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Good Morning,
I have 53 5 window 3100 converted to a 12 volts system. Yesterday as I was re-installing the key assembly there was a rather large spark when I tried to put a wrench on the nut. Everything worked before the spark, Head lights, turn signals etc, now nothing works. I've checked the wiring and fuses it all looks good, what did I do and where should I look next?

Thanks

Charlie

There may be a fuse link in the wiring somewhere.Have you tested the battery with a meter?

Thanks for the input, Yes I did check the battery, not sure what you mean by a fuse link, all the fuses I could find are fine.

Does the starter turn? That would be a good place to start. Assuming the starter turns then you need to see if there is voltage at the ammeter. One side is connected to the battery and the other side is connected to the load supply and the regulator. Oh, it might be helpful to know if the horn works.

Yes the starter does turn, Havent checked anything else. Could it be the iginition switch.

Ok no voltage at the ammeter, as for the horn, it hasn't worked since day one.

probably The Ign switch, jump the hot to each term on switch to see if everything works (bypass switch in other words). If that does not get it then follow a circuit (headlights?) backwards to the headlight switch then to batt if necessary to see where the "open" is. Did we forget rule 1? Disconnect battery when working on electrical? Shame shame.

Thanks for the tip, as for rule 1, a hard lesson has been learned!!! LOL

If you don't have voltage at the ammeter, you will not have any at the headlight switch. I am assuming that you checked both sides of the ammeter? In that case, there is something wrong with the wire that comes up from the starter and is routed to the ammeter.

Charlie,Some aftermarket 12v kits have a 'fusible link', basically a sacrificial wire that burns out first to save the rest of the system.
Did you smell any burning after the initial sparking?
The link is usually found connected to the starter.
Might be worth having a look.....

By the way, throw out the ammeter. they are a bad idea, unnecessary and a PITA. Get a voltmeter if you like to watch electricity flow, they are wired parallel as opposed to ammeter wired in series. They are safer, need no current and tell you if the battery is charging which is what you want to know. Install after you figure out what's wrong. Take the ammeter out (bypass) while doing this trouble shooting. You can unwire it and leave it in the dash if you want the look. They are a dangerous fire starter.

Find the wire that supplies current to the ammeter from the battery cable connection at the starter. There should be a short section of fuse wire (fusible link) built into the connection. It's there to prevent damage to the rest of the wire harness when a dead short happens, such as the one you created by shorting out the wrench to ground. The simple way to find a burned fuse link is to pull on the wire near the starter terminal- - - -the insulation will stretch, indicating a burned wire inside. Replace the fuse link, and solder it into place. DO NOT use a crimp connector; it will create resistance and heat, and melt the link at the connection.

Forget the BS advice about bypassing the ammeter. Untold millions of vehicles have run their entire service life with functional ammeters, without burning themselves down or causing any problems at all. To have a completely adequate monitor of charging system performance, it would be necessary to have a voltmeter, an ammeter, and some sort of device to monitor the specific gravity of the battery acid, plus enough knowledge to interpret the results correctly.
Jerry

Here is just a sample of some more "BS" advice. This one is from Auto Meter, one of the largest gauge and instrument companies out there. They sell both amp and volt meters. I can provide many more. You can decide where the BS is coming from for yourself. Seen any ammeters on any vehicles in the last many years? They have been just about GONE since the early 70's. Some people's "knowledge" never advances past the 50's. We give our advice on here to help and is not to be labeled BS.
http://www.egauges.com/ATM_Tips.asp?TipPage=voltmeterammeter.htm

Unfortunately most 12v kits were Bubba and a six pack. I assume you found the two fuses under the hood on the firewall..

The ammeter was well suited to the generator systems with an output current that didn't come anywhere near the modern alternator.

You need to find where the supply has failed and work from there.