|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
69 Sport Satellite - Won't stay running in on position
Title says it all:
Car is a 69 Plymouth Sport Satellite, 383 Hi Pro 4bbl. Car has a new Holley carb (last year) and a new electronic ignition conversion (all Mopar) including a completely new wiring harness (top connector in bulk-head). Developed the problem last week on a cold motor where it would start and as soon as you let go of the key (to the on position) it would die. I checked the ballast resistor by bypassing it AND replacing it with a brand new one with the same problem. Tried plugging in a new electronic control module and still no luck. I let the car sit for about an hour and when I came back out it started and ran fine. Happened again today while my dad was driving it but on a hot motor. He thought it might be the pickup in the distributor was getting hot (said he had seen it on cars he used to work on with his dad who was a Chrysler mechanic for 40 years until he passed) so he pulled the cap and let it cool for 30 mins and when he tried it again it started up fine. I'm running out of ideas...we are going to check the ignition switch for a possible loose connection or fault this week. Anybody else have any suggestions??? Need to get this thing fixed by the time the Mopar Nat's come around... Thanks! -Terry |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Bulkhead connector
The worst possible way to get current from the interior to the exterior. Infamous producers of problems. I'd bet that connector is your culprit. Get into the column wire bundle, determine the color of the " run" circuit from the ignition switch, and bypass the bulkhead with a jumper wire to the ballast. If it continues to run then, scrap the bulkhead connector and use terminal strips for all the connections.
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
If that it the culprit, the bulkhead will have to stay. While I won't call it a concourse car or anything, this car must stay as stock as possible. We didn't spend $150 on a pair of "Correct" battery cables for nothing. This will definately be something that I look at as the problem though. Maybe I'll just get in there and clean and grease the terminals with dielectric grease. The biggest problem is that it seems as though it is intermittent. The car has been started 6 times and only given this problem on 2 of those starts...
Thanks for the feedback peg leg |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
Flux and a soildering iron work pretty good for cleaning up corroded terminals. Just smear the flux inside of the terminals and heat the metal with the soilder iron. As the flux melts it will clean off the metal. Then some brake cleaner to clean the flux off and some dielectric grease.
That's how I clean trailer wiring harnesses. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Changed out the ignition cylinder the other day...car still having issues. It seems to start fine on a cold engine, but then once the car has warmed up (like when you run up to the parts store) it will not stay running. My dad is thinking the pick-up coil in the distributor, but I would think that would cause it to just not start at all. Guess I'll start looking at the bulkhead...
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
You said
That you switched modules. Your problem is classic module failure with heat. However, next time it fails, put a VOM on the ballast, and record the voltage on both sides. I think you'll find no 12 volts from the bulkhead connector. Heat raises resistance in copper wire. If your bulkhead connection is already high resistance, the heat could conceivably drop the voltage to where it won't fire.
If you do attempt to use a soldering iron to tin the pins in the BC, be careful not to melt the body of the connector. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Mopars have very long wiring with a lot of connectors in the ignition. The copper gets old and resistance of the long wires rises and the connectors get old. If nothing else you could switch to a points distributor. Most likely it's the module. Back when Direct Connection first sold systems they would always say in pre-1970 cars that the voltage regulator had to be changed for a constant voltage type. The electronic ones used from 1970 on and not to use the mechanical ones with electronic ignition. They used to have a single wire electronic regular to retro-fit the single field charging systems. It required a special connector. Back them the only way to buy a connector for 1970 and newer regulators was to buy the whole harness so most people got them from junk cars. When they stopped selling the special regulator I no longer saw them mention the requirement for an electronic regulator. The chrome boxes(not chrome street box) hold up better than the "street" boxes and can run on just about anything without damage or overheating. I think if the voltage drops too much on the street boxes they draw more current than they can handle and heat up.
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Greed
I switched to a chrome box, and have not had a heat failure yet, nor any other failure.
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Same bit happened to my Fury once. I did the chrome box thing and problem solved.
|
#10
|
|||
|
|||
OK...time to bring back a dead post...
We finished putting the motor back together today after having the engine bay re-painted this winter (battery exploded last year and made a hell of a mess). Anyways, all of the wiring in the engine bay is all brand new. Fired the car up today and the problem persists. I went ahead and did some basic checks on the wiring under different conditions. After the car dies, I do not have any voltage at the ballast resistor. If you start the car and hold the key in between the start and run positions, the car will stay running, if you can do it just right, you can even let go of the key, but the car is still in the start mode b/c the radio never kicks on. I checked voltage at the ignition switch and couldn't really decide what wire I should bypass and to where (to the ballast resistor...which side?) I'm open for any suggestions at this point; b/c after today, all I have is a headache. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
You did well on the diagnosis by checking voltage at the ballast resistor. It sure sounds like a bad ignition switch, but I think you said you changed it 2 years ago.
|
#12
|
|||
|
|||
THERE IS ONLY one contact on the ignition switch for "ignition run."
You must understand that an ignition "switch" is in reality SEVERAL switches all in one box 1 Not part of the problem, is the "ACCESSORY" switch, feeds power to the accessory buss in the fuse box. It's hot in BOTH "run" and "accessory." 2 Yellow "start" wire is a contact (separate switch internally) is hot ONLY in start and feeds the yellow wire ONLY through the bulkhead and to one terminal on the start relay. 3 Brown "igntion bypass" wire comes from YET A DIFFERENT switch in the 'ign switch' and feeds ONE brown wire through the bulkhead to the coil side of the ballast, and is hot ONLY in start THIS IS THE WIRE that is keeping your car running in "start." 4 The Dark blue "ignition run" Once again, this is a SEPARATE switch inside the "ignitio switch" and is HOT ONLY in run. Tradionally "dark blue" it comes off the switch and feeds the brake and oil warning lamps, and cluster (gauge) power, and then branches off goes THROUGH THE BULKHEAD and feeds the regulator "I" terminal One field terminal of the alternator on 70/ later cars electric choke if used AND IT FEEDS the "key" side of the ballast IF YOU ARE NOT getting power here "in run," AND Accessories are working, radio, heater blower, etc, and obviously "start" and the "bypass" are working THIS MEANS that the IGN switch is at least getting power SO It must be either the switch, the switch connector, the bulkhead connector, or a broken/ hacked/ cut wire somewhere in between. You have FOUND the circuit and the problem. All you need to do now is follow that wire through the bulkhead, see if you have power on the inside of the bulkead (Does the oil warning lamp work? The gauges?) If so the most likely suspect is............. wait for it........................... the BULKHEAD CONNECTOR This thing is getting to be a real headache for many people, especially the ammeter circuit. Please read this article on the subject: http://www.madelectrical.com/electri...p-gauges.shtml |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
I think the wiggle of the switch is the big clue. That points to the switch.
|
#14
|
|||
|
|||
I hate to bring back a dead thread, but I stumbled back upon this site while doing some research and wanted to update this in case anybody experiences the same problem(s).
Quote:
Thanks to all for the help!!! |
#15
|
||||
|
||||
It's never a problem, in my view, to bring back a thread where someone might benefit from your experience...
In fact, I will thank you for bringing it back. |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
truck does not stay running | jimc1967 | Diesel & Turbo Diesel Chat | 1 | 08-27-2006 05:20 PM |
360 Wont Stay Running | mjmartel | Circle Track Chat | 4 | 08-20-2006 01:30 PM |
wont stay running | jakemary | Front Wheel Drive Chat | 8 | 09-10-2005 10:41 PM |
fires up but not stay running | bart | Vintage MOPAR chat | 9 | 10-31-2004 03:54 PM |
car wont stay running :( | hujibwa666 | Performance Talk | 16 | 08-03-2002 11:01 PM |