Originally Posted By: stock49
The ammeter is attached to the primary 'bus' of the entire electrical system of the car. It is essentially 'hot' no matter which side one is looking at.

'stock,

So if anything is connected to either post on the Ammeter, it will be hot? That is good to know. That means it's always just measuring the total current in the system.

I will show some of my ignorance when I looked at the coil, it's actually marked + and - on the posts. Positive goes to the Ammeter, negative goes to the distributor.

Originally Posted By: stock49
When the generator is spinning at sufficient RPM (and the battery is low) the Ammeter will show current flowing in the Charging direction. When the generator is not spinning at sufficient RPM the Ammeter will show the degree to which users of power are Discharging the battery (starter motor, ignition, lights, radio etc.) When the engine is running and the battery is fully charged the Ammeter will read dead center (neither charging or discharging).

How is this effected by the Alternator? The Alternator is always providing current no matter how fast the engine is running, even at idle. Does this mean the needle stays constant when an Alternator replaces the generator?

This is actually starting to make sense. Thank you for taking the time to explain this to my thick head. wink

TT
Keroppi - 1946 Chevy 1/2 Ton Pickup