Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Voltmètre or Ampmeter?

Hi all,
On my dashboard l have an indicator posted as a Volt meter round shaped, last on the right side.
On the wiring diagram for 1981 4/4 it is suposed to be an Ammeter.... Needle on 14 (+++) nearly all the time. is this a real Voltmeter, and wiring diagram wrong, or an Ammeter indicating the charging status poetically posted as Voltmeter by the factory?
Has anybody got a wiring diag with a Voltmeter?

An ammeter should have brown and brown/white wires going to it and be between your alternator and solenoid.... It should also read both ways from the centre + and -

A voltmeter goes from something to earth, reads one way, and 14 ish volts would be good high charging volts for your battery

Try turning your ignition on... If the meter comes up to 12/13 without the engine running it's a voltmeter (and may rise to 14+with the engine running)

An ammeter will sit (pretty much) with the ignition turned on.... Go negative if you put the headlights on.... Go really negative when you hit the starter... And come back up when it's running (pretty much to the middle if your batteries good or into the plus if it's putting back what you just took out)


K

PS... welcome Toucan... I also have a crossflow engined car.... Gradually being reduced to a chassis before coming back better than ever hopefully

Yes it is thought for normal use the voltmeter confirms that the electics are working.

A true ammeter in the circuit is a possible failure point in the electrical system and with modern alternator equiped cars since the late 1970's there is no advantage to be gained by having an ammeter.

Only a place for things to go wrong.

As has been said it will be a Voltmeter, Ammeters went out with dynamo's if I recall correctly, think sixties.
Never forget however that it is a Morgan and many owners like adding modifications including to electrics.
A simple definition of the Ammeter is that it has to be in series with the battery whereas the Voltmeter is in parallel with the battery and that can be easily traced. Your reading of 14 does sound very much like the charging voltage to me this is a little high but these instruments are fairly agricultural tbh.

Here is a diagram with Voltmeter courtesy of Lorne.

My '75 has an alternator and an ammeter in the 'multi' instrument big dial.... As you say, ammeters are more of a dynamo thing so that is probably a transition thing.... With the voltmeter taking over by the time Toucan's '81 came along.... You can't rush these thing you know! :-)
K

You are right it is a Morgan after all.
I guess as you say yours is a transition set up.

The Gomog website will have wiring diagrams

The 'transition' was probably as long as it took them to run out of the big box of dynamo 'multi dials' they had out back. :-)

K

Ammeters were still use with alternators. +/- 30 for dynamos and +/- 50 for alternators.