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Old 07-20-2018, 08:55 AM
hkestes41 hkestes41 is offline
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Default 37 with a 360 electrical issues

My 37 with a 96 Dodge 360 has a new electrical issue. Has a new battery and new starter within the past month.

Drove the car last Thursday to runs some errands and it started several times and ran fine. Went out to drive it yesterday and when I turned the key the fans and dash light came on (both currently wired to run constantly) and fuel pump kicked on, but got the click-click-click from the starter like the battery was dead. Then about two seconds later nothing no fans, lights or fuel pump and nothing from the starter when key turned to the start position. Wait for a couple minutes and the entire process would repeat.

Threw some jumper cables on it and left my wife's car running for several minutes. Same thing turn key on get fans, lights, pump, click-click-click then everything goes dead. Wait a couple minutes and process repeats.

I'm an electrical neophyte I know everyone who understands it says to think of it just like a garden hose current in one end of the wire out the other, but I just can't wrap my head around it. No problem tearing into anything mechanical, but electrical has always given me pause cause I don't want to burn it to the ground.

Any ideas where I should start to try and run down this problem?
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  #2  
Old 07-21-2018, 02:53 PM
John Kunkel John Kunkel is offline
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Load test the battery with a quality carbon pile load tester, not one of those pocket-size Harbor Freight testers.
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  #3  
Old 07-22-2018, 11:12 AM
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JVMopar JVMopar is offline
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Sounds like a bad connection. I would check the ground wire where it attaches to the engine block. There should also be a ground wire running from the battery to the body, and another ground wire running from the engine block to the body. These should also be clean, no paint, no corrosion just bare metal, with some electrical grease.

Of course check the battery terminals for corrosion and that they are tight.

Then check the positive wire on the starter, and where ever it connects to run the body part of the system. Without being able to see how it was wired, the positive side gets more complicated.

I would rather think of an electrical system as a loop, or circle. What ever comes out of the battery has to get back to the battery. If it can't, nothing will happen.

It's most likely a ground issue judging by your symptoms.
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Old 07-23-2018, 08:57 PM
hkestes41 hkestes41 is offline
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Thanks to everyone for your replies. It was indeed a bad ground.

I replaced the negative battery cable with a 2Awg cable and got a good ground to the frame this morning before church. It has been so danged hot here in Dallas that I had to get on it at like 6:30 to beat the heat. Anyway once I got everything buttoned up, it fired as soon as I turned the key.

Also bought a couple of ground straps that I will be using to ground the engine block and body to the frame once I get back from a business trip. Then I will be replacing the positive battery cable. I just need to buy the cable and ends to run it from the trunk to the starter. Will also add a battery box at the same time since the battery is currently just held in by a not so sturdy homemade strap.

Once that is done I will add a thermostat control to the fans to keep them from running constantly.
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Old 09-29-2018, 10:56 AM
whtbaron whtbaron is offline
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Glad to hear you got it tracked down. I've also had corrosion between the lug and the cable on the ground (not just between the lug and the block)… makes tracking it down fun.
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electrical , fans , key , pump , starter

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