so my tach is being rediculous.. first let me give you a brief background. i went to work .. worked all day and went to leave for home.. when you turn the key on it (the tach) shows voltage because its a 79.. all good.. then i start it and the gen light and add coolant light stay on. i was like hmmm.. so i look under the hood and my alt belt is loose.. so i tighten her up... and now the tach shows double my RPM.. and the 2 lights are still on.. but every now and then it goes normal for a split second.. and whats weirder is when i turn on my turn signal the tach bounces with the pulse of the turn signal.. this is driving me nuts.. any ideas.. i went through all the wires with my volt meter.. and they all look ok except the negative wires from my ignitors are only showing 8 to 8.5 volts.. is that normal when the engine is running? what should i look for.. i need help badly..

thanks in advance
Mike

 

it almost sounds like a loose ground wire ... that something that would cause all those things to go off ... something is touching something else and making it ground not the normal way ... i'm not sure wich wire would cause that ... but i'm 90% sure thats what it would be

 

hmmmm.... so i should check all of those? what should i do... just pull them off one at a time until i find the culprit...?

 

i thought maybe my alternator was going out again.. if it does i am so changing some **** up ... like maybe that relocation bracket..

 

where is jeff20b.. he is an electrical genius..

 

This sounds like an alternator problem. Check all connections on the alt and voltage regulator (I think 79 had an external reg).
Ignitors on a 79? Has it been swapped to an electronic unit?

 

Make sure that your battery cables are clean and secure. If the negative connection is corroded or loose, it may cause these symptoms.

 

yes i switched it to electronic ignition.. i had to for the second gen direct fire.. where is the external regulator located.. and ken i will check the negative cable later tonight.. thanks for everyone's help.

 

yep it was the negative cable on the battery.. i had switched batteries and the new one had a smaller negative post.. isnt that retarded?

 

Hit it out of the ballpark on the first swing! I'll send you the bill.