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Re: [Healeys] Ammeter query in a generator to alternator conversion proj

To: healeys@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Ammeter query in a generator to alternator conversion project.
From: Oudesluys <coudesluijs@chello.nl>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:26:51 +0100
Delivered-to: mharc@autox.team.net
Delivered-to: healeys@autox.team.net
References: <002201ce1506$aa62ecc0$ff28c640$@lachlan@homecall.co.uk>
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:17.0) Gecko/20130215 Thunderbird/17.0.3
An ammeter is not really suitable with an alternator. Best to use a 
voltage gauge instead.
If you still prefer an ammeter fit it in the brown wire running from 
alternator to starter engine/battery pole/starter relay/control box.
If it reads the "wrong way around", switch over the wires on the ammeter.
Kees Oudesluijs
NL

Op 27-2-2013 17:22, Simon Lachlan schreef:
> Another one for the guriest of the gurus....
>
> The car is a MkII BT7. (Negative earth, of course)
>
> So, let's do this stage by stage.
>
> 1)      When the car ran with a generator, I installed an ammeter. I
> disconnected the brown wire that ran from A1 on the control box to the
> solenoid at both ends. I ran a new wire from the solenoid, through an
> ammeter and back to A1. This worked well.
>
> 2)      I bought a Lucas ACR17 alternator on eBay and installed it. You will
> all doubtless know these Lucas alternators. There are three terminals. The
> two large terminals are connected inside so that one can connect more than
> one heavy duty cable for whatever purpose. For reference I used this:-
> http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/electric/ac101.htm
>
> I have to laugh when I see his advice to just "physically mount the
> alternator". (Almost as funny as the reference in the BMC manual to "gently
> easing the gearbox rearwards". Me and Superman.)
>
> 3)      I bought an old control box on eBay and gutted it. I soldered a
> large wire across terminals A & AI inside this control box. I then used the
> control box as a junction box per the site's fourth diagram. (At this stage,
> remember that the brown wire is still cut at A1 and the solenoid).
>
> 4)      Per the MGAgurus suggestion (safety first) I did install an
> additional heavy cable from the alternator to the solenoid.
>
> 5)      I switched on and everything worked fine - I think - except the
> ammeter needle which twitched about feebly. The dash charging light behaved
> as it should.
>
> 6)      So, I suspect that the ammeter is wrongly hooked up.
>
> I suggest that I need to link both big wires from the ammeter together at
> the solenoid, run a cable from the solenoid through the ammeter and back to
> the joined terminals A & A1.
>
> I think that the brown cable remains disconnected, but that I could connect
> it to the first feed from the alternator and use it to run the connection
> down to the other feed at the solenoid.
>
> Am I right?
>
> I have no particular area of expertise in cars, but electrics would be at
> the bottom of the list. And I don't want to wreck everything.
>
> I would be most grateful for some help,
>
> Thank you.
>
> Simon
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