Well I was driving to work on Tuesday at about 5.20am, pitch black except for the warm glow of the speedo, with the heater on - yes it actually works. listening to the low hum of the 1100 at 100kph (read screaming!) when low and behold the dash started to billow out smoke! holy crapoly I said to myself. Pulled over - did some in the dark investigation to find the ammeter needle bent way over 60amps and I mean BENT and the terminal insulator sort of crispy. Don't know what happened but I really filled em. I turned around, drove home and took the other car to work. I have decided to put a voltmeter instead. Incidentally I got a brand new VDO 150 psi oil pressure gauge from work for free the other day too. Didn't pinch it, we were experimenting with direct reading gauges on the aircaft I work on, but the pilots decided they didn't want engine oil pouring into the cockpit if a line broke - so I asked for it and I got it, I love feebies!

Cheers

Gig

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67 Deluxe - Red and white
69 Deluxe - Sugercane Grey

Been there, done that..
Yep, ammeters are an accident waiting to happen. All the juice (except starter current) goes thru it. All it takes is a bit of body contact or a loose connection and the wiring makes like a welder.

Voltmeters are safer, more useful devices. Prettier, too!

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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.

Yeah....especially if you pass the cables through a firewall with a grommet..look out in years to come .

Having said that they are OK.......if they are wired in correctly with the correct amperage rated cable and good insulation plus INSULATED COVERS over the terminals....(to avoid embarrassing shorts circuits).

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"Show me the Mini!"

voltmeters connect in parallel
ammeters connect in series

i guess if you apply high school physics to this
and the current is high enough

wow, Mr Moynham was right

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Inconspicuously Conspicuous
Appreciation without Depreciation
forever chasing clearer skies...

Smoking is a health hazard

Worst thing you can do with Lucas electrics is let the smoke out of the wires.. It's `terminal' (pun intended):lol:

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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.

Yeah that smoke carries the electrons around. If you let enough smoke out then things stop working.

It's worse with transistors and ICs though, you only need to let a little of that Intel (TM) brand smoke out and your computer stops working altogether.

And after a capactior pops, it usually has much less capacity.

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"Life is not like a box of chocolates... it's more like a jar of jalapenos. Whatever you do today, may burn your arse tomorrow."

I thought smoke out the electrics was normal? I remember the fantastic tape deck that was in my Mini when I got it. One day I tried to rewind a tape. Five minutes later I began to wonder why it wasn't working and noticed the smoke coming out the tape slot. Hmmm....

I've got a voltmeter in my car. Very useful with the generator. Oh look, it's reading negative now I turned my headlights on. Maybe the generator is running backwards

i lov feebies too
i lov freebies more tho

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Nigel Morton/ Team Brickworx
never late in a 998