Amp gauge reading 25 amps charging

[sixt9rsx33]

My amp gauge in my 69 Z reads a 25 amp charge while going down the road. I have checked the voltage regulator and it is regulating a 14.7 volt charge to the battery. I have checked the junction box on the radiator support and the leads are clean. My horn relay works for the horn but not for the key buzzer. Not sure if there is a malfunction in the HR that would cause an over charge on the red wire? This situation also causes my temp gauge to read high. I have checked the temp while the car is warm and the temp is 165 -170* with a 180* thermostat installed. Any ideas on how to troubleshoot this over charge reading?

[miket1]

I would check the easy stuff first, First have the battery checked,if it is going bad or has a bad cell it will keep drawing trying to charge, next check the wires on the starter, I had a battery cable come loose on my starter 35 years ago ,it did the same as yours, just saying.

[sixt9rsx33]

Great pointers thanks!

[Kurt S]

14.7 volts is way high. Should only be that high it's below freezing.
13.5 at normal temps. Check connection, then look at your regulator....

[sixt9rsx33]

I replaced the VR and confirmed the wiring on the starter is hooked up correctly. I still have this problem. I am going to confirm the voltage readings again.

I do have a very inexpensive small battery in the car which came in the car when I got it. I don't know if it is any good or not. Seems to be ok and based on the tags is is only a year old.

Lawrence

[Kurt S]

The next thing that comes to mind is the alternator. Sounds like it's going full-field for some reason. A quick bench test at a parts store would tell.

It shouldn't be the battery if the voltage is high.

[sixt9rsx33]

I had the alternator checked at the parts store before installation.

I will keep digging

[Chevyfever]

If you have not checked and cleaned your grounds you may want to try,
have seen them cause crazy readings. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/3gears.gif

[sixt9rsx33]

So here is my amp gauge with the key off and also the ground cable removed from the battery. Is the gauge bad? Or can I center the gauge at this point?

Thanks

[jasonL78]

I would pull the gauge out. I had the same problem with my original Tach on my 68 L78 nova. I would shut the car off and the needle would stay up around 1000 RPM. I removed the Tach and found some small amount of surface rust on the needle wiper asssembly. Cleaned with a soft brush I even think I lubricated it and never had a problem with it sticking after that.

Same car with console guages I had my amp meter show what your is. I found the contacts on the voltage regulator were stuck. I changed it and that problem went away. You said you have already changed that. As for cleaning and zeroing. We used to demagnitize the amp meters on the welders at one of my last jobs when they were reading incorrectly. But they had a zero screw, not sure if this amp meter does?

Just my 2 cents if its worth anything.

Jason

[Kurt S]

Ignore the gauge. Get the voltage from the alternator right first.
The system is pretty simple - we're missing something.

[sixt9rsx33]

I went back to the voltage regulator, and replaced the old style Delco Remy points style with the newer style from the parts store. With the car cold and with the battery charging I have 14.6 volts coming from the alternator. I drove the car approximately 7 miles and checked the voltage at the alternator. I had 13.5 volts coming from the alternator. Seems ok now. Of course the gauge is still off.

My temp gauge is still reading slightly higher than it should...like I have an over charge issue. I confirmed the temp is ok with a heat gun. I have 170* at the thermostat neck. When I run the car at a higher rpm but still in the City the gauge will go up. At idle the temp gauge comes back down. My lower radiator hose is new with a spring inside it. My water pump is new, the anti-freeze is new, the radiator looks ok. I have cleaned both ground wires on the radiator support. I have not gotten the car in the air to double confirm the starter wire hook ups. But I can see from under the hood that the purple wire is connected to the inboard connector.

Maybe the sending unit is wrong? It is new but who knows the calibration?

Thanks

[sixt9rsx33]

One more note that I did not mention. Not sure it is relevant, but I always seem to get a light electrical shock when I tough the door handle. I am guessing this is due to a bad ground?

[John Brown]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sixt9rsx33</div><div class="ubbcode-body">One more note that I did not mention. Not sure it is relevant, but I always seem to get a light electrical shock when I tough the door handle. I am guessing this is due to a bad ground? </div></div>

The static shock you are getting is due to the compounds used to make tires today and the static charges don't leak off to the road like they did with the older tire compounds. Has nothing to do with the car electrical system. It gets worse in the winter when the humidity gets lower too.....

[sixt9rsx33]

Could be, but the tires on the car are 1972 Good Year Polyglas and my other cars don't do this?

Thanks

[John Brown]

Different clothes and seat cover fabric contribute significantly to static electric shocks. When I wear my Flowmaster fleece jacket on dry winter days, I get a big snap when I touch any metal surface, also when putting my hand near the cruise control button on my DD's steering wheel. If I'm wearing my normal heavy winter jacket, I get nothing. Lots of possibilities on your static problem, but none of then are the fault of grounds in the electrical circuits of the car. As to different static problems, we first noticed them around 1969 or 1970 when I was working as a mechanic. Had quite a few complaints after selling customers new tires. The tire company we used had a rep that said the problem was caused by companies using less carbon in the construction of their tires. Much of the carbon was replaced with silicone products to give tires less rolling resistance. Can't comment on your exact tires, but that possibility also exists.

[sixt9rsx33]

Thanks John.