Reply To: Dynamo not charging battery. 1955 11BL
Chris
Hi Ian
It sounds like you have a break in the wiring somewhere. It’s ok to drive without the ammeter in the circuit – but whether it is safe really depends on the nature of the break. If, for example, a live wire has fallen off something and is flapping around loose, that would not be safe. If it’s a break inside the insulation then it’s ok. So I think you are right to want to investigate further.
It doesn’t sound like a problem with the ammeter or its connections if it can show a discharge. It must be something in the charging side. The replacement regulator may have the same problem as the original one.
Checking continuity will be more effective if you can get to the ammeter as it all joins wires together. It will be easier to find a broken wire if you disconnect the wires from the ammeter to buzz them out.
I don’t have one of these newfangled modern big boot cars with the two-tone dashboard. Taking the speedo out of the earlier cars is quite straightforward but your car hides the speedo behind the windscreen surround.
What follows is my guess as to how to get to the speedo from looking at the part manual which shows the surround to be in 2 parts. I guess you need to remove the escutcheon covering the windscreen opening mechanism to expose the lower screw and there’s a screw at the top which may or may not be covered. I think there may be some jiggling to release a clip on the side. That should allow the surround to be moved forward for you to get behind it. The speedo is held on the surround by a screw on each side.
Before you do any of this, of course disconnect the battery. I hope this helps.
Let us know how it really comes apart and what you find.
Chris