[tom61]

Hi All:

I have an old Pearson Triton, relatively new to me, and the wiring is more interesting than I'd expected. Trying to determine why the ammeter was always reading zero, I discovered that it was wired to the starter solenoid, apparently measuring the current to the solenoid so you can see it twitch when I press the starter button. Not sure why that was interesting to someone...

Anyway, in setting out to rewire it, I ran aground on these questions, wonder if anyone can help me:

1. How can I tell the difference between an ammeter that needs a shunt and one that is meant to read direct? I am guessing I have the latter, but pretty sure I can't safely infer anything from its installation, despite how neatly the wires were crimped and wrapped.

2. The engine has a generator and external voltage regulator mounted on the wall of the engine compartment, with a 12v bus next to it. Can I rewire the ammeter within the engine compartment (without having to lead a wire up to the ignition switch) so that it will not create a battery drain when the engine is off?

3. Is there a schematic somewhere of an A4 with a generator? I found a reference to such a thing in an old forum post, but the link was dead. A decent description of the voltage regulator operation would be helpful, too. "ARM"? "FLD"?

4. What *should* the generator terminal voltages be when all is well? I get +14v on one terminal, which seems healthy to me, but what do I know? The other terminal might be 6v and it might be a varying voltage that my primitive tester can't grok. Or it might just be enough paint and crud on the terminal that I wasn't getting a good reading.

Thanks all!