tape them off for protection. Should I take all of that off and just run a in-line crimped connection,maybe it will just be less busy at the connection point. Like I said I don’t get all the electronics of these old cars, but getting in and driving to the shop should make me a nervous wreck. It does get hotter as the rpm’s go up. Would that actually exist even with a new gauge and nice tidy connections?
Help is still most welcome prior to the new gauge install.
Thanks again guys!!!!

 

[quikbird]

It is the alternator. At idle it doesnt produce as much current as it does when you rev it up. More current, more heat. This is why this whole setup needs to be pulled out and thrown in the trash. Original rr runs on 6 fuses. And maybe 35-60 amps on altenator. Go with a new wire kit that doesn’t go anywhere near that ammeter