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Adding voltmeter to car

I used to have a spare alternator on my 1966 GTO. I blew the front bearing out so often that I got the bracket for that Pontiac 389 CID engine with an AC compressor, which required the Alternator to moved to the other side of the engine. Over rev the alternator, stop, remove the fan belt and plug from the bad alternator, plug it into the spare and install the fan belt on that side. A one minute or less repair on the side of the road. I also used #1 AWG welding cable on the main battery to reduce the voltage drop.

On other vehicles I've had a dual charging system and a pair of the biggest batteries that would fit under the hood. Need a jump? Flip a switch to tie the two batteries together with a starter solenoid and start the engine.

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Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
Reply to
Michael A. Terrell
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Is that a static voltage reading, or with the engine running and charging the battery? Where is your voltmeter connected into the car's wiring? How often is it 70 degrees F under your hood when you want to check the voltage? Too many variables to get a useful answer with a simple meter.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

So how did I get 100 miles in a 3.0 Supra with *no battery at all* in it then?

An alternator is quite capable of giving enough current to keep the systems going. Probably not on full beam, heated windows etc., but for daytime running it was fine.

Don't stall it though.

Reply to
PC Paul

The alternator was working. I was talking about when the charging system or fan belt fails. Jump leads won't help you then.

The voltage from an unterminated alternator can go sky high and fry the electronics. Not recommended.

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*When you've seen one shopping centre you've seen a mall*

    Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                  To e-mail, change noise into sound.
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Dave Plowman (News)

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Regards Gary

Reply to
Gary Schafer

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