Other than a bad gage is there any other reason the gage reads 0 (straight up) when the alternator is putting 13.8 - 14 Volts into the battery under a load, (Lights on, radio on etc) Car is a friends 64 327 Vette. Thanks, Ralphie
Any wires been moved or worked on around the starter or battery? Has the gauge worked recently? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
If the engine is running and the battery is fully charged, the alternator will be supplying all the current necessary for the lights and radio. The amp gauge will read “0” since the battery is not contributing to the power required to run those items. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
True...so turn on the headlights and leave them on for 30 min. and then start the car...if this is the issue you should see deflection in gauge at that time... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
To my knowledge the meter has not been working for a long time, but the battery remains charged. Would not the gage at least flicker to the - side with a full elect load and the engine off?
turn the engine off and turn on the headlights. The amp gauge should show “-“. The battery is supplying the power for the lights. After a time, start the engine. The amp gauge should show “+” as the alternator charges the battery. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Check it's resistance, should be really low...i/e less than 2 ohms. But, with engine off, just turning the headlights on should deflect the meter to the left (-) side. I'd think if the Ammeter was open/bad, the battery wouldn't charge.
I believe this style gauge to be a "shunt" gauge which would allow the battery to charge and could be the key to the issue...bad shunt. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
see the thread below. Cleaning the connection at the firewall fixed his issue. From their description it sounds like the ammeter is a shunt type and that all the current does not pass through the gauge. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c1-and-c2-corvettes/1979650-1964-ammeter-and-wiring.html