just installed new battery and want to keep check of its condition, so quick explanation on how to wire up an amp meter, to make sure its getting charged as i drive, pics would be a great help also, i am a novice wanting to learn, :-):-)

_________________

Davo.

You talkin amp meter or volt meter?

I accidently bought an amp meter, then found it had to have huge thick wires, and was hard to wire up.

I opted for a volt meter, which tells me what's in the battery (should be 12 Volts), then tells me the generator is working when it climbs to 14 volts when I accelerate above about 1.000 rpm.

That tells me everything I need to know.

Cheers
Alex.

Its more difficult than it sounds imho Davo. Get it wrong and you will have a dead short high current fire in the cabin So you need to be careful. Voltmeters are easy and relatively safe to fit, anyone can do them, but voltmeters on their own don't tell the whole story. A diode gone in the alternator will provide a little bit of charge only which won't be apparent with a voltmeter but will elave you dead when the lights go on for a drive at night. Lucas and other non-shunt Ammeters are another issue as to be accurate every stitch of current goes through the gauge which brings large gauge cables and high currents into the cabin..

Placement is everything. If you put it between the alternator and the battery you will see the charge current out of the alternator, but have no idea of what Amperes the car is drawing in total.

Put it in between the battery and the car's accessories and you will see the current drain, but have no idea of how much the alternator is providing.

To be truly useful showing either battery drain or battery charge one needs to create a bottleneck in the wiring where all the charge from the alternator passes on its way to the battery, and all the charge from the battery to the car's accessories also passes through in the opposite direction. Coupled with a voltmeter two gauges will allow you to diagnose everything the charging system is doing.

For wiring systems not designed to have a ammeter fitted it means you need to come up with a educated wiring plan, and create a current bottleneck to mount the ammeter. Then you need to make sure the terminations are created with a professional finish as a failure here will at the least have you sitting on the side of the road, and at the worst cause a full current dead short and fire. Not easy on a congested Rover bay.

I don't mean to put you off, but fitting ammeters is tricky stuff to do properly. Do any less and you will only have the gauge moving one way or the other in positive or negative directions. It is best if you get an autospark to fit it up. I would do it if I was still down there however Davo...

_________________
SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

The only thing I've ever seen an amp meter achieve was an engine bay fire during a motorkhana. Was a bit of a show I guess, so that's something

I had an ammeter in the dash of my Mk1S. After an (almost) fire I took it out.
A voltmeter is much safer (no big cables carrying all the juice except starter current) and IMO gives you similar info re battery charge.
It is also prettier.

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Ditto to above sentiments. Go with the voltmeter Davo.... Have a read of this. http://www.autometer.com/tech_faq_answer.aspx?sid=1&qid=5

If your mini is like mine and only gets used occasionally, get yourself a maintenance (or float) charger. Leave it permanently connected between drives and it will keep the battery precisely charged.

I've had 3 of these Jaycar units running on cars for a few years now. http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MB3604

_________________
Cheers,
Rod.
______________________________
'63 Morris 850 (Old Secondhand CAR)

nothing to stop you putting a fuse on the extremities of the ammeter cables where they join the wiring loom (an easy place to connect the ammeter is at the solenoid )

Oscar, spot on with your advice, I already have one of those trickle chargers, been using it for a couple of years, will forget about fitting the gauge and stick with what I already got. Suppose if fan betl breaks or slips. The red Ign light will let me know...
Mick you are always the knowledgeable one, perhaps if i bring it to you, you can work your magic:-):-):-):-):-):-) as if:-):-):-):-):-):-)

Thanks to all for advice O:-)

_________________

The Amp meter is a useful gauge to impress people. It fills up the hole in Dashboard! They are a bit of an antiquated idea but can be made more safe if you insist to use by going a bit more modern and also fitting a Fusible link in the main supply wires to it. But in my opinion Amp Meters cause Voltage drops due to the long main wires from the power source to the meter and back. Remember always fit the fuse as close as possible to the power source.

_________________
DID I MENTION THAT I AM THE BEST SUPPLIER FOR MINI ELECTRICAL PARTS AND REPAIRS?
"Let us remove your "SHORTS"