new alternator 53 f-100

[flathead 53]

Installed an alternator 6 volt pos ground ,on my 53 f-100 merc flathead after a drive needle on batt gage stays almost in the middle, checked voltage at battery 7.5, then turned on the headlights blower motor ,gage goes to left ,will running checked voltage at battery 7.5 again ,everyone appears ok except gage . any ideas

[30-9]

Did the gauge work properly before you put in alt?

Did you have an alt or gen previously?

[Ross F-1]

That's right where you want it after a 10-minute drive. I have a 12v alternator and after 30 seconds it drops to near zero. That doesn't mean it isn't putting out, it means the battery is recharged and the alternator is putting out just what is being used. (Assuming you hooked up the ammeter and alternator the same as with a generator).

[flatheadmurre]

Are you using the old wiring or did you install a new wire from the alternator to the battery direct ?
Sounds like the alternator is feeding the battery and not the dash connecting point before the amp meter.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by flatheadmurre

Are you using the old wiring or did you install a new wire from the alternator to the battery direct ?
Sounds like the alternator is feeding the battery and not the dash connecting point before the amp meter.

This sounds like what is going on, how was it wired up?

[flathead 53]

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yes , the alternator is probably feeding just the battery, how should it be hooked up to feed the dash connecting point

[flatheadmurre]

Connect it to the wire going from the regulator into the cab marked BAT.

[JSeery]

Like pointed out in post #4 if it is not wired like the original it won't read correctly. The alt needs to be connected to the fuse/relay post along with the battery wire. The battery wire then goes to the amp meter and on to the battery. The amp meter is looking at current flow to and from the battery, so ALL of the current to/from the battery has to be through this one wire. If the alt is not connected after the amp meter the meter has no idea what it is doing and only sees the draw on the battery.

[flathead 53]

thanks ,so I just run a wire from the alternator to the battery wire from the harness and it should work fine .thanks for the help.

[willowbilly3]

I've never trusted the ammeter in any Ford I've owned, just install a volt meter. If the volts are right, it doesn't really matter what an ammeter says.

[paul2748]

There are people that can redo you ammeter to work like a volt meter. As mentioned above, all you need is a voltmeter so you know the alternator is putting out.

[JSeery]

Amp meter tells you which direction the current is flowing between the battery and the car systems (and a hint as to current level). A volt meter tells you the voltage level of the battery.

[flathead 53]

Thanks everyone I followed Flatheadmurre,s advice and ran the wire from the alt to the wire marked batt that goes one the regulator ,battery gage works like it should ,alternator is putting out 7.5 volts ,everything ok