drlew

Why has my Amp Meter been reading so high?! Its reading half way between 0 and the 45 (max.)... Should I be concerned?? Am I going to boil my battery? I've been driving with my lights on to bring it down to about zero, but I'm not sure how to solve the problem.. HELP

drlew

Any Ideas?

BoulderZ

Random stuff that comes to mind: bad gauge (testing that would be a pain), bad regulator and/or bad alternator (don't remember what year yours is, if the regulator was in the alternator like mine or not). You could easily eliminate the alternator issue by pulling it out and having one of the parts stores test it. Of course, if it's failing intermittently, it'll be fine when they test it...
that's all I can think of at the moment. Anybody else?
Dave

theramz

If the ampmeter fails, it will not read plus it will read zero. Check your regulator by removing the cover to check for burned points that are stuck closed. Some auto stores will check your charging system right in the car for free. Make sure your wiring under the hood is ok. Disconnect the thick white wire with the red stripe and isolate it. You can run ignition to get to the store without burning anything up. The gauge should show a slight discharge. Make sure you isolate the wire.

drlew

now thats what I'm talkin about... thanks guys.
I'll let you know what I find...

bjhines

Check voltage while the car is running at high idle... it should be ~14 volts... If it is significantly higher then change the regulator or the alternator... depending on model....

The amp meter will read inaccurately if you add circuits or accessories that do not get power directly through the fuse box... this is because the power used is not running through the amp meter properly... not that I would suggest loading up the original fuse panel... but just FYI... the ammeter is prety much useless if you start adding circuits... install a voltmeter and move on...