69sAndrew

Hey guys, had a bit of a problem the other day. I had a small fire under the hood, well some burn of wire insulation. The guy had the wiring from the alternator going to the amp guage then back to the positive side of the battery. I don't think that was the problem, I think it shorted out and thats what caused the burning. Anyway my question is, can I just run the wire (one wire alternator) right to the positive side of the battery? I also changed the complete wiring harness, got it for $40 from a local guy who only deals in Cutlass parts. Really good guy to deal with, he has tons of parts. Anyway, have everything almost back together and all wrapped in plastic shields so I dont short out again. JUst want to know if I am ok running that wire direct to the battery???

Thanks guys,


Oh and pics to come soon

hamm36

Andrew, you did not state what make and yr? For a 69 Cutlass I think that wire goes to the Horn Rely junction post on the driver finder and feeds a lot of other components other then the battery (lights, regulator, ignition switch and starter). So, I would think about moving it striate to the battery.
I wired my amp gage to like that before. It never read right jumping around a lot. Now I know to run it to a hot post on the fuse box when the key is on. I think that was why my battery was going dead all the time.

Can you pass on your buddies info?

Oldsguy

In general, an ammeter is wired in series with whatever load you wish to monitor, so the more you want to keep an eye on the more (circuits) you stand a chance of loosing in the case of a mishap like yours. You can also include a fuse or fusible link rated at an amperage just greater than whatever your anticipated total current would be thereby protecting your circuit. That value would be greater the more accessories you have, especially motors like old style rear window defrosters or perhaps modern mega-watt stereo equipment. A way many people monitor their charging circuit is by using a voltmeter, which is safer because it is in parallel with the load, if there is a mishap on that circuit, you will only loose it, not everything else. Current would be much less and therefore a lesser chance of fire in the wiring. Just an idea. If you have the wiring for your ammeter protected and physically shielded you have less chance of a mishap again. Still, a fuse wouldn't be a bad idea.