Battery Gauge and a One Wire Alt.

[68 Suburban]

Is there any way to wire up the factroy battery gauge to be used with a one wire alt? Thanks

[JimKshortstep4x4]

Actually, the amp meter is a completely separate circuit from the charge system. The amp meter reads electrical flow, (positive or negative) in the large feed wire that crosses the radiator support.
It does it by converting the potential voltage difference in the wire
caused by the resistance in the wire. The connections are on each side of the radiator support for the meter so there is approximately 3' of wire that the resistance is measured over.

The kind of charging setup does not matter as the gauge will read the flow.

Jim

[68 Suburban]

Originally posted by JimKshortstep4x4
Actually, the amp meter is a completely separate circuit from the charge system. The amp meter reads electrical flow, (positive or negative) in the large feed wire that crosses the radiator support.
It does it by converting the potential voltage difference in the wire
caused by the resistance in the wire. The connections are on each side of the radiator support for the meter so there is approximately 3' of wire that the resistance is measured over.

The kind of charging setup does not matter as the gauge will read the flow.

Jim

But when I disconected the original Alt and external regualtor, haven't i disconected this wire?

[JimKshortstep4x4]

No, you have not affected the amp meter circuit. If you look on either side of the radiator at the wiring, you will notice two little fuse holders made out of rubber with a black wire on one side and a black/white wire on the other. These two wires are terminated to the main feed wire, one at the fender terminal and one to the red wire itself. The two wires are all that connect to the gauge on the dash. The gauge is calibrated to read the small voltage that occurs because of the resistance in the wire.

Alternator current does not flow through the gauge, only the small voltage caused by the resistance in the feed wire, and the gauge has no connections to the alternator or to the regulator.

The gauge is wired up this way because if you ran all the current through a gauge, it would have to be very heavy duty and very costly.

If you hook your original large red wire from the old alternator to your one wire alternator, you will be all set.

Jim

[A.P.]

http://www3.autozone.com/servlet/UiB...3d801129c2.jsp
Check this wiring diagram from autozone. Click on (Fig. 1: Sample diagram - how to read and interpret wiring). Follow the red wire from the battery. You'll see the amp meter.

[A.P.]

Also the amp meter reads current flow and not electrical flow.

[Slammed67]

So what if the stock wiring is no longer in the truck? I basically re-wired (and re-routed) all the wring from the fuse block to the ignition/charging circuit. How can I make the amp meter functional again?

[Earl Junior]

While you should do this the correct way (as explained above) you can simply splice the ammeter into any wire that carries electricity while the key is on. Before I put a wiring kit into my truck I had the ammeter spliced into the power wire leaving the key switch.

[ChevLoRay]

"We" measure the "flow" of electricity, with an ammeter. Electricity has a value, indicating potential. As it "flows", you have "current". The current is measured in amps. The greater the amperage, the faster the current is moving, so to speak. Electricity, eg. "voltage" is a measurement of the potential, as in 6 volts, 24 volts, 110 volts, etc. The volt meter is a device to measure the potential, as in 13.8 volts. You may have a 13.8 volt potential, but with no current, you'll have no amperage. Creating a circuit provides a path for the potential that results in a current flow. Voltage won't hurt you. The current may hurt you, or it may kill you. You may be surprised to learn that 800 milliamps has the potential to kill you, if it causes cardiac arrest. Greater amperages can burn you, and make you wish you were dead. Each of us has a resistance within our bodies, which makes the 800ma number kinda "iffy". Direct Current (DC) isn't usually the problem, but it can be. It all depends on the path for the current, and where you fit, in that circuit. AC (alternating current) usually provides the opportunity for sustained current that may be just what you need to kill yourself. Static electricity may have potential equal to 100KV, but it won't hurt you, as in a static electricity generator that you have seen.

At any rate, the guage in my truck is an amp guage, not a volt meter. Does having a one-wire alternator negate the use of an amp meter and cause us to need a volt meter?

[A.P.]

I don't know much about volt meters or amp meters, or even how much current it takes to kill somebody. I just was passing some information that I read from a book a long time ago.

[A.P.]

Did you that an amp meter acts like a piece wire, so if you were to measure across a battery could probably burn it up. Thats why its usually connected in seris in a circuit instead of parallel.