What are most common symptoms of AMMETER FAILURE?

[Texas Tom]

When your car's ammeter fails while driving, what happens?

[Pinstripe]

My ammeter once went up in a cloud of smoke. Then your driving is done unless you bypass it.

[Joe K]

The "bridge" in the Ammeter burns out and all the current goes through the coils of the meter very quickly burning it out and causing an open circuit.

This removes the battery from connection with your generator. Consequently the generator voltage SCREAMS and can burn out your light bulbs. Also possibly in burning open the ammeter can short to it's own case and either ground the battery to the frame causing a fire, or ground the generator to the frame and thus fry it. Or both.

http://www.webjunk.com/modela/wp-con...amcolor2sm.jpg

You can trace out the wiring in your mind. A voltage regulator will control non-battery connect generator voltage (another recommendation for this over the original Ford setup.) and a fuse at the starter motor protecting the yellow wire with the big loop will protect against a fire caused by a grounded ammeter.

Joe K

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Texas Tom

When your car's ammeter fails while driving, what happens?

The car stops.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Texas Tom

When your car's ammeter fails while driving, what happens?

The car stops if not wired pre Nov. '28.

[Tom Wesenberg]

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Originally Posted by Pinstripe

My ammeter once went up in a cloud of smoke. Then your driving is done unless you bypass it.

That's what I've seen on a couple ammeters I bought at swap meets. The connections get loose, which causes high resistence, which causes heat, which melts the insulators until they flake away and the terminals short to the case.

You have to keep the special nuts clean and tight.