My amp meter has always bounced around a bit when I first start up. Now it goes wildly from all the way + to all the way _. When I gun it it goes off the scale to the + side. What do I check?

As an aside. I bought my 1969 fj40 new in Boulder Colorado. Just kept it around untill I retired, then revived it. I just moved to Myrtle Beach after 30 years in the Colorado mountains. I brought the cruiser east on a trailer, and that is the fastest it has moved in years

Many thanks. jim

 

first check your battery cables to see if their tight on the batteryand check the neg cable at the frame and battery for corrosion.
second check the voltage regulator for corrosion and ground problems.
if this doesn't fix it i would replace the voltage regulator.

i hope this helps

wayne
up and over innovations

 

Thanks, there was quite a bit of obvious corrusion. Just to be safe I did replace the voltage regularor. Works fine now!!! jim

 

You already know this now, but the regulator was the culprit. When working correctly, there should be very little fluxuation of the ammeter off zero. Zero basically indicates a system in equilibrium ie amps going out (load) is equal to amps going in (charge). Initially after startup, the ammeter should read slightly positive, same when you give it gas abruptly. When you start a large load (rear window defrosters are notorious for this) the ammeter should dip slightly negative but only briefly then it should go back to zero. If it stays below zero for very long or always, your alternator is either: 1.) toast and needing replacement, or 2.) too small a capacity for all the aftermarket goodies you may have added. If it reads all over the place (as you describe) the regulator isn't working properly and allowing the alternator to over or undercharge the system. This all requires that there are good, clean connections. As we all know, a bad onnection can ruin a whole day.