Dash Power Feed Confusion
You are a prime example........and I'm NOT making fun here........of someone who needs wiring diagrams and a service manual. You can download them FREE at MyMopar and some of the guys right here put some of them there
The big black wires ARE NOT GROUND An ammeter is a SERIES device, it measures current by being IN LINE or IN SERIES between the source and the load. The general functional path is battery....starter relay "big stud" ---fuse link---BIG RED wire----through bulkhead connector----to ammeter---through ammeter---out ammeter on BIG BLACK and a few inches from there is a BIG FACTORY WELDED SPLICE which branches off and feeds ignition switch, the fuse panel "hot buss" and the headlights switch. NONE OF THIS is fused
From that splice also is a BIG BLACK which feeds back out through the bulkhead connector to the alternator output
All this is hot at all times and IS NOT fused except for the fuse link which is darn poor protection
Please read this article: Even if you don't do this modification, this article gives insight into the wiring and problems that occur
Catalog
In that article is a simplified diagram of the main power distro in these vehicles as I described above:
You are a prime example........and I'm NOT making fun here........of someone who needs wiring diagrams and a service manual. You can download them FREE at MyMopar and some of the guys right here put some of them there
The big black wires ARE NOT GROUND An ammeter is a SERIES device, it measures current by being IN LINE or IN SERIES between the source and the load. The general functional path is battery....starter relay "big stud" ---fuse link---BIG RED wire----through bulkhead connector----to ammeter---through ammeter---out ammeter on BIG BLACK and a few inches from there is a BIG FACTORY WELDED SPLICE which branches off and feeds ignition switch, the fuse panel "hot buss" and the headlights switch. NONE OF THIS is fused
From that splice also is a BIG BLACK which feeds back out through the bulkhead connector to the alternator output
All this is hot at all times and IS NOT fused except for the fuse link which is darn poor protection
Please read this article: Even if you don't do this modification, this article gives insight into the wiring and problems that occur
Catalog
In that article is a simplified diagram of the main power distro in these vehicles as I described above: