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Re: Aftermarket Watertemp gauge

To: Daniel Neuman <dneuman@stars.sfsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Aftermarket Watertemp gauge
From: Mark van der Hoek <captainhoek@postmark.net>
Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 18:50:49 -0600
Daniel Neuman wrote:
> 
>  Jim,
>         Why mmechanical?? I was thinking electric from Auto Meter. Arent
> they supposed to be really good gauges?? Expensive anyways.  I have a
> volt meter. Need it with all the extra stuff I got on the car.
>         Here's a strange thing.. My voltmeter shows the most deflection
> when I turn on the heater fan?? How could this be?? The gauge is telling
> me that the heater fan is drawing more jsuice than the headlights?? That
> just does nto seem right to me.. I have the volt meter hooked to the
> + terminal on the batt and to a more local ground (I think).
> 

That local ground may be the reason.  All grounds are not created equal.  The 
reason is that there are no perfect conductors (Well, not at room temperature 
outside of Utah, anyway.), and connections get grungy.   Best to ground your 
voltmeter right to the main battery ground, and clean up those connections.  
I'd use 18 or 16 ga wire for both leads, not smaller.  (Yes, I know that 22 
gauge will work fine in theory if the voltmeter has a high impedance.  Heavier 
wire is cheap insurance.)

-- 
Mark van der Hoek
Salt Lake City

"Those who survived the San Francisco earthquake said,'Thank God
 I'm still alive.' But, of course, those who 
 died, their lives will never be the same again."

                U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very 
 important part of your life."

                Brooke Shields


Dan Qualye was right.  It IS a terrible thing to lose one's mind!

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