[DeTomaso] Electrical questions--HELP!

[Christopher Kimball]

Thanks for the tip--Donny from the forum mentioned this, too, but after 10 
minutes of running the engine with the ammeter pegged to the right, it 
started smoking so I turned off the car immediately!  Both fans were working 
by now, but the temp gauge still read cold, so I have a sneaking suspicion 
it isn't working either...

I cleaned and tightened both the terminals on the ammeter (the positive one 
was slightly melted and rusty--it appeared this wasn't the first time there 
had been an electrical problem).  When I restarted the car the ammeter still 
pegged, so I just turned the car off.  I also noticed some coolant dripping 
out of the top of the pressure tank (not the overflow one) so I think I need 
a new top that can hold pressure.

I think I'm going to wait until my mechanic is free to look at it, although 
at this point I'm getting so frustrated I'm ready to have it towed somewhere 
to be worked on by someone familiar with the electrics on these things!

Chris


>From: "Mark McWhinney" <msm at portata.com>
>To: "'Christopher Kimball'" <chrisvkimball at msn.com>,<detomaso at realbig.com>
>Subject: RE: [DeTomaso] Electrical questions--HELP!
>Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2007 15:41:46 -0700
>
>If you have been working on the car for a while (i.e. the door lights have
>been on for a while) the battery may be drained down a ways which would
>cause the system to have to charge for a while.
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
>Behalf Of Christopher Kimball
>Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2007 2:45 PM
>To: detomaso at realbig.com
>Subject: [DeTomaso] Electrical questions--HELP!
>
>Well, it happened again.
>
>This afternoon my mechanic was SUPPOSED to come over and finish the work on
>the '72 to get it running and the cam broken in, or seated, or whatever.
>But, for about the fifth time, life intervened, there was a death in his
>wife's family, and he isn't going to make it.
>
>Therefore, I am once again asking for help from the ever-helpful forum
>(maybe I can do this myself and save some money!)  There are two immediate
>things with which I need help:
>
>1) Although the motor needs to be run for 20 minutes to break in the new 
>cam
>
>(that's what I was told, I don't exactly know how that works), I have run
>the car for 30 seconds or so, just to make sure it runs, and the first
>problem is that the tachometer doesn't work.  I received a new, single-wire
>alternator from Pantera Performance, and I apparently have a ready-to-run
>distributor, so I was told I just need to hook up one wire for the tach to
>work.  My first question is which wire and where do I hook it?
>
>2) The other problem is that when the car is running, the ammeter pegs to
>the right all the way.  Although I'm completely pathetic as a mechanic, I 
>do
>
>know that although it's good that the alternator is providing power, the
>needle is supposed to sit about in the middle of the gauge, not all the way
>to the right.  What do I need to do to correct this problem?
>
>There is one more question I have as well.  I installed a Dakota Digital 
>fan
>
>relay system and set the fans to turn on at 150 and 175 degrees,
>respectively.  I ran the wire to the new sensor I bought and installed in
>the engine block by the water pump.  How long will the engine run before 
>the
>
>fans should kick in?  I was thinking if I could fix the first two problems 
>I
>
>might try running the car for 20 minutes at 2000 RPMs to break in the cam,
>but if for some reason the fans don't work, I need to know how long before 
>I
>
>should shut off the engine to avoid damage.  With everything being new,
>there is a very pronounced "hot" smell if I run it for even a minute or 
>two.
>
>   (I have put all new coolant in).
>
>I know this is asking a lot, but if anyone can help me with any of these
>questions, I'd really appreciate it.  I REALLY WANT TO DRIVE MY PANTERA!!
>(It's actually starting to get sunny here in the Evergreen State and 
>believe
>
>me, that doesn't last for long).
>
>Thanks,
>
>Chris
>
>
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