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Thread: hooking up a alt, gauge

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    1,820
    whats the right way of wiring up a gauge? thanks
    pat(slotracer) :eat:

  2. #2
    Kindsvater Flat
    Are you using an ampmeter or a voltmeter Pat?
    Ampmeter gets put in series with the bat wire to the alt.
    Voltmeter just gets hooked to a switched power lead.

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    it is a ampmeter with a single wire alternator.
    pat(slotracer) :lightsabe

  4. #4
    Kindsvater Flat
    Cut bat wire to the alt and hook the guage inbetween the 2 wires. 50/50 chance if you hook it up wrong it will show discharge. Easy fix is use a multimeter to make sure its charging so you know the alt is working. Then you can reverse the wires on the guage if need be.

  5. #5
    Havasu Hangin'
    If you can, I'd ditch the ampmeter.
    All your current will be running through that wire. That's probably 20' through a 10 gauge wire? If so, you will never get all the amps back to the batteries (to much resistance on a wire that long).
    A voltmeter will tell you the same tale, without hindering the alternator's output.
    Just my 2 cents.

  6. #6
    058
    Dump the ampmeter. A voltmeter will tell you more and can be wired to any part of the electrical system, even from the cigarette lighter. The voltmeter has more info as it will show draw from the starter, ignition system and electrical system in general as well as showing alt. charge and how much its charging. The ampmeter is not as safe as you will need to run 10Ga wire to and from the dash which will increase your chances for a direct short and a bigger chance of fire.

  7. #7
    Kindsvater Flat
    Ya these guys are right... then again my ampmeter is only 1' from the battery and alt.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    1,820
    if i go to a volt meter how would i rewire it? it has the hot wire for the key switch going to it. thanks
    pat(slotracer)

  9. #9
    Panic Button
    if i go to a volt meter how would i rewire it? it has the hot wire for the key switch going to it. thanks
    pat(slotracer)
    3 wires 1- goes to the hot side of the ignition, 1- ground & 1- to the light.

  10. #10
    steelcomp
    Volt meter can go anywhere in the electrical system, to any (+) wire, after your switch. Panic's right...the other two wires go, one, to ground, and if the other is for a light, again to a (+) wire. Since there's very little draw with this gauge or light, you don't have to worry about wire size. :coffeycup

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