voltmeter

[seniorchristo]

Should this voltmeter read continuity across the two poles? I don't think so.
It is a new Smiths gauge and has never received voltage. I only discovered this while testing ground circuits while wiring up my dashboard.

[Andy8421]

The Smiths voltmeter has a bimetallic strip inside with a heating element wound around it. The higher the voltage, the more heat generated by the heater, the hotter the bimetallic strip gets, the more it bends - moving the needle on the display.

Depending on the resistance threshold of your circuit tester, the heating element could easily be detected as a direct short.

I would guess your meter is fine.

[seniorchristo]

Thanks Andy

Another related question.
I also have continuity from the 12V feed to the voltage stabilizer and the stabillizer ground. Is this because there is a resistor that grounds a portion of the voltage?

[Andy8421]

The original stabiliser works in a similar way to the voltmeter, a heating element heats a bimetallic strip. The strip bends and disconnects the element, then cools down, and the element reconnects. This opening and closing is proportional to voltage, and the average of the on/off output gives a stable result.
Again, dependent on the point your circuit tester detects a connection, it could register the heating element as a direct connection.
Modern stabilisers use a semiconductor voltage regulator, which may also show as a short depending on the characteristics of your tester and which way round you connect it.