What Kind Of Electrical Trickery Is This?

[MichaelPawelek]

Took the cover off the dash to see why the ammeter is not working, and Holy Cow, saw this mess. Every T I have owned had only a yellow and black wire running to the ammeter.

I will trace the wires as this T has brake lights from the Rocky Mountain brakes, rear flashers and turn signals all in the same two rear drums so I suppose some wires are to those. Also a extra toggle switch for the ignition besides the key switch. Why someone needed all this to go through the ammeter I do not know.

Main question is why would there be the short jumper between the two ammeter posts?
As I have stated in the past I am electrically challenged and this confounds me? I generally enjoy working on Model T’s because they are so simple!
PS-Will post a picture soon….

[TXGOAT2]

The jumper would prevent the ammeter from working, if it's an ordinary one with terminal posts. Someone may have added the jumper because the ammeter is defective. Jumping it would allow everything else to work, but the ammeter would be non-functional.

[MichaelPawelek]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, The ammeter does not work. Tested it first with a ohmmeter and then with a small battery and no reaction either way. Darned…..

[mbowen]

My ‘25 express wagon quit away from home about a month ago, and I traced down to a defective ammeter. I just move a wire from one terminal to the other just to bypass the ammeter and get it home. Once home I disassembled the ammeter, and found the posts not in continuity with the u-shaped brass piece inside, even though they are pressed together. I added solder to bridge the discontinuities and all has been well since.

[MichaelPawelek]

In the next couple of days I will take this one apart and take a look keeping in mind what you have written. It would be nice to save this unit. My wife thinks it is very special because it is made by “Tiffany”. Lol. I don’t have the nerve to tell her it’s probably not the company she thinks it is.

[JTT3]

Michael you’d be wrong, ha

[MichaelPawelek]

Well great. I’ll wrap it up for Christmas so I can tell everyone I bought her a antique bauble from Tiffany’s!

[TRDxB2]

In the next couple of days I will take this one apart and take a look keeping in mind what you have written. It would be nice to save this unit. My wife thinks it is very special because it is made by “Tiffany”. Lol. I don’t have the nerve to tell her it’s probably not the company she thinks it is.

It is not the same "Tiffany" as in jewelry ( Tiffany & Co. founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany). Its the Tiffany Electric Manufacturing Company (some info on electric car and clocks on the internet)