Ammeter pegged...

VERY FIRST THINGS YOU DO!!

1...Go to MyMopar and download a free factory shop manual. That manual and several others on that site were provided by the guys on here. Also on that site are aftermarket wiring diagrams, which are sometimes easier to follow but not necessarily accurate connector....by...connector

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2....READ the Mad article. Even if you do not perform the mod, it gives you some understanding of problems with these girls

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3....GET a multimeter and montior battery voltage at startup and while this is happening so you know what the voltage is actually doing

4.....GROUND THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR. Remove the regulator, scrape clean the rear of the mounting flange and front of the flange around the bolt holes, as well as around the bolt holes at the firewall. Remount with clean hardware using STAR lock washers. Another member on here suggests using a separate grounding wire from a mounting bolt to engine block.......not a bad idea

5....Make CERTAIN the engine block is grounded to the body. One good way is to ADD a ground cable known as a "starter cable" (eyelet to eyelet) from the rear bolt hole on the driver's side head (look at the front passenger side, it is the same holes) to something such as the master cylinder mounting studs.


6.....IF the above steps settle the thing down, you are NOT DONE YET. These girls suffer from VOLTAGE DROP in the wiring which causes the voltage to run HIGH by some amount. To find out do this:

A.........Start and run the car at fast idle. Warm it up, and this is better done without the problem you describe showing up. In other words the ammeter should be more centered. Perform this test first with all accessories off, and again with lights, heater, etc running full.

Stab one meter probe directly into the battery NEG terminal. Stab the other into the mounting flange of the voltage regulator. Stab through any rust, paint, etc. You are hoping for a VERY low reading, the lower the better, and zero is perfect. Again, turn on the lights, heater, and check again

B..........With the engine stopped, turn key to "run." Now you need to find the closest thing to the voltage supply to the voltage regulator. This is probably the igntiion ballast resistor which branches off. You want the "high" side of the resistor,..........the one coming from the key. One side is likely two wires with one brown. Wrong one. Check voltage at both terminals. If they are both the same, your points are open in the distributor. "Bump" the engine until they close. Now one terminal of the resistor should be "same as battery" and the other will be low...........8---to---10V or so. NOW CONNECT your meter to that high side.

Stab your other probe directly into the top of the battery POS post. As with test "A" you are hoping for a very low reading. More than about .3V (3/10 of one volt) means you have a voltage drop problem in the harness THIS DROP CAUSES the voltage regulator to run over voltage by the amount of the drop. For example If the VR is properly operating at 14V and you have 1.5V in this test, then the battery will "run" at 14 + 1.5 = 15.5V which you do not want