FJ60 volt meter question

[BritKLR]

So, I began noticing this earlier this year. Start the 60 and the in dash/original volt meter shows like 11 volts and after maybe 20 minutes it'll get to just below the 12 volt but never seems to jump to the 14 volt level like it use to to charge the batteries and then settle down to around 12 volts.

The 60 does run dual batteries and a dual battery charging system. I don't drive it a lot so it sits on a NoCo dual battery charging system...unless I forget...but otherwise it seems like a healthy system.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[Capriblue45]

Paul I have noticed similar gauge readouts on my 60 as well. I have checked the gauge against a real meter at the alternator and the battery on several occasions and always read significantly higher than the dash. Not sure if it is just aging wiring and connectors causing drop to the dash or what. Check it at the battery and alt when it is idling and see what you get.

 

[jps8460]

How does it compare to a measurement with a volt meter?

This sounds silly but does it change with a couple of wraps on the dash or a couple of aggressive finger taps?

Does it suddenly pop up to 12-14v after a good 1500-2k rpm rev?

 

[RDub]

@Cruisertrash has done a lot of deep diving into the 60 voltmeter and wiring. Perhaps he can help? My 60 did the same thing, and I maybe recall careful cleaning of the cluster connectors helped. Do any of the other gauges act oddly?

 

[BritKLR]

@Cruisertrash has done a lot of deep diving into the 60 voltmeter and wiring. Perhaps he can help? My 60 did the same thing, and I maybe recall careful cleaning of the cluster connectors helped. Do any of the other gauges act oddly?

Thanks.

No, all seems to work ok.

 

[BritKLR]

Paul I have noticed similar gauge readouts on my 60 as well. I have checked the gauge against a real meter at the alternator and the battery on several occasions and always read significantly higher than the dash. Not sure if it is just aging wiring and connectors causing drop to the dash or what. Check it at the battery and alt when it is idling and see what you get.

Thanks!

Yeah, I should have mentioned the voltmeter at the battery reads the correct charge.

 

[BritKLR]

How does it compare to a measurement with a volt meter?

This sounds silly but does it change with a couple of wraps on the dash or a couple of aggressive finger taps?

Does it suddenly pop up to 12-14v after a good 1500-2k rpm rev?

Love it...never thought of smacking it like an old b/w TV!

 

[Cruisertrash]

Mine has recently been doing something similar. Some days it sits on the 12 line in the middle, other days it's a regular and healthy amount above it. Meanwhile my real voltmeter tapped off the battery + terminal shows 14.4V on both occasions. I also run a dual battery system with a Blue Sea ML-ACR and an FJ80 (80A) alternator. I suspect either the dash voltemeter has an issue (corroded connection or gunk in the clock spring) or ... I'm not sure if the voltage regulator sends a separate voltage signal via the sense wire to the dash and perhaps the voltage regulator is messed up. The alternator was rebuilt at D&D earlier this year. I honestly haven't dug into how all that works.

 

[jps8460]

Love it...never thought of smacking it like an old b/w TV!

Haha. If it jumps after a rev, that’s likely and Alt issue. If it fluctuates with a thump, likely a gauge issue. My 60 gauges would creep around a bit.

Some “DeOxit” and a few Qtips on the ribbon connections did wonders.

 

[BritKLR]

Haha. If it jumps after a rev, that’s likely and Alt issue. If it fluctuates with a thump, likely a gauge issue. My 60 gauges would creep around a bit.

Some “DeOxit” and a few Qtips on the ribbon connections did wonders.

Thanks!

I checked it the batteries with a volt meter and got 14.6 on the starter battery and 14.5 on the Accs. battery and the volt meter still just showed under 12 so, I suspect a sticky needle or worn out gauge. I'll likely add a digital volt meter since I have one just be able to monitor the volts.

Thanks all!

 

[Corbet]

My immediate thought was to check for a clean connection at the instrument cluster. Much like a dirty battery terminal will prevent starting on occasion.