I am wiring up my drag car from scratch. no stock harness etc.

I am wiring in an ammeter.

where do the 2 terminals of the gauge get wired to t get an accurate reading?

Greg

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack

Negative side to battery + and the other side to the rest of the electrical system including the alternator. This assumes you want to know the power going into and out of the battery the way most ammeters are wired.

_________________
Joshua

Greg,

Think of amp gage as a direction of electron flow indicator. Install it such that when juice if flowing from alternator to battery the gage reads +, and when all flow is from battery it reads minus. The stock method is black wire from alternator passes through fire wall to gage, from here it splits off to loads both fused and not and back out to the battery with a red wire. So when alternator is contributing more flow of electrons that is to say charging battery, gage reads +, and when battery is contributing more electrons to the harness compared to alternator out put the gage reads negative.

Just look at a stock wire diagram and see how the gage is located between load (stuff being powered) battery and alternator. Cross off any load in diagram you do not have, and that’s one way to accomplish your mission.



oops... I got tasked to perform a "Honey Do" mid post, and Josh popped in with a clearer explanation while in the trenches.

Bill

_________________
67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

just asking,, any specific reason for going with an ammeter and not a voltmeter?
A voltmeter tells you the power available to run the ignition, fuel pumps,,

the ammeter tells me when the alternator has tossed a belt.. almost instantly..

maybe a volt meter would do the same .. but driving all old Chrysler cars I am used to looking at the ammeter.

Greg

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack

Yep, nothing stares at a mopar driver better when a belt goes, the red wire on the alt burns through, or the alt is toast than seeing the amm needle take a nose dive to "D"... (next after that in a couple minutes the temp gauge goes to "H" if it was the belt...been there).

-D.Idiot