Switched ignition source for gauge question

I use a replacement ignition switch with an ACC position. I found that by just wiring my temp gauge to a regular hot lead, it took a month or so for the battery to drain to where the car wouldn't start.

It's hard to change just one thing.

Steve
 
Even using the ACC switch, unless you change the wiring so that the coil is not switched, it won't work properly. You need a clean power source going to the hot side of the switch. Check out the wiring diagrams for the various "electronic" ignitions and wire it up that way, whether or not you have that type of system.

Another way is to just run a separate switched power source to the gauge. You just have to remember to turn it off when you turn the engine off. This is what I did until I got around to changing the other stuff around.
 
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CarlG said:
Even using the ACC switch, unless you change the wiring so that the coil is not switched, it won't work properly. You need a clean power source going to the hot side of the switch. Check out the wiring diagrams for the various "electronic" ignitions and wire it up that way, whether or not you have that type of system.
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Carl,

Can you explain this more? The coil is not switched with standard wiring; it's always hot. But even so, why does that matter? I'm running the Pertronix electronic ignition.

THanks!

Steve
Click to expand...
 
If you are running the Pertronix system, then pulling power off your ignition switch should be OK. You've already made the changes necessary. It's just if your car is wired (as original) to use the Pop-out switch, something's gotta change to make it work correctly.
 
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If you run power from the ammeter directly to the switch and then to the hot side of the coil, you can connect the armored cable to the red wire from the distributor side of the coil with a short 6/32 bolt and nut. This puts the switch on the coil input, and other accessories can be connected to the output of the switch. Be careful that you do not short the armored sheath of the cable to the distributor wire. Use washers or an extra nut between the red and armored terminals.
 
I have seen this question asked several times, and a way came to me for an original car (original popout and wiring) -----on the generator side of the cutout there should be no power with the engine not running----run a wire from there to one side of a 6v reley coil,other side of coil to ground, this way when the generator is making power with the engine running the reley contacts will close ---the only thing that I can think of is at idle when the cutout opens it is possible for the reley to loose enough volts to open b ut I think the volts to close the reley are more than keeping it closed and the generator is still making voltage (4 -5 volts)probably enough to keep it closed, it might take experimenting with several releys -ot the spring tension of the reley contacts----when the engine is off there should be no volts and reley opens turning off gauges ----it could be possible to use the gen side of cutout directly but the voltage will change too much for gauges to be reliable
 
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