ammeter question

[jump]

Looking at the wiring on my 82 wag today. I want to get rid of the ammeter, mine doesnt have a fuse any where, and found some of the yellow wire from the starter solenoid to the ammeter was fried. I have read some articles about how you can just connect both wires at the back of the ammeter on the same terminal. I was wondering if I can just eliminate the yellow wire altogether? Or should I fix the wire and connect them together at the back of the ammeter?
Thanks

[caionneach]

Definitely fix it

Yes, fix it. The wire is part of the charging system. You can eliminate part of the red/yellow wire system coming from the alternator, but that is your primary charging circuit, and the process is quite complicated.

The easy way is to fix the part that is fried, and go ahead and do the ammeter bypass and put both wires on one post of the ammeter. Especially since your wire has a bad place on it, your ammeter is the weak link in the circuit, and putting both wires on one terminal will prevent the ammeter from grounding out on you and frying your wag.

[jump]

instead of putting both wires on one terminal, can I just connect them together?

[joe]

your ammeter is the weak link in the circuit, and putting both wires on one terminal will prevent the ammeter from grounding out on you and frying your wag.

I disagree. Ammeters have been used safely forever and even the jeep ones are fine for the size alternator it was designed for.The ammeter won't ground itself out and burn down your jeep. Fires that folks blame on bad ammeters are caused by loose or corroded connections at the gauge (both creating excesive heat). Loose/dirty connections are the owners fault(lack of maint) not the ammeters fault.

[crazyspoons]

true, I burned out my electrical system after i put a new alternator in. You should probably fix that wire and bypass the ammeter.

I always read posts about bypassing the ammeter and didn't do it until it fried my newly replaced electrical system.

The best route is to install a voltmeter and put in a fusable link. I still have yet to put in the link, but, again, I'll probably fry my electrical again before I realize I should fix it right.

[Jeepguy77]

heres the write up I used works great and the circuit protector is good for extra insurance. http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=105253

[littlebuck23]

I disagree. Ammeters have been used safely forever and even the jeep ones are fine for the size alternator it was designed for.The ammeter won't ground itself out and burn down your jeep. Fires that folks blame on bad ammeters are caused by loose or corroded connections at the gauge (both creating excesive heat). Loose/dirty connections are the owners fault(lack of maint) not the ammeters fault.

I agree x 100

[Geminiroq]

Hey guys,

I have been sweating this thing for a while.

Would upgrading the wires leading to the anmeeter be considered a good upgrade?

Any and all advise is appreciated.

Thank you,

[gto_ron]

All the ammeter does is display the current flowing between the battery and the alternator. It can flow both ways, thus negative and positive current. That's why it pegs negative when you crank the engine; all the current is flowing from the battery and none from the alternator. Unless there's something wrong(frayed, nicked, broken strands) with the original wire there's no reason to replace it with a heavier gauge wire.

[caionneach]

Yes, but....

Hey guys,

I have been sweating this thing for a while.

Would upgrading the wires leading to the anmeeter be considered a good upgrade?

Any and all advise is appreciated.

Thank you,

Yes you can do that, but upgrading both wires is going to be a real pain unless you are prepared to tackle THE BIG SPLICE that the red wire leads to which powers everything inside the vehicle. I think replacing the yellow wire is a simple replacement. The red one however, has that splice that leads to other critical systems, like the starting circuit.

Connecting the red and yellow wires together beneath the dash is what many do when a voltmeter is put in place of the ammeter AND the voltmeter is connected to a power source on the fuse block that has power when the key in the "ON" position.

[biotex]

What I'm going to do, is to run an extra wire from the alternator (B+) to the battery. What this will do is to decrease the amps running through the ammeter. I will still get needle deflection, just not as much swing.

[Lindel]

Running another wire won't decrease the amount of amperage in the ammeter. What it will do is increase the current capability from the alternator to the battery by virtue of another wire.

Increasing the wire size from/to the ammeter would be a good thing only in the sense that it will get rid of old wire (with old insulation).

The "BIG SPLICE" that has been mentioned before it the real problem child. Jeep did little to prevent corrosion there. There are a lot of solutions to this particular problem, most involve getting rid of the splice itself and using a terminal block of some sort.

Getting rid of the ammeter can be done, although I prefer an ammeter. Jeep would've been a lot better off to use an inductive ammeter as opposed to a series connected ammeter, but they didn't. You can get a voltmeter and do the ammeter bypass, then you'll still have something to tell you what your charging system is up to.