How does the voltmeter work in an SA? I have seen pics of the dash but havent seen its own seperate needle. Do you have to push a button or something to see what voltage it is? I know its dumb but how else am I gonna find out?

 

It works while the ignition is on, but the car isn't running. Theoretically, the alternator should be putting out 13.8V, so it's not necessary to have something measuring volts while the car is running. The Voltmeter inside the tach is fairly accurate, but it's about .5 to 1.0 +/- off either way.

 

Yes the alternator SHOULD be putting out ~14V but I know mine isnt doing that. 13 is average and after driving for more than an hour it gets up to 14. Just lets me know that my alternator will die soon and that I need to get off my butt and get that 2nd gen one out of the J-yard. Thanks for the explanation. Anyone else have any weird questions they want to ask? Might as well make a real thread out of this lol.

 

That's funny how we have similar setups and also are working on similar things. I too need to find a 2nd gen alt to replace my original one, as the fuel pump, stereo, etc., seem to draw more amps than the stock alt can produce.

 

lol yeah. Pretty soon my stereo will be considerably larger than it is now. My water pump is leaking. Would it be ok to just replace the gasket or should I go ahead and replace the pump? I may end up replacing the pump anyways. Would it just be easier to pull the engine out to do it?