Need some help guys

[Dusty Dude]

Today I hooked up the battery in my '69 Coronet 500 for the first time after eleven months of work on this old girl only to have nothing happen. I have power to the ammeter and that's it. Nothing downstream from ammeter. No dome light, no nothing. Nothing with ignition key in any position. My question is will a bad ammeter do this? Everything on the instrument panel has been reworked or replaced as needed including the circuit board. I did make new insulators for the ammeter when I reworked the instrument panel and switches but otherwise it is as I got it back in February. The furthest I have driven this car is from in front of my home where it was unloaded to my garage in the back of the house where it has resided ever since. I did do the modified wiring between the alternator and the ammeter bypassing the bulkhead connector (which is also new) and at this point I'm at the end of my knowledge. I do have a full understanding of how the charging system is supposed to work and also the correct way to power added accessories but I have no experience as to how power flows through the ammeter to the glove box fuse panel. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am really wanting to get my fresh 496" ground pounder running.

Thanks everyone.

 

[pnora]

Just get a meter or test light. You should have power on both ammeter terminals.

 

[davek]

check your grounds first.

 

[LowBikeMike]

Is your fusible link still in the circuit and is it good?

 

[Cranky]

Is your fusible link still in the circuit and is it good?

Well, he said he's getting power to the amp gauge. When my fusible link blew, everything was dead....

 

[PurpleBeeper]

I am no electrical whiz...but I think the answer to your question is "yes". Somebody jump in and correct me if I'm wrong, but I "think" the ammeter still acts as a main power connection, even with the "bulkhead wire/ammeter bypass" wiring modification.

Unhook the battery first....then run a jumper wire across the ammeter terminals, hook the battery back up and see if all your power is back? Try a short piece of heavier wire with an insulated alligator clip on each side and jump across the ammeter? Just try things like dome light, etc. to test it

And as @davek said...check and clean all your grounds like battery/body/engine grounds

 

[bolson6333]

I am no electrical whiz...but I think the answer to your question is "yes". Somebody jump in and correct me if I'm wrong, but I "think" the ammeter still acts as a main power connection, even with the "bulkhead wire/ammeter bypass" wiring modification.

Unhook the battery first....then run a jumper wire across the ammeter terminals, hook the battery back up and see if all your power is back? Try a short piece of heavier wire with an insulated alligator clip on each side and jump across the ammeter? Just try things like dome light, etc. to test it

And as @davek said...check and clean all your grounds like battery/body/engine grounds

why not just use a test light and see where you have power to start with?

 

[72RoadrunnerGTX]

When you did your wiring upgrade/bulkhead by-pass on the charging system, did you re-connect the original 12 ga black ammeter lead to the ammeter on the alternator side of the ammeter? If not, you will not have power to splice 1, nothing will power up.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

why not just use a test light and see where you have power to start with?

I think he's got power into the ammeter, but no power out of the ammeter

 

[LowBikeMike]

Well, he said he's getting power to the amp gauge. When my fusible link blew, everything was dead....

Hard to say, we really don't know how he did the bypass or how he's checking for power.

 

[bolson6333]

A test light will show if you have power out of the ammeter

 

[Dusty Dude]

Thank you all for the replies. Tomorrow I will make up a jumper wire using an extra in-line fuse holder and a couple of alligator clips and jump across the ammeter terminals. Now that I know current should be flowing between the ammeter studs all the time I'm pretty sure that the ammeter is the culprit. Every ground on this car has been cleaned. The wiring upgrade has been done exactly as shown in 72RoadrunnerG's drawing of which I have a copy. I just wasn't sure if power was constantly being supplied to splice #1 at all times and now that I do I can proceed with a little more confidence. If any of you saw my post showing the console I made for the car you can see that I have done a bunch of wiring in order to clean up the engine bay and to get all the loads on the alternator side of the ammeter instead of being connected to the positive battery post as all the aftermarket suppliers would have you do. All the engine bay wiring and some of the under dash wiring in this car had been FUBAR'd beyond belief so I pretty much tore most of it out and started over with new harnesses plus all the console wiring so its been a challenge. Now I just hope the stuff I designed doesn't go up in smoke!
Thanks again to all for your help.
Mike

 

[bolson6333]

I give up

 

[Dusty Dude]

I give up

Sorry to hear that.
The first thing I did was to use my test light to see if I had power to the ammeter which I did but I did not have any on the other lug. I was not certain exactly how the ammeter works so I asked for some help and based on the replies here I am sure the ammeter is at fault. I will jump the meter with a fused jumper wire so there is some protection as I check and see if power is being delivered further on down stream. If all turns out OK I'll bypass the ammeter for now and get the car running.
Thanks

 

[mrhemi]

Your first post states you made new insulators for the ameter. That would be your first place to look. Verify that it is reassembled correctly. I suspect an extra insulator washer found it's way onto an ameter lug.

 

[DanielSlocum]

those factory ameters are known for shorting out and catching the under dash wiring harness on fire. consider bypassing it and installing a volt meter instead. it just might save the entire vehicle.

 

[Dennis H]

Bulkhead connector. Spray it with electrical contact cleaner until it runs out and down the firewall. Then give it a gentle jingle.

 

[Cranky]

Bulkhead connector. Spray it with electrical contact cleaner until it runs out and down the firewall. Then give it a gentle jingle.

He says....."I did do the modified wiring between the alternator and the ammeter bypassing the bulkhead connector (which is also new)......"

But probably wouldn't hurt to do it anyways. Too much new stuff doesn't seem to work like it should over the last 20 years or so.

 

[PlymCrazy]

The ammeter is an integral part of the circuit as it's connected in series. If the ammeter fails internally or the connections are compromised, you will not get power from one terminal to the next. Without a multimeter or test light, bypassing or jumping the ammeter temporarily is one way to help rule out the ammeter being the issue or not. I always prefer using a multimeter myself. And as folks already hinted at previously, be sure your connections to the ammeter are good, without any form of corrosion or insulation inhibiting current flow.
Please circle aback and let us know how you make out here

 

[72RoadrunnerGTX]

those factory ameters are known for shorting out and catching the under dash wiring harness on fire. consider bypassing it and installing a volt meter instead. it just might save the entire vehicle.

The “spontaneously combusting ammeter” myth again. Any issues at the ammeter or its connections is the result misplaced/excessive loading and/or abuse at the ammeter connections or insulators. Either way operating well outside of its original design limits. In this case, if in fact there is no continuity thru the ammeter connections, its likely a misplaced insulator, these ammeters don’t just open up.