RootesRooter
Donation Time
Do you have the solenoid with a starter button?
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No power to switch
- Thread starter M430
- Start date
Ken,
I rewired two E Type Jags and snipped old wiring leaving a section of the wire with the spade still attached.
I have been buying my parts from Classic. Will get a manual from them.
When I bought the car it was running fine. About three days ago I was on my way to a trim shop, but the car would not start. No power any where. No clicking, no lights, nothing. I started at the battery. If you follow the thread you will see where I am now.
Tom,
The ammeter has four spades, two large, one N from the solenoid, one NW from the meter to the alternator. The two smaller spades have no wiring, and one slot for the light which was connected. The wiring diagram which includes an ammeter identifies four wires connected to it. battery, fuse, alternator and relay.
I have no power at the solenoid spade connected to the RW wire, even with the switch in "start" position.
The wire from the solenoid to fuse @1 is N. and has no power. Should be hot at all times.
Four spades, two large, two small and a light slot.
Ahah, Indeed the ammeter in the WSM dwg shows three connections at one end of the meter and the single connection at the other end. I guess that's how they were if the ammeter was installed at the factory. Most of us do not have those extra terminals on our ammeters. This is why I had to improvise a junction block when I added an ammeter to my Alpine. I had not noticed that before.
You state that on your car there is NOT a wire from the Ammeter to the fuse block, unlike the dwg shows. Instead, on your car there is a wire from the solenoid to the fuse block. That indicates a flaw in the wiring. This is a common error that often occurs when owners have swapped in a newer Alternator. There is a very common dwg for doing alt conversions that has this error. When wired as your car / ammeter is, the ammeter only will show charging current from the alt to the battery, whereas the ammeter, when correctly wired, will show current going OUT of the battery as well as current going in.
Nevertheless, this is not the present problem of no power. You say the N wire from the solenoid to the fuse block is not live. THAT is your whole immediate problem. You say the terminal at the solenoid is live, but the N wire connected to it is not live. Bad connection? Broken wire? fix that and you are good to go.
Once you get that fixed, you might want to pull that wire from the solenoid and instead connect it to the ammeter as is shown in the dwg.
Can you confirm if you have a newer type alternator with a built in regulator and no longer have the 4TR control box and 6RA relay connected
Tom
You state that on your car there is NOT a wire from the Ammeter to the fuse block, unlike the dwg shows. Instead, on your car there is a wire from the solenoid to the fuse block. That indicates a flaw in the wiring. This is a common error that often occurs when owners have swapped in a newer Alternator. There is a very common dwg for doing alt conversions that has this error. When wired as your car / ammeter is, the ammeter only will show charging current from the alt to the battery, whereas the ammeter, when correctly wired, will show current going OUT of the battery as well as current going in.
Nevertheless, this is not the present problem of no power. You say the N wire from the solenoid to the fuse block is not live. THAT is your whole immediate problem. You say the terminal at the solenoid is live, but the N wire connected to it is not live. Bad connection? Broken wire? fix that and you are good to go.
Once you get that fixed, you might want to pull that wire from the solenoid and instead connect it to the ammeter as is shown in the dwg.
Can you confirm if you have a newer type alternator with a built in regulator and no longer have the 4TR control box and 6RA relay connected
Tom
To all, Tom, 65 Beam, Ken, Rootes Racer, Rootes Rooter
I have discovered the wiring problem and have started the car. An N wire from fuse #1 was not connected to the solenoid, instead, an N wire from C 1 on the relay was attached to the solenoid. Here is the confusion (at least for me). the wiring diagram that has no ammeter shows the N wire from C 1 on the relay connecting to the solenoid. The wiring diagram known as 28A which I think Ken referred me to earlier shows the N wire from C 1 of the relay connecting to the A post of the ammeter. While my car has an ammeter there is no N wire connected to it from the relay. It is possible that I may have accidently disconnected the N wire from fuse #1 to the solenoid while doing some cleaning a few days ago and mistakenly replace the unattached wire from C 1 to the solenoid. therefore, I have an unattached wire from C 1 now going nowhere as all six contacts on the solenoid are taken. I am not sure if I should leave the wiring as it was when I bought it or rewire it in accordance to diagram 28A? Comments?
I have discovered the wiring problem and have started the car. An N wire from fuse #1 was not connected to the solenoid, instead, an N wire from C 1 on the relay was attached to the solenoid. Here is the confusion (at least for me). the wiring diagram that has no ammeter shows the N wire from C 1 on the relay connecting to the solenoid. The wiring diagram known as 28A which I think Ken referred me to earlier shows the N wire from C 1 of the relay connecting to the A post of the ammeter. While my car has an ammeter there is no N wire connected to it from the relay. It is possible that I may have accidently disconnected the N wire from fuse #1 to the solenoid while doing some cleaning a few days ago and mistakenly replace the unattached wire from C 1 to the solenoid. therefore, I have an unattached wire from C 1 now going nowhere as all six contacts on the solenoid are taken. I am not sure if I should leave the wiring as it was when I bought it or rewire it in accordance to diagram 28A? Comments?
I strongly recommend that you re-do the wiring to match the drawing 20a on pg 26 of the WSM. As I understand how you have it wired now your ammeter will never show negative, i.e. it will not show the indication that your charging system is not working and your battery is draining while running down the highway. Your post says that the N wire from C1 does not now go anywhere. I think that will keep your charging system from working and your battery will be draining with no indication on your ammeter.
I will re-read your post to better understand exactly what you describe.
Tom
P.S. Congrats on getting it started!
I will re-read your post to better understand exactly what you describe.
Tom
P.S. Congrats on getting it started!
65beam
Donation Time
power
Glad to hear it runs. FYI, Tiger Tom Erhart wired my amp guage on the series 4. It has a new series 5 wiring harness and is wired as the series 5 was originally using the same alternator and external regulator. He runs the heavy brown wire from the alternator to the amp guage and then back to the solenoid. This directly shows what the charging system is doing instead of monitoring what is going thru the battery. There is a brown wire coming off the same battery side of the solenoid that goes to the #1 terminal of the fuse block, then a brown wire off the same fuse block terminal to the #1 terminal of the ignition switch.
Glad to hear it runs. FYI, Tiger Tom Erhart wired my amp guage on the series 4. It has a new series 5 wiring harness and is wired as the series 5 was originally using the same alternator and external regulator. He runs the heavy brown wire from the alternator to the amp guage and then back to the solenoid. This directly shows what the charging system is doing instead of monitoring what is going thru the battery. There is a brown wire coming off the same battery side of the solenoid that goes to the #1 terminal of the fuse block, then a brown wire off the same fuse block terminal to the #1 terminal of the ignition switch.
I agree with rewiring as 20A illustrates. My wiring is original and very worn, discolored and even frayed in a few places with electrical tape holding it together. I am ordering a new harness and will start that project when it arrives. In the meanwhile, I will run a new N wire from C 1 to the ammeter in accordance with 20A
65Beam,
When you say" He runs the heavy brown wire from the alternator to the amp guage and then back to the solenoid" I assume you mean a wire goes from the other end of the ammeter to the solenoid. That's good.
But if you then connect the fuse block to the solenoid, that is not good.
An ammeter has plus and minus direction on its dial. It is intended to show current going into and out of the battery. It is intended to show Charge and Discharge of the battery. As you describe, it will show only Charge. It will not show Discharge, because the current to the fuse block will not pass thru the ammeter. The Discharge indication is actually the more important indication as it tells you something is wrong. Wired as you describe, the alternator could be kaput and the battery running down until your motor quits. And all the while, you would be checking the ammeter and the needle would be at zero, as if everything were OK.
To confirm how it is wired, with the engine not running, turn on the headlights. The ammeter needle should go negative. If not , it's wired wrong.
Tom
When you say" He runs the heavy brown wire from the alternator to the amp guage and then back to the solenoid" I assume you mean a wire goes from the other end of the ammeter to the solenoid. That's good.
But if you then connect the fuse block to the solenoid, that is not good.
An ammeter has plus and minus direction on its dial. It is intended to show current going into and out of the battery. It is intended to show Charge and Discharge of the battery. As you describe, it will show only Charge. It will not show Discharge, because the current to the fuse block will not pass thru the ammeter. The Discharge indication is actually the more important indication as it tells you something is wrong. Wired as you describe, the alternator could be kaput and the battery running down until your motor quits. And all the while, you would be checking the ammeter and the needle would be at zero, as if everything were OK.
To confirm how it is wired, with the engine not running, turn on the headlights. The ammeter needle should go negative. If not , it's wired wrong.
Tom
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65beam
Donation Time
power
Tom,
I am using the stock alternator with external regulator on all of our cars but the Harringtons. They have generators. These alternators are 30 amp units. The heavy brown wire coming off the alternator runs to the amp guage and a wire connected to the other terminal goes back to the battery side of the solenoid. There are spade connectors on the battery side of the solenoid that the wire coming off the guage hooks to. This is also the terminal where the positive battery cable hooks to as does the brown wire feeding power to the fuse block. All that has been done is that an amp guage has been put inline on the wire that when hooked up in a stock configuration charges the battery. No different than the test gauges that I have that slip over the wire and measure the current running thru the wire. I probably do lose maybe a small amount of voltage by doing this but since there is nothing but a seldom used radio in the car I have found the 30 amp alternator to work fine with no problems. I do show a discharge when I turn on the lights or hit the brakes when the engine is not running. The series 4 has been set up this way since the early 90's. At that time it still had the original wiring harness except for the alternator wiring. After Doug finished the body restoration and I started the assembly of the car I installed a new stock wire harness. I did the same thing to the series 5 when I assembled it.
Tom,
I am using the stock alternator with external regulator on all of our cars but the Harringtons. They have generators. These alternators are 30 amp units. The heavy brown wire coming off the alternator runs to the amp guage and a wire connected to the other terminal goes back to the battery side of the solenoid. There are spade connectors on the battery side of the solenoid that the wire coming off the guage hooks to. This is also the terminal where the positive battery cable hooks to as does the brown wire feeding power to the fuse block. All that has been done is that an amp guage has been put inline on the wire that when hooked up in a stock configuration charges the battery. No different than the test gauges that I have that slip over the wire and measure the current running thru the wire. I probably do lose maybe a small amount of voltage by doing this but since there is nothing but a seldom used radio in the car I have found the 30 amp alternator to work fine with no problems. I do show a discharge when I turn on the lights or hit the brakes when the engine is not running. The series 4 has been set up this way since the early 90's. At that time it still had the original wiring harness except for the alternator wiring. After Doug finished the body restoration and I started the assembly of the car I installed a new stock wire harness. I did the same thing to the series 5 when I assembled it.
Beam,
I am a degreed electrical engineer with 50 years experience in design of and training on electrical measurements, from nanovolts and picoamps to kilovolts and 100s of amps. If your car was wired with the brown wire to the fusebox connected to the battery side of the solenoid, rather than to the "A" side of the ammeter (as shown on fig 20a of pg 26 in the WSM), the ammeter would not show negative when you turned on the headlights. Since you DO see the ammeter show discharge when lights are turned on and if you DO have a brown wire connected to the battery side of the solenoid, my best guess is that the brown wire you see there actually is the wire to term C1 on the 6RA relay, and that the fuse block wire comes from the "A" side of the ammeter. That current to C1 on the relay is quite minimal and wired that way will not be a significant "error" in the system.
I'm posting this response, not to challenge you, but to prevent others from wiring their ammeters incorrectly. I am 1000% sure that if the brown wire to the fuse block is connected to the battery side of the solenoid rather than the A side of the ammeter, the ammeter will not show any discharge and thus will not fulfill its function, to alert the driver of a discharge situation.
Tom
I am a degreed electrical engineer with 50 years experience in design of and training on electrical measurements, from nanovolts and picoamps to kilovolts and 100s of amps. If your car was wired with the brown wire to the fusebox connected to the battery side of the solenoid, rather than to the "A" side of the ammeter (as shown on fig 20a of pg 26 in the WSM), the ammeter would not show negative when you turned on the headlights. Since you DO see the ammeter show discharge when lights are turned on and if you DO have a brown wire connected to the battery side of the solenoid, my best guess is that the brown wire you see there actually is the wire to term C1 on the 6RA relay, and that the fuse block wire comes from the "A" side of the ammeter. That current to C1 on the relay is quite minimal and wired that way will not be a significant "error" in the system.
I'm posting this response, not to challenge you, but to prevent others from wiring their ammeters incorrectly. I am 1000% sure that if the brown wire to the fuse block is connected to the battery side of the solenoid rather than the A side of the ammeter, the ammeter will not show any discharge and thus will not fulfill its function, to alert the driver of a discharge situation.
Tom
65beam
Donation Time
power
Tom,
I have a brown wire that appears to be #10 that hooks to the back of the alternator and runs thru the fire wall and connects to one terminal of the amp guage. Then I have another brown #10 wire coming off the other terminal and it goes back thru the fire wall and connects to the same terminal of the solenoid that the battery cable hooks to. The amp guage is just installed inline of the wire coming off the alternator. It tells me that the alternator is working and if I see the guage start to show high amounts of amps I could have a problem. This method of monitoring goes along with the phrase "keep it simple". Especially when my concern is to monitor the charging system and not the charge in my battery.
Tom,
I have a brown wire that appears to be #10 that hooks to the back of the alternator and runs thru the fire wall and connects to one terminal of the amp guage. Then I have another brown #10 wire coming off the other terminal and it goes back thru the fire wall and connects to the same terminal of the solenoid that the battery cable hooks to. The amp guage is just installed inline of the wire coming off the alternator. It tells me that the alternator is working and if I see the guage start to show high amounts of amps I could have a problem. This method of monitoring goes along with the phrase "keep it simple". Especially when my concern is to monitor the charging system and not the charge in my battery.
Beam,
Your ammeter is wired the way I am telling everyone to do so.
Replying line by line:
1)"I have a brown wire that appears to be #10 that hooks to the back of the alternator and runs thru the fire wall and connects to one terminal of the amp guage. "
Correct - this is what is shown on dwg 20a
2) "Then I have another brown #10 wire coming off the other terminal and it goes back thru the fire wall and connects to the same terminal of the solenoid that the battery cable hooks to."
Correct - this is also according to dwg 20a
3) The amp guage is just installed inline of the wire coming off the alternator. It tells me that the alternator is working and if I see the guage start to show high amounts of amps I could have a problem.
Also correct.
BUT the key point is that the fuse block must be connected to the "A"side of the ammeter, as shown in fig 20a. This is the same side of the ammeter as the Alt is connected. Clearly this is how your car is wired and it is correctly wired. That's why, when you turned your lights on (with the motor not running) the ammeter showed discharge (needle pointing in neg side), because the current to the lamps came THRU the ammeter, as it should. The neg ammeter indication showing that the battery, and not the alt was supplying the power to the lights and that charging system was not working. (obviously not working when the motor is not running!)
4) "This method of monitoring goes along with the phrase "keep it simple". Especially when my concern is to monitor the charging system and not the charge in my battery. "
Indeed this is simple, and it's the way your ammeter is wired and how ammeters have always been wired. But you seem to be a bit confused about how/what is indicated. When wired correctly, as your is almost surely wired, the ammeter will show the status and condition of both your battery and charging system - very simple.
A) right after starting, the ammeter should show + (charging) this tells you that the charging system is working and is replenishing the power used up during the starting process. At this point the Alternator and charging system also begin supplying all the electrical power needs of the car and the extra power it generates goes into the battery. If the ammeter does not show charging, you have a problem with your charging system.
B) After running a while the ammeter should show less and less charging, as the battery gets charged up and requires less and less power to bring it back to full charge
C) Once the battery gets fully charged by the charging system, the ammeter should read zero and the only power generated by the alt goes to supply the electrical needs of the car
D) If the ammeter goes neg at any point that tells you that the charging system is not working or not working well enough to supply the electrical needs of the car and that at least some of the power needs are being supplied by the battery.
E) You really cannot separate the function of the ammeter regarding what it tells you about the battery or what it tells you about the charging system. The functions are totally intertwined. Properly wired, as is yours, the ammeter sits in the middle between the battery, the Alt/charging system, and the car's electrical systems (ignition, lights, radio, heater, etc). When the ammeter is showing neg, it tells you that the battery is delivering power, meaning the charging system is NOT. When is shows pos, it tells you tells you the charging system is generating enough power to supply the electrical needs of the vehicle and also to charge the battery.
Tom
Your ammeter is wired the way I am telling everyone to do so.
Replying line by line:
1)"I have a brown wire that appears to be #10 that hooks to the back of the alternator and runs thru the fire wall and connects to one terminal of the amp guage. "
Correct - this is what is shown on dwg 20a
2) "Then I have another brown #10 wire coming off the other terminal and it goes back thru the fire wall and connects to the same terminal of the solenoid that the battery cable hooks to."
Correct - this is also according to dwg 20a
3) The amp guage is just installed inline of the wire coming off the alternator. It tells me that the alternator is working and if I see the guage start to show high amounts of amps I could have a problem.
Also correct.
BUT the key point is that the fuse block must be connected to the "A"side of the ammeter, as shown in fig 20a. This is the same side of the ammeter as the Alt is connected. Clearly this is how your car is wired and it is correctly wired. That's why, when you turned your lights on (with the motor not running) the ammeter showed discharge (needle pointing in neg side), because the current to the lamps came THRU the ammeter, as it should. The neg ammeter indication showing that the battery, and not the alt was supplying the power to the lights and that charging system was not working. (obviously not working when the motor is not running!)
4) "This method of monitoring goes along with the phrase "keep it simple". Especially when my concern is to monitor the charging system and not the charge in my battery. "
Indeed this is simple, and it's the way your ammeter is wired and how ammeters have always been wired. But you seem to be a bit confused about how/what is indicated. When wired correctly, as your is almost surely wired, the ammeter will show the status and condition of both your battery and charging system - very simple.
A) right after starting, the ammeter should show + (charging) this tells you that the charging system is working and is replenishing the power used up during the starting process. At this point the Alternator and charging system also begin supplying all the electrical power needs of the car and the extra power it generates goes into the battery. If the ammeter does not show charging, you have a problem with your charging system.
B) After running a while the ammeter should show less and less charging, as the battery gets charged up and requires less and less power to bring it back to full charge
C) Once the battery gets fully charged by the charging system, the ammeter should read zero and the only power generated by the alt goes to supply the electrical needs of the car
D) If the ammeter goes neg at any point that tells you that the charging system is not working or not working well enough to supply the electrical needs of the car and that at least some of the power needs are being supplied by the battery.
E) You really cannot separate the function of the ammeter regarding what it tells you about the battery or what it tells you about the charging system. The functions are totally intertwined. Properly wired, as is yours, the ammeter sits in the middle between the battery, the Alt/charging system, and the car's electrical systems (ignition, lights, radio, heater, etc). When the ammeter is showing neg, it tells you that the battery is delivering power, meaning the charging system is NOT. When is shows pos, it tells you tells you the charging system is generating enough power to supply the electrical needs of the vehicle and also to charge the battery.
Tom
65beam
Donation Time
power
Tom,
It appears that you assumed that because I ran a brown wire off the battery terminal of the solenoid to a fuse box that nothing would function properly on my car and that the amp guage wasn't wired the right way. Sometimes it's good to ask why something was done The new wire harness is not altered in any way. I do have a #10 brown wire connected on this terminal and it does go to a fuse block but not the main block for the car. Those that have seen my cars know that a lot of time and thoughts go into making my cars better than new. That includes relying on info from guys like TT and Doug along with several locals. My cars have subtle improvements to them that very few would even notice. All of my cars except for the red Harrington have more than one fuse block and that is so the cars retain their original look but don't have a problem unless it's something like the failure of a coil wire from a new set of wires with less than 500 miles on them. That happened in Indiana at the last invasion.This photo of the original tach for the RHD LeMans that was converted from cable operated to electronics by Nisonger shows what we're willing to do to make things look correct. You do have a vast knowledge of these systems but don't forget to ask why something was done. You just might have some thoughts that would make it even better. Those suggestions could be a great help to many. Keep up the good work.
Tom,
It appears that you assumed that because I ran a brown wire off the battery terminal of the solenoid to a fuse box that nothing would function properly on my car and that the amp guage wasn't wired the right way. Sometimes it's good to ask why something was done The new wire harness is not altered in any way. I do have a #10 brown wire connected on this terminal and it does go to a fuse block but not the main block for the car. Those that have seen my cars know that a lot of time and thoughts go into making my cars better than new. That includes relying on info from guys like TT and Doug along with several locals. My cars have subtle improvements to them that very few would even notice. All of my cars except for the red Harrington have more than one fuse block and that is so the cars retain their original look but don't have a problem unless it's something like the failure of a coil wire from a new set of wires with less than 500 miles on them. That happened in Indiana at the last invasion.This photo of the original tach for the RHD LeMans that was converted from cable operated to electronics by Nisonger shows what we're willing to do to make things look correct. You do have a vast knowledge of these systems but don't forget to ask why something was done. You just might have some thoughts that would make it even better. Those suggestions could be a great help to many. Keep up the good work.
Attachments
Beam,
My posts were not intended to suggest that you should change your wiring. Obviously you are well pleased with your cars, including their wiring and other features, and including modifications and updates. It's great to enjoy what you have and to share your experiences. We all appreciate that. But I posted my comments for the benefit of others viewing this thread. Note that this thread has, as of now, 685 "views". It is important that anyone viewing these know the original design wiring and reasons they are wired as they are and the ramifications of any deviations from design.
As far as my "assumptions", note that you have referred to the brown wire from the battery side of the solenoid to "THE fuse block". (caps for emphasis mine). It seems a reasonable assumption that you were thus referring to the one, only, and original fuse block, rather than one of several,new, added ones. At least that is what most viewers of this thread would be assuming as well.
Furthermore I never assumed, or said, or implied that "nothing would function properly" on your car. Quite the contrary I noted it was working as you wanted it to. But I did point out that wired the way your is, the ammeter will not operate as the original design intended, nor as most owners expect and understand it to operate, as noted in my description paragraphs A,B,C,D, and E.
It's important for all viewers of this thread to understand that current to any circuits connected to the Battery post side of the solenoid will not be monitored (i.e.measured) by the ammeter, and that only circuits connected to the "A" side of the ammeter will be measured. From your descriptions I can only conclude that some of the circuits, including the headlights, are connected to the "A" side of the ammeter and some are connected to an added fuse block that is connected to the battery post side of the solenoid. I cannot imagine any advantage of wiring the ammeter the way your is. It is not simpler. There are no fewer wires, no fewer connections.
I would be interested to hear any explanation as to the benefit of wiring some or any of the car's circuits to the battery past side of the solenoid where they would not be measured by the ammeter. Re-reading your last post I am guessing that you found a need to add an additional fuse block for some accessory and found it "simpler" to connect it to the easily accessible battery side post, rather than run the wire thru the firewall and under the dash to the ammeter. Now that would make sense. And the fact that that the current to that added fuse block would likely be small compared to the majority of the current thru the ammeter, it would not be a significant compromise to the original design and intent of ammeter. But it does not help someone trying to troubleshoot his starting/wiring issues by describing/ suggesting such an arrangement as a possible solution.
Tom
Tom
My posts were not intended to suggest that you should change your wiring. Obviously you are well pleased with your cars, including their wiring and other features, and including modifications and updates. It's great to enjoy what you have and to share your experiences. We all appreciate that. But I posted my comments for the benefit of others viewing this thread. Note that this thread has, as of now, 685 "views". It is important that anyone viewing these know the original design wiring and reasons they are wired as they are and the ramifications of any deviations from design.
As far as my "assumptions", note that you have referred to the brown wire from the battery side of the solenoid to "THE fuse block". (caps for emphasis mine). It seems a reasonable assumption that you were thus referring to the one, only, and original fuse block, rather than one of several,new, added ones. At least that is what most viewers of this thread would be assuming as well.
Furthermore I never assumed, or said, or implied that "nothing would function properly" on your car. Quite the contrary I noted it was working as you wanted it to. But I did point out that wired the way your is, the ammeter will not operate as the original design intended, nor as most owners expect and understand it to operate, as noted in my description paragraphs A,B,C,D, and E.
It's important for all viewers of this thread to understand that current to any circuits connected to the Battery post side of the solenoid will not be monitored (i.e.measured) by the ammeter, and that only circuits connected to the "A" side of the ammeter will be measured. From your descriptions I can only conclude that some of the circuits, including the headlights, are connected to the "A" side of the ammeter and some are connected to an added fuse block that is connected to the battery post side of the solenoid. I cannot imagine any advantage of wiring the ammeter the way your is. It is not simpler. There are no fewer wires, no fewer connections.
I would be interested to hear any explanation as to the benefit of wiring some or any of the car's circuits to the battery past side of the solenoid where they would not be measured by the ammeter. Re-reading your last post I am guessing that you found a need to add an additional fuse block for some accessory and found it "simpler" to connect it to the easily accessible battery side post, rather than run the wire thru the firewall and under the dash to the ammeter. Now that would make sense. And the fact that that the current to that added fuse block would likely be small compared to the majority of the current thru the ammeter, it would not be a significant compromise to the original design and intent of ammeter. But it does not help someone trying to troubleshoot his starting/wiring issues by describing/ suggesting such an arrangement as a possible solution.
Tom
Tom