Alt to battery wire?

[atoyot]

When I test the output of my Alternator it reads about 13-14 volts at the post. When I test it going in to the battery it reads about 12 volts. Is this normal? It seems I'm losing voltage in the wiring somewhere down the line. I figured rather than re wiring the whole thing all the way to the Amp gauge and back to just run a new wire from the Alt to the battery and leave the old wire hooked up the gauge so I have a reading but cap it off before it gets back to the battery. Bad idea? Any suggestions?

BTW my battery is dead that's how I disovered these issues. Also my Hazards arn't working. Not to sure on the reason for that. The blinkers work.

 

[Pinion]

You prolly need to replace the hazard fuse behind the dash. GR wire. There should be a fuse behind the switches.

 

[ian]

Battery is charged via "B" stud on alternator (white/lavender).. goes up through the ammeter in the cluster panel and back to the battery (white). The fuse panel and ignition switch are also fed by the white/lavender before the ammeter (to show the "load").

Walk your multimeter up the chain and back.. you'll find the problem somewhere. Start by dropping the cluster forward and testing each post on the ammeter.

Don't try to mitigate the problem with the solution you suggested. Honestly, if you're going to to through the hastle.. defeat the loop through the ammeter. A volt meter is a much better option (add it later if you need to). End result is a simplied, and safer supply.

Someone posted this great writeup from MAD the other day. Also some other useful articles on the site regarding voltage drop and headlights, implementing voltmeter, etc.

I do have one problem with their solution.. the red wire should really go. I know they left it for added capacity but I like to keep things simple. Bulk up the black supply wire and do it right.

Oh.. these guys also like (love?) fusible link. Fusible link is *EVIL* and will cause *FIRES* when it decides to pop. Try those mega-fuses instead. They're cheaper than reparing damage from a fire.

 

[Yoda]

But a burned fusible link is easier to fix than a completely burned harness. Yes, those mega fuses work too

 

[atoyot]

That's a lot of good info ian. I have a lot to learn about this subject. I think I have to check all my connections and re-connect them the correct way! I also will by pass that amp guage I guess. But it doesn't describe the volt guage I don't think.