Veet 66

I added an electric fan to the radiator. No problems on the installation. Wired it up as per drawings. Started up the car. Fan comes on when the water temp. sensor meets the set point.
Heres the problem or may not be a problem.
Wired the red wire directly to the battery post. Grey wire to the sensor and black wire to ground as the drawing shows. The Amp. gauge reads +2 when the car is running without the fan on. When the fan comes on the amp. gauge goes to +32 amps. The fan rating and fused to 30 amp so the fan is working properly. So the conclussion is when the fan is on it is drawing +32 amp. When the fan is off it draws +2. My concern is this correct and will it damage the amp. gauge?

MasterDave

Your gauge should go to - not + with a draw. And yes my gauge reads a definate draw (minus) with the elec. fan on. Revving the engine slightly brings it to 0/+2 though. I shouldn't worry, sounds about right at idle.

Veet 66

Thanks for the reply. I thought that the amp gauge when the car is running should be a little on the + side. As you turn on the lights or any other electric the amp gauge would go up higher on the + side. With it going to - isn't this saying the battery is discharging? I think I need to also check the ground on the fan to make sure that is ok.

Veet 66

After I got home from work I checked the amp. on the fan and the amp. gauge with a amp. meter. temporarly installed a Stuart Warner $10.00 gauge and it read +2 amp. with everything on. Have concluded the amp. gauge is bad. Do you have any suggestions on who has the best price for one? :banghead:

kellsdad

I don't know if your gauge is or is not reading right, but I will offer this piece of information. The BATTERY guage is not actually an ammeter that measures current flow. It simply measures the voltage difference between two circuits and displays that on a scale that implies the current draw on one of those circuits. I suppose its possible to wire the new fan in a way that gives a reverse reading on the BATTERY guage. I'd double check the wiring with someone who understands such things before replacing the gauge.

wombvette

Wire the fan to the positive output of the alternator. See what that does.

MasterDave

At idle my batt gauge reads about +2. Turn on the elec. fan and it goes -15 or so. Rev it a little and it centers again. Same type of thing for headlights, turn signals, radio, etc. It should NEVER go to + when there's a draw on the batt. You got something wrong in your wiring. :cheers:

magicv8

The "amp Guage" is not bad. The C2 guage is a galvanometer reading the difference between 2 voltages under the hood and is essentially useless for genuine amp flow information - relative flow is all it can do. A new one will not improve things and the guage will be harmed by overloads.

You have to see the fallacy of the C2 guage when you have a 63amp factory alternator (in my A-C car) and the car comes with a 40 amp guage.
:crazy:

I use a voltmeter. I will install an old C2 ammeter that is converted to a voltmeter when I next pull the intrument cluster - maybe this coming winter. With all my added power draws, I am going to order a 135 amp alternator. Getting a C2 ammeter to step up to that would be ludicrous. Even if I inserted the correct shunt on the galvanometer (and wired it between the battery and alternator - like the C1s - where it should be), the scale of the C2 guage face would provide tiny movements for normal operation.
:_dupe:

Veet 66

I want to thank everyone for the help on this issue. I found out today what the problem is. I switched over my system some time ago to a built in regulator on the alternator. I installed the jumper kit on the regulator.
I spoke to Roger at Rogers Clocks and he told me when you switch over to the built in regulator that the amp. meter needs to be redone. What is needed is a larger wire inside of the amp. gauge. I am sending it to him today and I will let you know how it comes out. I have never seen anything stating that when you convert using the kit that the amp. gauge needs to be redone.

toddalin

Boy that's news to me! I just switched over to a 100 amp, one-wire alternator on my '64 this year and noticed no change in the function of the amps gauge. :lol:

Jim_C

Veet 66
The ammeter in the C2 is really a volt meter as stated earlier. It measures the voltage drop across the #10 Red wire that runs from the battery terminal on the starter motor to the horn relay. Most of the cars electrical loads are connected to the horn relay. If you move the power connection for your fan to the horn relay the "ammeter" should read correctly.
CUL Jim

wombvette

I have run all kinds of alternators on my 66 with TPI. From the 66 to the 90s and the old original guage works just fine. I dont know what Roger is talking about, but it just aint so. I have converted hundreds over the years with no problems. I still think that you should try to move the power source to the alternator output and see how it reacts.