In 1976, separate lights for engine temperature and oil pressure were eliminated, and the two different systems were combined using one "ENGINE" warning light. Ford product planners determined that customers buying these cars didn't want to be bothered with watching gauges to monitor critical systems, they would prefer to only have a red warning light come on when there was actually a problem. The Thunderbird and Continental Mark IV for 1972 eliminated all of the gauges except for a fuel gauge. The Mark III suffered with the same issue of needing more sensitive gauges, and while there are some detail differences between the two, the diagnosis and repair instructions are the same for both. While the gauges themselves are internally identical between the two car lines, they differ externally and therefore cannot be interchanged. Since the new Continental Mark III was built using the 4-door Thunderbird platform, it had a similar instrument panel arrangement and included an AMP gauge. Lincolns used AMP gauges in 19, but discontinued them during the 1966 redesign. Owners often didn't realize the problem was as severe as it was until the engine stopped running due to low voltage! (Don't ask how we know this.) Ford AMP Gauge History on the Continental Mark III Needle movement was so small that a disconnected alternator would not cause the gauge to indicate anything was in need of attention. At this point, the cars were a few years old and often in the hands of second owners, who likely didn't realize anything was amiss, or were reluctant to take the car in for repairs. Until, that is, time and use caused resistance to build up to the point where so little power flow was going through the AMP gauge that it virtually stopped working. Most of the time, the needle sat near the center of the gauge, an indication that all was well, and customers seemed to like that. When new, all of the connections were clean and tight and resistance was very low, so some needle movement at the AMP gauge could be seen during periods of heavy charging or discharging, yet minor changes were barely perceptible. This kept the high voltage, high amperage wiring in the engine compartment, and allowed the AMP gauge to "sample" the power flow.Ĭurrent will follow the path of least resistance, which meant only a small amount would travel through the smaller wires to the AMP gauge. Ford achieved this by running smaller diameter (higher numerical gauge) wiring to the AMP gauge. These changes also minimized movement of the needle, eliminating customer concerns. To address customer concerns, and to cut costs, Ford made a change around 1967 that eliminated the need for heavy duty wiring inside the car and gauges that were capable of handling large amounts of power. Customers didn't care for all the movement, and became concerned when the gauge indicated discharge for long periods of time, such as when idling in heavy traffic. When the battery was fully charged with minimal accessory use, the needle would sit near the center of the gauge, indicating a fully charged battery and an alternator putting out minimal current for electrical accessories. Since it was normal on these cars for the power to fluctuate somewhat depending on engine speed and accessory use, it was not unusual to have the gauge indicate a discharge at idle, then move over to indicate a charging condition once underway. Having all of the power flow through the AMP gauge meant the gauge itself had to be heavy duty, which was more costly to produce. The main area of concern on the 1964 Thunderbirds was the connection at the cowl, where the wiring entered the passenger compartment from the engine bay. Resistance causes heat, which isn't a good thing for electrical wiring. As the cars aged, connections began to corrode and get dirty, and resistance built up. When new, this design wasn't a problem, and effectively allowed drivers to monitor the charging system. A flow of power into the battery moved the needle on the gauge to show a charging condition, and a flow of power from the battery caused the needle to move to the left side of the band, indicating a discharge. In order to accomplish this, Ford ran heavy duty (smaller wire gauge number) wires to and from the gauge, so that all of the car's electricity moved through the gauge, making it register. Perched in the last pod on the right of the T-bird's new "jet age" instrument panel, the gauge advised the driver if the battery was being charged or discharged at any given time, and indicated the degree to which that activity was taking place. The first use of an ammeter (AMP) gauge in the Ford Thunderbird came with the newly-designed 1964 models. Yes, they are actually supposed to do something!įord AMP Gauge History on the Thunderbird 1967-1971 Ford Thunderbird and 1969-1971 Continental Mark III AMP Gauge Repair
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