The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Who uses their truck as a truck?

When the battery reaches its full charge, the current flowing into it drops to essentially zero. The ammeter therefore reads zero amps even though the generator is still producing electricity offsetting any draws on the battery, lights, coil, etc.

In short, a zero reading tells you the battery is fully charged and that the generator is successfully meeting the truck’s electrical demand.

When you first engage the starter, the battery supplies a noticeable surge of current to the engine. During this brief period you should see the ammeter swing negative, then upon starting, it should swing to the positive side indicating that the generator is beginning to replenish the charge the starter just drew.

A more reliable way of testing your charging system when it’s running, is to use a multimeter on volts. It should show about 6.5-7.5 volts on a six volt system (13-14.5 volts on 12 volt system) if it’s charging properly.