Low charge to no charge issue pulling hair out
1.2 V/12 amps = .1 ohms
Similar to the resistance we saw before with 20 amps charging.
That tells us most of the resistance is in the battery circuit, and not the run from the alternate to the mainsplice.
As far as I know, the '73 Barracuda charge circuit is the same basic layout as we've been discussing. There are some variations when a car came with heavy duty wiring for certain options such as heated rear defrost.
With headlights on, the current path looks like this.
I would check for ground losses first.
Then check the battery connections and wires in the engine compartment since they are easiest to access and see.
All it would take is a bad battery cable or a quicky replacement battery terminal clamp to cause resistance like that.
The bulkhead connector teminals are relatively small and exposed to engine heat, along with moisture, so they too are possible culprits. Or it could be a little resistance at each junction. You can keep doing voltage drop checks to narrow it down or just start checking all the connections.
The ammeter itself is typically a metal plate with a pressed in studs. The needle moves by magnetic deflection when a current runs through the plate.
It's possible the studs have become loose, but that's very rare unless they get overheated. More common is the ring terminals on the wires get overheated(from overcharging or a short) or get oxidized and corrroded from a water leak. Generally its pretty protected in there compared to the wires and connections from the battery to the firewall, and hte battery to ground.
So that's 1.3 Volt drop between the battery and mains splice with around 10 -12 amps flowing through.
1.2 V/12 amps = .1 ohms
Similar to the resistance we saw before with 20 amps charging.
That tells us most of the resistance is in the battery circuit, and not the run from the alternate to the mainsplice.
As far as I know, the '73 Barracuda charge circuit is the same basic layout as we've been discussing. There are some variations when a car came with heavy duty wiring for certain options such as heated rear defrost.
With headlights on, the current path looks like this.
I would check for ground losses first.
Then check the battery connections and wires in the engine compartment since they are easiest to access and see.
All it would take is a bad battery cable or a quicky replacement battery terminal clamp to cause resistance like that.
The bulkhead connector teminals are relatively small and exposed to engine heat, along with moisture, so they too are possible culprits. Or it could be a little resistance at each junction. You can keep doing voltage drop checks to narrow it down or just start checking all the connections.
The ammeter itself is typically a metal plate with a pressed in studs. The needle moves by magnetic deflection when a current runs through the plate.
It's possible the studs have become loose, but that's very rare unless they get overheated. More common is the ring terminals on the wires get overheated(from overcharging or a short) or get oxidized and corrroded from a water leak. Generally its pretty protected in there compared to the wires and connections from the battery to the firewall, and hte battery to ground.