QUESTION....QUIZ TIME

[george68hemirr]

OK SO I BOUGHT A 72 DODGE DART SWINGER
big block 225 slant six/auto/ps/at/ac/2drht....47000 original miles....old lady bought it brand new/3578.00 then parked it and cover it in a big garage in brooklyn ny
anyway...the amp meter burys itself at times then goes back to normal.....ballast resistor?

 

[69hemibeep]

Big Block 225 :lmao: I would guess regulator

 

[george68hemirr]

Big Block 225 :lmao: I would guess regulator

i knew that would get a rise out of ya......looks like half a hemi

 

[A31PKG]

Lets see some pics!

When does it do it? Does it peg on charge or discharge? What's your charging voltage when it pegs?

 

[Basketcase]

Is the amp gauge the only one doing this? The fuel and water temp gauges are known to peg, drop, then return to normal. There is a silver resistor(?) on the back of the cluster that is the cause of that. Not sure about the amp gauge.
and.........

 

[george68hemirr]

Is the amp gauge the only one doing this? The fuel and water temp gauges are known to peg, drop, then return to normal. There is a silver resistor(?) on the back of the cluster that is the cause of that. Not sure about the amp gauge.
and.........

yep.....its a silver regulator........only the amp gauge pegs.......nothing else.....man the headlites get good and bright to......then goes to normal..........pics tomorrow
that silver resistor is behind the cluster by the amp gauge?

 

[Basketcase]

I think so. It's retangular and plugs into the circut board.

 

[george68hemirr]

I think so. It's retangular and plugs into the circut board.

I"ll do the regulator first and see what happens......where would i get that resistor......nappa?.....is it called a amp gauge resistor?

 

[Big John]

Voltage regulator on the instrument cluster doesn't feed the ammeter so don't bother with that. That regulator only feeds 5 volts to the gas/fuel/temp gauges. In fact, chances are the ammeter is the last thing that could go wrong.

Your problem could be a few different things. Could be a wiring issue, particularly a short to ground from the field wiring on the alternator. Could also be the alternator, again some sort of short on the field. Battery and battery terminal/ground connections could cause it too.

Electrical system on the seventies cars are trouble prone to begin with. You may never find what the cause is and it may not ever really present any real problems... In other words, be prepared to live with it as long as it isn't doing anything else.

 

[george68hemirr]

Voltage regulator on the instrument cluster doesn't feed the ammeter so don't bother with that. That regulator only feeds 5 volts to the gas/fuel/temp gauges. In fact, chances are the ammeter is the last thing that could go wrong.

Your problem could be a few different things. Could be a wiring issue, particularly a short to ground from the field wiring on the alternator. Could also be the alternator, again some sort of short on the field. Battery and battery terminal/ground connections could cause it too.

Electrical system on the seventies cars are trouble prone to begin with. You may never find what the cause is and it may not ever really present any real problems... In other words, be prepared to live with it as long as it isn't doing anything else.

thanks big john......i have to do some testing and checking things out

 

[moparchris]

Great buy George!! Whens the Hemi going in?

 

[Jim S.]

Sounds like a nice car. Since the ammeter is wired in series, don't forget to take a good look at the bulkhead where the two ammeter wires go through. The wire was never heavy enough gauge to begin with and the contacts are pretty wimpy also. Since those wires are just crimped on the contacts on both sides of the bulkhead, it could be intermittent high resistance from burned or crappy contacts. Good luck......

(had to edit, too many beers )

 

[A31PKG]

Since you said the headlights get real bright, no need to measure the voltage. There is definitely a spike. The amp guage is just a messenger in this case and is likely not the issue. The bulkhead connection would be the first place I'd look too. Any resistance in the main feed wire connection could cause corrosion and a resulting poor/intermittant contact. Always a good idea to pull the bulkhead connector apart (on any old MOPAR) clean the male terminals and re-crimp the female's. Replace any that are no good. Removal of the terminals is required, but it's worth the effort. Pack the cavities with dielectric grease and your good to go! Have you alternator tested too for good measure. Check the wiring between the VR and the Alt for cracked insulation, bare areas, etc....might as well check the whole harnes as well for visual abnormalities. Any aftermarket wiring under the dash that might be grounding out? Good luck with it!

 

[george68hemirr]

GUYS ...THANKS FOR ALL THE PLACES TO LOOK......i think you nailed it with the bulkhead connections

 

[george68hemirr]

Great buy George!! Whens the Hemi going in?

it has crossed my mind/i see pro-street