I bypassed my ammeter guage this morning and the problem has gone away
completely. I made no other changes to the electrical system.
With the ammeter connected and the engine water temp at about 180, the
junction bolt (where power split off from the alternator to the ammeter,
engine aux. electric fan, etc.) heated to 150 degrees with my air
conditioning off. With AC on, temperature escalated to 190+ and climbing
fast.
Now, with the ammeter bypassed, the connection bolt reads 118 degrees,
period. Having the AC on or off makes no difference. It's possible the
ammeter itself is defective but rather than mess about, I just ordered a
voltmeter from Mo-Ma to replace it. They make them up to match the other
Jaeger guages. Not a stock item, I know, but better that than a toasted
Tiger. Plus, I think a voltmeter gives a more accurate reading of what's
going on with the system anyway.
The way the wires were conncected was not a problem, it was the ammeter
itself, not able to handle the power the alternator puts out. There's a
reason the guage face was distorted from the heat. The internet ammeter
article I posted last night turns out to be right, at least in my case.
Thanks for the usual excellent suggestions out there.
Steve Sage
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