amp meter/volt meter delema

[Jason Mills]

I have been toying with the idea of switching the truck's electrical system to a amp meter.. for the added safety factor, and peace of mind that comes with it... yet I would also like to keep the original gage... anyone ever been down this path before?

Could I put a volt meter's internals in to the original gage? Yes there would be no numbers to judge battery voltage, yet careful observation would tell the normal range..

[greg rider]

I have been toying with the idea of switching the truck's electrical system to a amp meter.. for the added safety factor, and peace of mind that comes with it... yet I would also like to keep the original gage... anyone ever been down this path before?

Could I put a volt meter's internals in to the original gage? Yes there would be no numbers to judge battery voltage, yet careful observation would tell the normal range..

I would not switch to an amp meter. An amp gauge shows if the battery is charging or discharging. It shows this as a rate or "amps". A volt meter is a better indicator of system working. I drove my car for 45 minutes when the alternator went out. The volt meter gave me an idea how much battery was left to drive on. An amp gauge would have stayed in the same spot till the battery died then would have read "0" as nothing was going in or out of the battery. Volt meter is always better. When the car got down to about 8 volts it started acting up as the fuel pump and injectors don't like low voltage.