Ammeter to Voltmeter...who does it?

Mattax said
Please hold off until you have this all mapped out. It's not as brilliant an idea as they claim, and most important, the method they suggest puts unneccessary resistance in the power feed.

What is the preferred method for getting rid of the ammeter and replacing with a voltmeter? Is there a way to limit the resistance in the power feed?

Mattax said
Very interesting.
Junction block. When I wrote "main junction" I was referring to a distribution center. What I see in the photo are the bulkhead connectors. On the side power is distributed at one or more big welded splices and a the fuse panel.
The fusible link is pretty much a wire with special insulation. Its probably the insulation that is getting crunchy. It takes a lot of current to melt a fusible link. It's mostly to stop a battery discharging through a short to ground.
With the ammeter in the charging circuit, its probably internally shunted. I don't see a connection from the battery to alternator in the engine bay - that's typically what we'ld see with an externally shunted ammeter.

Yeah, sorry, they are bulkhead connectors. I'm still on my first cup of coffee. The old fusible link insulation was still pliable...the wires inside were crunchy. I sliced the insulation just to see what it looked like inside. Honestly, I don't know if the ammeter is internally shunted, so I'll take your word for it that it is. No, there is no connection from the alternator to the battery. If you look at the far left bulkhead connector the 10ga. black wire in the lower right is from the alternator and, in turn, goes to the ammeter.

Mattax said
Very interesting.
It could be. I assume this solenoid is always on when the key is in 'run' or is it manually switched?
Normally, a low battery will draw a lot of current at first, but then as it charges less and less. High recharge current means lots of chemical activity in the battery and that produces heat. That internal heat makes it more difficult to recharge. The small wire on the fuse may restrict the recharging current somewhat, which is good but best would be to recharge that battery on a slow charger.
Anyway, its pretty easy to test the possibility by taking it off the circuit. Just watch where loose hot wires are!

It's on, when the key is switched. I used the 12V switched wire that used to go to my EGR module, which I deleted. It is constant 12V, and I didn't want to tap into a wire at the bulkhead connector, as the PO did. It's definitely a learning experience and reminds me of my first car, when I was a young 18 year-old Private, a 1965 318 Satellite. That car was what made me learn how to turn wrenches.

This is a pic of the bulkhead connectors, before I took everything apart, cleaned, repaired and reassembled.

Click For Full-Size Image.