Amp meter

[GAEAGLE]

Anyone know the best place to connect an amp meter and what size wire to use?

[BenM]

It has to go between the stud on the battery side of the starting solenoid and the several normal wires attached there. That's the distribution point.

Factory setups used a shunt, a small piece of calibrated resistance wire, at the connection point and just ran two feed wires into the cabin. If you have an aftermarket then make sure it can handle all the current you use and use at least 8-gauge wire, the bigger the better.

Most manufacturers went to volt meters eventually as demands increased and even the shunt provided too little current capacity.

[GAEAGLE]

Thanks, every car and elect. system is different and was not sure about AMC .

[ammachine390]

According to 81 TSM, even the ammeters used in the Spirit Gauge packages, were just voltmeters with a revised scale.

[mudkicker715]

 On my boat I put it between the alt and solenoid. Inboard motor 90 amp.

[carnuck]

Ammeters tend to corrode the anode terminal then they heat up and cause fires (not instantly, but most FSJs have melted the terminals off theirs, or they are about to!)