Quote:

If you are still running an Amp gauge, make sure that you have a good fire extinguisher ! I suggest that you bypass the Amp gauge and install a Volt meter.



I will grant you that a lot of Mopars and other vehicles that used an Ammeter had a potential weak point routing all the power into the car and back out to the battery. The two trips through the firewall with ohmic connections cause heat and increased corrosion if not maintained properly. Why did those dumb engineers do it that way? Not because it was cheap, heavy wiring is not needed for a voltmeter connection. Not because voltmeter technology had not been developed yet, they were invented at the same time. It was because a voltmeter really does not tell you nearly as much as an ammeter does. A voltmeter can tell you that the battery is dead, but you knew that when it did not start. A voltmeter will tell you when a battery is sulfated because the cell voltages increase because internal resistance is increasing. That is about all I can think a voltmeter is good for.
Maintaining the wiring, keeping the bulkhead connectors packed in silicon grease to prevent corrosion and checking them all when you do oil changes will keep your wiring from frying.
If you are putting in a higher output alternator, remember Chrysler did not use the bulkhead connector for alternators with outputs of 60 or more amps. They routed 8 gauge wires through grommets in the firewall on the police and taxi packages and they used ammeters. Fury, Imperial,Monaco used shunt style ammeters that did not route as much current through the firewall.
If I remove my ammeter, I wont replace it. The brightness of the gauge lights is just as reliable as a voltmeter and cheaper.
Also, on an electrical fire, until the current stops flowing, an extinguisher is worthless.


2014 Ram 1500 Laramie, 73 Cuda
Previous mopars: 62 Valiant, 65 Fury III, 68 Fury III, 72 Satellite, 74 Satellite, 89 Acclaim, 98 Caravan, 2003 Durango
Only previous Non-Mopar: Schwinn Tornado