I'm actually trying to help someone out currently with an issue that seems to be common but that I'm struggling to figure out at the moment. I will not be able to get to the car till Monday but I need some help and info on what I'm about to type here.
This is about a 1973 dart with a slant 6...feel free to move this thread elsewhere if I posted incorrectly.
The issue is when you try to start the car it wont unless you hold the key forward pretty much running it off the starter.
Well I did some googling I found this forum along with some other forums and other people had this issue as well. Common bad things are... bulk head connector which I'm assuming is the one on the firewall with 3 different connectors, ballast resistor, ignition switch, and old wiring. I'm placing my money on old wiring but let me break this down.
With those known issues I did some testing...
At the ballast resistor with the key in the RUN (not starting) position I used a voltmeter hooked a probed to the positive battery post and the other touching each terminal and I got 12volts on each (4 terminal ballast resistor). Im confused on this though?? If Im supposed to have ignition switch 12 volts with the key on run then why would I have to touch the + battery post and not the NEGATIVE? Like if the resistor is grounded.
Same goes for the coil... + and - terminals on coil show 12v when voltmeter probes are placed on battery + and one on either one... I thought they get energized then the coil grounds each time it fires..
Only one that showed 12 volts with probes on battery - and other probe to the blue wire coming from one of the connectors on the firewall (third connector from passenger side, lower left terminal looking at it from the front of the car) hope I'm right on that wire.
Well anyway I got frustrated so I disconnected the negative side of the battery and I disconnected that third bulkhead connector, wire brushed it slighty and the female end then blew off the dirt with compressed air, connected it..and....it worked! I shut it off, started it back up, and again and again. Then... all of a sudden it stopped working. By the way there seems to be an issue with the brake lights because they stay on (probably brake light switch) because the fuse keeps blowing when I move the brake pedal like its shorting.... don't think its related though. However coincidently it stopped working right around the time the fuse blew.... I noticed it after I drove it around before it stopped working. parked it saw the lights then went under the dash to see the switch wiggled the pedal the make contact, saw sparks fly out and then the fuse blew. Tried to start the car but no dice.
So that pissed me off... I couldn't find a diagram that showed the wiring the way the car is wired and for the most part it seems original. So... I pulled the steering wheel off pulled the cam switch off, then got to the ignition switch to trace wires from there. Well I decided to manually operate the ignition switch by pulling it out and turning it and it worked!!
I noticed that when it works, when I put the key to RUN, the orange light which is probably the OIL light but faded comes on then it runs, but if it doesn't it wont stay running. So Im confused cause now this seems intermittent... either that or I fixed it without knowing. Only thing I can say is the red wire coming off the ignition switch was a bit smashed by some black protective plate under the steering column that hides those wires. Im afraid to put it back together and it not work.
Can someone tell me where the blue, red, yellow, brown, black, and double red wires go to? All wires connect to that white connector then the blue one becomes a dark blue with a white stripe and that goes to the fuse block...however, I read that it goes to the bulk head connector????
Which wire supplies power to the fuse block?
And how do I perform a voltage drop test on each wire? Like from what point do I touch the probe to what other point?
Sorry so long, needed to be detailed
This is about a 1973 dart with a slant 6...feel free to move this thread elsewhere if I posted incorrectly.
The issue is when you try to start the car it wont unless you hold the key forward pretty much running it off the starter.
Well I did some googling I found this forum along with some other forums and other people had this issue as well. Common bad things are... bulk head connector which I'm assuming is the one on the firewall with 3 different connectors, ballast resistor, ignition switch, and old wiring. I'm placing my money on old wiring but let me break this down.
With those known issues I did some testing...
At the ballast resistor with the key in the RUN (not starting) position I used a voltmeter hooked a probed to the positive battery post and the other touching each terminal and I got 12volts on each (4 terminal ballast resistor). Im confused on this though?? If Im supposed to have ignition switch 12 volts with the key on run then why would I have to touch the + battery post and not the NEGATIVE? Like if the resistor is grounded.
Same goes for the coil... + and - terminals on coil show 12v when voltmeter probes are placed on battery + and one on either one... I thought they get energized then the coil grounds each time it fires..
Only one that showed 12 volts with probes on battery - and other probe to the blue wire coming from one of the connectors on the firewall (third connector from passenger side, lower left terminal looking at it from the front of the car) hope I'm right on that wire.
Well anyway I got frustrated so I disconnected the negative side of the battery and I disconnected that third bulkhead connector, wire brushed it slighty and the female end then blew off the dirt with compressed air, connected it..and....it worked! I shut it off, started it back up, and again and again. Then... all of a sudden it stopped working. By the way there seems to be an issue with the brake lights because they stay on (probably brake light switch) because the fuse keeps blowing when I move the brake pedal like its shorting.... don't think its related though. However coincidently it stopped working right around the time the fuse blew.... I noticed it after I drove it around before it stopped working. parked it saw the lights then went under the dash to see the switch wiggled the pedal the make contact, saw sparks fly out and then the fuse blew. Tried to start the car but no dice.
So that pissed me off... I couldn't find a diagram that showed the wiring the way the car is wired and for the most part it seems original. So... I pulled the steering wheel off pulled the cam switch off, then got to the ignition switch to trace wires from there. Well I decided to manually operate the ignition switch by pulling it out and turning it and it worked!!
I noticed that when it works, when I put the key to RUN, the orange light which is probably the OIL light but faded comes on then it runs, but if it doesn't it wont stay running. So Im confused cause now this seems intermittent... either that or I fixed it without knowing. Only thing I can say is the red wire coming off the ignition switch was a bit smashed by some black protective plate under the steering column that hides those wires. Im afraid to put it back together and it not work.
Can someone tell me where the blue, red, yellow, brown, black, and double red wires go to? All wires connect to that white connector then the blue one becomes a dark blue with a white stripe and that goes to the fuse block...however, I read that it goes to the bulk head connector????
Which wire supplies power to the fuse block?
And how do I perform a voltage drop test on each wire? Like from what point do I touch the probe to what other point?
Sorry so long, needed to be detailed
