If the ammeter and charging system is functioning correctly the
needle should never go negative, unless the engine is at idle or
off, or the load of the lamps, battery, etc exceeds the output of
the generator. TC's put out 13 amps, TDs have 17 or 19 amps, and
TFs 19 amps.
The needle will always flicker because of the regulator turning
the generators power on and off to maintain a steady voltage.
(It's more complicated than that, but the explanation isn't
needed here.) Also, the fuel pumps switching system turns the
current on and off which will cause a flickering.
If the battery needs charging this flickering will occur at 5 to
10 amps depending on how much charge the battery needs. As the
battery charges, the flicking will decrease to about 1-3 amps to
supply maintainece power to the battery.
Blake
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