Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunner
Repeat this mantra about 427 times... oh, sorry, 289 times in your case: "Ammeters are useless window-dressing in modern cars." By modern, I mean any car with an alternator. The generator days were a little different, but with modern alternators and voltage regulators (and I'd bet you have a modern VR, maybe hiding under an era-style case), ammeters are somewhere between chrome knob and idiot light in usefulness.
If you don't want to swap it out for a voltmeter, attach a voltmeter to your electrical system as a test instrument. You should see 11.8-12.2 volts with the engine off, no lower than about 9 volts (maybe 8, with an older battery and big engine) during cranking, and a fairly steady 13.5-14 volts while the engine is running, no matter the RPM or electrical load. Anything else, you've got a problem that's easy to diagnose. Post some numbers if you can.
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Untrue, amp meters, like volt meters, leave you guessing on some things. A voltmeter CANNOT tell you how much current the alternator (or generator) is producing. Ideally it's best to have both.
Pop a diode in your alternator and you'll find out how valuable an amp meter is...
BTW: this could very well be what's wrong here...