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Bad ALT gauge??

Started by JunkYardFind, March 07, 2021, 01:19:11 PM

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JunkYardFind

My ALT gauge was not working (only showing a neg charge even though the alt was charging fine) I have just pulled the gauge out of the assembly and there is not much to it. It looks perfect, no sign of....anything, looks new! What could make the gauge not work? I guess trace the wiring and maybe it was disconnected somewhere down the line? Not sure where to go from here.

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JunkYardFind

Also, I have limited electrical experience so this is likely a dumb question....
Now that I have the ALT gauge off, how do I bench test it?
Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

www.JunkYardFind.com What's In YOUR Garage ?

70Barracuda

Hook the two wires together on one terminal.  Look at the size of those wires,  All your power is going through that gauge.  Others will say a similar thing.  Its a fire hazard
Sniper, 493/383, Firmfeel, RMS Streetlynx, Speedhut. Dana, 4 gear.


JunkYardFind

#3
Quote from: 70Barracuda on March 07, 2021, 02:58:29 PM
Hook the two wires together on one terminal.  Look at the size of those wires,  All your power is going through that gauge.  Others will say a similar thing.  Its a fire hazard

@70Barracuda
Yep, just been reading about this! So that means the ALT gauge is useless.
Lets move on to how to fit an aftermarket Volt gauge.

I would start by removing the ALT gauge wires and splicing them together thusly bypassing the old ALT gauge.
I can now use the old ALT gauge, tear it apart and make an aftermarket volt gauge fit within the slot.
Where would I hook the the aftermarket Volt gauge to? I am thinking Pos to switched fuse, and Neg all the way to the Battery neg terminal. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Lastly, any ideas on where to get a small volt meter that would fit (with obvious modifications) into the ALT gauge housing.

www.JunkYardFind.com What's In YOUR Garage ?

70Barracuda

I am sure all your q's have answers if you search the site.  Like running a 10 wire from the alt to the pos post to alleviate some of that power going through your dash
Sniper, 493/383, Firmfeel, RMS Streetlynx, Speedhut. Dana, 4 gear.

Poolshark314

#5
Quote from: JunkYardFind.com on March 07, 2021, 05:42:12 PM
Quote from: 70Barracuda on March 07, 2021, 02:58:29 PM
Hook the two wires together on one terminal.  Look at the size of those wires,  All your power is going through that gauge.  Others will say a similar thing.  Its a fire hazard

@70Barracuda
Yep, just been reading about this! So that means the ALT gauge is useless.
Lets move on to how to fit an aftermarket Volt gauge.

I would start by removing the ALT gauge wires and splicing them together thusly bypassing the old ALT gauge.
I can now use the old ALT gauge, tear it apart and make an aftermarket volt gauge fit within the slot.
Where would I hook the the aftermarket Volt gauge to? I am thinking Pos to switched fuse, and Neg all the way to the Battery neg terminal. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Lastly, any ideas on where to get a small volt meter that would fit (with obvious modifications) into the ALT gauge housing.

Removing the ammeter is a good start, but to safely increase reliability, a separate larger gauge wire should be run from the alternator to the starter relay to remove the majority of the load from the factory wiring harness:
https://forum.e-bodies.org/electrical-and-audio/11/alternator-bypass-wire-routing/18432/

Not sure which dash you are using, but a few people have mentioned aftermarket voltmeter gauges that are pretty similar to stock styling, so you might be able to get away with that. Sorry I can't help with that part since I am still stock.

EDIT: Here is a thread that discusses modifying the old gauge or getting a new one:
https://forum.e-bodies.org/interior/6/voltage-gauge-for-cuda-rallye-dash/685/
1973 Barracuda
2012 Charger R/T AWD

JunkYardFind

@Poolshark314
THANK YOU! That is a great link to the other thread!
I have the standard dash. I am pretty crafty and about to solve the clock adjustment stem problem that is much talked about!
Now that I have a good plan, just need to find the best possible volt meter to integrate with the cluster.

www.JunkYardFind.com What's In YOUR Garage ?



JunkYardFind


www.JunkYardFind.com What's In YOUR Garage ?