Ammeter - To bypass or not to bypass...

[El Toro J10]

I am gearing up to do a couple of upgrades this weekend. 1) I am upgrading to the TFI, 2) I am upgrading to the CS144. As I do these, I really need to know the truth about the following statement concerning the riskiness of the ammeter in the cab.

Make sure the connections to both ammeter terminals are clean and tight. Ammeters causing fires is an old wives tale. Losse dirty/corroded connections at the ampmeter cause heat in turn causing fires. Not the ampmeter. Keep it clean, keep it tight and live happy. Ammeter connections are part of normal maint that comes with owning, driving a vehicle.

If I clean my connections and resolder will this really reduce my risk of overrheat/fire. Especially since I have had voltage problems in the past I would like to leave the ammeter in operation, at least for the time being.

Thoughts???

[freeincolorado]

I suppose it all depends on how much you like bbq Jeep. If I had an ammeter and was doing a cs144 swap, I would do the bypass and install an aftermarket voltmeter.

[CHICOWAGGY]

I agree, the ammeter is designed for the stock alternator. I would definitly bypass it if I was upgrading my alternator. I have a voltmeter, so I don't have to worry .

[710 Burner]

The stock system is not designed to handle more current. Note that your ammeter only reads to +/-60. Should you actually run more current through it, you could create problems.
The answer to your question is that the statement is generally considered correct, but only as it relates to the ammeter. There are other issues with that design that can get you the same result.

[janie]

Do the bypass. You'll thank yourself and your rig will too.

[Hankrod]

I say bypass. As a matter of fact, I would not even send the power into the dash at all. The Alt. wires are #10 awg. and they can get hot with 140 amps. Hankrod

[Ristow]

yes,with the 144 you need to at least run a cable from the alternator output to the battery/solenoid,the guage can't run the potential of 140 amps through it.

[91G-Dub]

Soing the bypass in my J10 only took a minute or 2. I put in an aftermarket voltmeter and haven't looked back.

[littlebuck23]

Joe is correct. Clean connections to the amp meter is the important thing. StartIng currnt does not go thru the amp meter. In Order to get all 140 amps from your alternator you would have to ask for them in some way. Bad wirng is one way, powering an aerosmith concert would be another. Chaffig wiring against ground is the real reason rigs catch fire. Replacing/nspecting the wiring is a good idea. If you really wanted to protect your rig from fire you would fuse the output from the alternator. The shunt in the amp guage s good for whatever number is n the front of the guage. Just keep it clean to avoid heat.
If you see a huge negative draw on the guage you know ya got a problem. Think of whatever number of amps is getting taken out of the battery your making that lightbulb worth of heat somewhere.


That's my educated opinion on the matter. Doing nothing is cirtianly not the solution but simply elliminAting the guage is a false sense of security.

I am gearing up to do a couple of upgrades this weekend. 1) I am upgrading to the TFI, 2) I am upgrading to the CS144. As I do these, I really need to know the truth about the following statement concerning the riskiness of the ammeter in the cab.



If I clean my connections and resolder will this really reduce my risk of overrheat/fire. Especially since I have had voltage problems in the past I would like to leave the ammeter in operation, at least for the time being.

Thoughts???

[El Toro J10]

Thanks for all of the information and opinions. I will definitely bypass until I have the time to upgrade wiring or put an aftermarket voltmeter in the cab. I came across this how-to for an under the hood bypass. It looks simple enough.

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showt...ighlight=CS130

The temp dropped to 35 degrees today nixing my plans for the upgrades. That might not be cold to you "real men" up north but this Florida boy can't grip a ratchet when its like this.