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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 9:14 am 
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Supercharged
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Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:25 pm
Posts: 5611
Location: Downeast Maine
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First time I tried to start my Dart after driving it onto the trailer to haul it home it was dead no power nothing worked, and all that was done was to haul the car 200 miles on a trailer... I feel your pain.

Turned out the main power wire from battery, the one with a fusable link just before it enters into bulkhead connector had melted its connection within the bulkhead connector.

As reed said make sure all connections at bulkhead connector are serviceable as in not melted, clean, and fully seated when plugged back together.

The only other spot to interrupt power flow to all other circuits would be at amp gage, and a splice dash side of amp gage (red #10 gage wire) were one leg feeds ignition, and the other the fuse block.

Service Manuel wire diagram shows all wire gages & color used making following circuits under hood and dash much easer.

Also as Reed advised get a test light. It comes with an alligator clip on its lead, and lamp holder equipped with a pointed probe which can sneak in to plastic housing covering brass spade connectors. This little ten bucks or less device will make your life trouble shooting electrical gremlins a whole lot easer.

_________________
67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:06 pm 
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2 BBL ''SuperSix''
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Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2015 5:21 pm
Posts: 23
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Quote:
I was looking at the wiring diagram for my brother's 74 Duster. The starter motor and starter relay are fed directly off the battery. Since you have no power to anything, and the starter motor does not even attempt to engage when you turn the key, and since the battery has tested to be a good battery and it has a charge, I believe that your problem lies in the battery cables or in the power distribution from the ignition switch to the starting circuit.

I forgot to mention the fusible link in my previous suggestion.

Try jumping the two terminals on the starter motor. If the starter motor engages the engine and spins, then you know you are getting power from the battery to the starter motor and that the battery cables are OK. If that test checks out OK, then you need to get a test light and just start probing the (+) feed starting at the battery until you find the point where you are losing power. Probe the (+) feed on both sides of the fusible link and on both sides of the bulkhead connector. Probe the feed on both sides of the ammeter.

You can TEMPORARILY AND FOR TESTING PURPOSES ONLY remove the ammeter from the circuit but removing the wires from the back of the gauge and connecting them together using a small bolt and nut through the eyelets on the wires. Be sure to securely wrap this connection with electrical tape to prevent any accidental grounding of the terminals against a ground on the dash frame. You must properly reconnect these terminals to the ammeter once you have found the break in your power supply and have repaired it.

From the ammeter move forward to fuse box, the ignition switch, and the headlight switch.

The break in your power supply should be at or ahead of the ammeter since you are losing power to the entire vehicle.
Hallelujah it's running.

I got out there with a test light and started working my way back from the battery. I found an old groady ground wire connected with the negative cable to the battery running to the chassis/radiator yoke and removed it, bought a thick wire from Lowes and cleaned up the connecting bolt, surfaces, and other connections related to with some battery terminal cleaner and a brush. Reconnected and it came on.

Don't know if it was that ground [what component does that wire ground? - the extra one, not the one going to the block] or maybe it was just fate and it won't crank tomorrow.

Anyway, can you tell me what this part is? There was a wire running from the positive terminal on the battery to this part. This part was also connected to the ignition coil.

Thank you again for all your help. I really do appreciate it. As much as I get stressed doing this stuff, I really do have to learn it, you know? Maybe my son will grow up and not be all thumbs like his dad : )



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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 7:24 pm 
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3 Deuce Weber

Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:13 pm
Posts: 82
Car Model:
Is it still running?
By now you know that part is not factory.
I gotta say the wiring on those HEI components look a little hinky too.
Anyway, My first thought was the fusible link.
Hope all goes well. Keep at it, you will love these old mopars.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 05, 2015 3:46 pm 
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2 BBL ''SuperSix''
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Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2015 5:21 pm
Posts: 23
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Thank you guys for all the help. I got under the hood with a test light and went from the battery to wherever it led me. Since it seemed so much like the battery, I went and cleaned the terminals and the skanky wire ground to the chassis contact point. I replaced the chassis ground with a 10 gauge wire from Lowes since it was in poor shape. It cranked right up and ran ever since. Just a bad ground issue.

Thank you all!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Aug 05, 2015 9:18 pm 
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Turbo Slant 6
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Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:29 pm
Posts: 681
Location: Seattle, WA
Car Model: 75 Dart SE (2),75 Swinger, 74 Dart Sport,91 Ram RV
It's the K-I-S-S principle: keep it simple, stupid! Battery cables- most often ignored, simplest to fix. :D :D

_________________
"Louise", a 1976 Dart Custom project, (now sadly reverted to being just an "organ donor" to our other project Darts.)


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 Post subject: relay
PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 5:06 pm 
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Turbo EFI
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Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:07 am
Posts: 2132
Location: SF Bay Area
Car Model: 67 dart 2 door hardtop
That little doohickey you're holding looks like an electrical relay...but I'll let Dan chime in on that subject.

brian

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