amp meter

[oldmachdriver]

I have a smith amp meter in my contemp, when im driving the car it stays just under the middle line...if i run lights or the twin fans it dips to the 1/4 mark...is this to low?...im having a hard start and the battery seems to be draining, I just got the car and of course the dealer i got it from says "it was doing fine when i had it" i would like this to be reliable enough to take on long cruises, what should the amp meter be reading under normal driving condidtions...shouldnt it be just to the right of the middle line?....what should i check before i go and get my battery and alt tested?....this almost sounds like the same problem Blynkins had....It doesnt seem to be charging correctly....

[mylesdw]

During normal driving it should be in the middle or very slightly to the positive side.

After starting the car, you should see a fairly large charge into the battery and then this will disappear within a few minutes.

When you switch on something like the fans which draw a bit of current, you should see the needle flick to the negative side and then recover immediatly (as long as the engine is running). It should never show a continual discharge.

It does sound like a problem with the charging system.

[oldmachdriver]

it stays just left of the middle....i was reading another post and someone mentioned underdrive pulleys causing a prob....i do have them...I guess my next move is to have the batery tested and the alt tested. Im hoping it isnt any thing more...im new in this area and i dont know who to bring it to or trust to do a good job...not like this is an everyday car....and what size alt should i be running in this...I swear im not an idiot but im sooo used to having a haynes manual to reference to. these kit cars are so different. i swear my questions will get less stupid as i learn more.....on a plus note, when i drove that car today for the first time more than a block, man what a feeling.