31-07-2022, 03:45 PM
(This post was last modified: 31-07-2022, 03:53 PM by John Cornforth.
Edit Reason: addition
)
Hi Pedigree
The starter motor current is about the only thing that doesn't go through the ammeter, so you would appear to have lost the main supply to the car electrics at or near the ammeter.
My suspicion is that the two ring terminals were for an ammeter of the type that has screw terminals. This may have been replaced by the alternative type that has just one or two turns of insulated wire on the back (The needle responds to the magnetic field of the current in the cable). If my hunch is correct, the two terminals should be joined together. Bit surprised they weren't bolted together and taped rather than just taped. What colour are the wires ?
However, to be on the safe side, I recommend doing some ohmmeter checks with things all switched off and the battery disconnected, to determine for sure where those wires connect. Spare ends weren't a feature of the original wiring !
One last thought which is probably not relevant but I will include just in case. If you don't have a dedicated earth connection from the engine block to the body/chassis, electric current can find its way to or from the engine down the copper oil pressure tube and via the oil gauge to the dash metalwork and thence to the body. However, this would only affect things like lights that earth to the body and not the ignition that earths to the engine block.
The starter motor current is about the only thing that doesn't go through the ammeter, so you would appear to have lost the main supply to the car electrics at or near the ammeter.
My suspicion is that the two ring terminals were for an ammeter of the type that has screw terminals. This may have been replaced by the alternative type that has just one or two turns of insulated wire on the back (The needle responds to the magnetic field of the current in the cable). If my hunch is correct, the two terminals should be joined together. Bit surprised they weren't bolted together and taped rather than just taped. What colour are the wires ?
However, to be on the safe side, I recommend doing some ohmmeter checks with things all switched off and the battery disconnected, to determine for sure where those wires connect. Spare ends weren't a feature of the original wiring !
One last thought which is probably not relevant but I will include just in case. If you don't have a dedicated earth connection from the engine block to the body/chassis, electric current can find its way to or from the engine down the copper oil pressure tube and via the oil gauge to the dash metalwork and thence to the body. However, this would only affect things like lights that earth to the body and not the ignition that earths to the engine block.