Replaced Ameter with Voltmeter

[bloxman]

Afternoon Everyone

Here is the Situation;

Based on the concensus from this thread

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23030

where everyone was such a great help , I aquired a 1978 Voltmeter / Fuel Guage from Alissa.

I actually aquired all three guages.

So the clock works keeps good time too! Thanks Alissa!

The voltmeter works

I wired in the charge light to for my alternater up grade

see this link re charge light

see;

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22972&highlight=Zx+Alternator+Swap

I then had to take down the fuel tank to get the sender working again so the fuel guage would work.

When I wired every thing up as per those discussions

Big problem the car won't start!

The only thing I can think of is :

Maybe the two wires (white with a red strip) and (white ) , that used to supply the Ameter needed to have been attached to one another . perhaps current flowed through them to part of the ignition circuit. were they conected some how in the Amps / Fuel guage even though I didn't have a shunt?

They car always started with one bounce of the key previously.

Thoughts?

[Mr Camouflage]

Yes something has to be reconnected. If you remove the amp meter the car wont start. You have effectively open circuited part of the electric system.

I dont know for sure what wires need to be conected together, but its been discussed here before, so a forum search sould get you the answers you need.

[Mr Camouflage]

I did a search and didnt come up with much apart from this which sounds like the problem you are having.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21507

but no soultion there unfortunately.

But reading that and looking at a photo of the back of my amp gauge, I believe that either the white wire, or the red/white wire provide power to the fuse box, and everything else in the cabin.

So connecting the the Red/white and white wires together should reconnect the circuit that would have otherwise existed inside the amp gauge.

They're the really thick wires, right?

[RogerZ]

You need to understand that current flows through an ammeter so by disconnecting those two wires you stopped whatever/whereever that current would normally go. The voltmeter senses volts so very little current flows through it and it is the only place that circuit goes and therefore does not affect anything whether connected or not. Hang onto the ammeter tho they sometimes come in handy when trying to figure out why your battery runs down so fast when parked.

[bloxman]

I joined the White and White with red stripe that used to be connected to the Ameter portion of the Ameter / Fuel Guage.

So no Joy there , though I didn't think there would be , as per our previous discussions my car has no Shunt, so the wires and plastic conecters associated with them are not connectted to anything.

I am going to remove a sparkplug and see if I get a spark to jump to ground.

I definately have power between the Balast resister (12V) and ground when key is in run position.

I haven't figured away to connect the multi meter is such a way as I can see it and not be holding the probes when turning the key to the start position.

Anyway, gotta halloween party gotta go try my costume.

Bloxman

[bloxman]

O.K. bedokeys

So I tried on my Halloween costume.:disappoin

That didn't work out , decided to go as a hockey player instead.

But chickening out gave me some more time to work on the car.

I got her to start after going back to basics:

Took out all the plugs , cleaned them, broke # 5 , put them all back in accept # 1 position and she fired right up even with a 1/2 plug in # 1 position. Whew!!

I have a Zx distributer to put in , and I didn't want to proceed further until I had the car running.....to many possibilities as to why it wouldn't start.

Thanks to Mr. Camoflage & RogerZ who offered advice and recomendations

Blox