If your alternator goes out your gas gauge does not instantly shut off, however it does become the equivalent of a voltage gauge and can be used to determine how close you are to a dead battery. If your alternator is no longer charging as your battery goes below the threshold to overcome the voltage drop of the rest of the car your gas gauge will plummet to empty. It's a good trick if all you have is an idiot light and your alt goes out on the road. Back to my issues. Baddad I tried what you suggested and their is a magnetic pickup at the back of the alternator. So uh any more suggestions? I have double and triple checked my wiring. It's pretty hard to screw up 3 wires.
Through the case to the block. Good point though, I'll try running a wire from the alt to the firewall too. I get continuity from the alt case to various random bolts and at my battery ground, but that doesn't mean its a good ground. I've got a major migraine building up over this. I was replacing the headlight switch because it definitely needs it anyway and this was a good enough excuse to do it, and found out the PO put freaking super glue on all sorts of stuff to hold it on... Had to get out the dremel and cut apart some of interior, makes me want to strangle someone. Added the ground wire didn't fix it. Replaced the headlight switch finally, the old one fell apart completely and was totally corroded. Didn't fix it (was really hoping but no go). Totally flumoxed. I did notice there is a 2.9mA current draw when the car is off though. Guess I'll have to figure out that before I can figure out anything else.
My gas gauge doesn't work, but my alternator does Try running a ground wire directly from the alternator to the battery. That's how I have mine set up. I had to do the same thing on my 95 F150 due to the stock ground wire failing.
Well I replaced the stock battery wiring when I first got this car, learned my lesson on the first comet. I'm now running a 8awg (biggest wire I could find lying around, if it works I'm putting in 6's next week) wire from the alt to the firewall at the same place I'm running a ground from the battery to the firewall. I fixed the current draw by taking the key out of the ignition been a long day. Just swapped out my voltage regulator with a known good one from the 3g in my bronco. Heres hoping once I put the alt in again it works. Looking more and more like I'm working a short day tomorrow. About an hour of daylight left... Fingers crossed!
Not really, and all my wires are dressed up in loom anyway. I went all over the dang engine bay with a circuit tester stuck some wires with hat pins couldn't find anything wrong there. However I did find some horrid wiring in the trunk. Anyone have pictures of how the taillights are supposed to be wired? Someone "fixed" mine at some point. I'm in the trace every wire in the car stage atm. Ok- update, I have gone through the ENTIRE car fixing and repairing or removing the wiring. I removed the entire stereo system that the PO hacked in with electrical tape and 22 AWG wires... not even speaker cable ugg, and every wire was just twisted and taped I swear when I get this car working again I'm driving up to Lacey, WA and egging his house. Anyway, GD thing still doesn't work. I have a 560 ohm resistor I want to bypass the idiot light, how EXACTLY does that wire in? I just want to test because I think the issue is NOT alternator related, or any wiring in the engine bay. Just in case anyone searches and reads this thread later. My ignition switch went bad resulting in a loss of B+ battery power after the engine was started. So when the linear rod tripped the final switch to engage the starter when it traveled back to the run position there was bad contact and no power to anything except the ignition circuit.
