Suddenly no electric

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rich006

Learning as I go
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Annapolis, MD
I pulled the Slant out of my '74 Dart for a rebuild a few months ago, and just today got everything ready to fire it up again. The electrical system is all stock. Last night the ignition system worked; we got spark in a spark plug grounded to the cylinder head to set the "static timing" on the distributor. This afternoon we finally went to fire up the engine. The first two times it cranked but didn't start. Each time, I squirted more fuel into the carburetor. On the third attempt at cranking, "clunk" followed by no cranking and all the lights going out--no parking brake light, no oil pressure light, no dome lights, nothing. I assume the clunk was the starter relay. Troubleshooting we've done so far:

- The battery is still at 12.5 volts. It was 12.6 before we began.
- There are no blown fuses in the fuse block by the parking brake handle.
- There's continuity between the battery + and the firewall via the fusible link.
- There's continuity between battery + and the ignition coil. I think that means the ammeter is OK.

Any ideas what to check next?
 
There are times where you can have continuity but the connection is so bad it can not carry current. You can also have a bettery that will show 12+ volts but it can not supply current.

If you have a battery charger is would start there and charge it over night. You could also try jump starting to see if there is an improvement.
 
Turned out it was just a loose connection at the positive battery terminal. The continuity from the fusible link was OK to the connector, but not to the actual battery terminal. I guess the connector was just dirty/corroded from being disconnected for a while. Tightening it solved the problem.
 
You should not just tighten it, take the two apart and clean both the post and clamps. Use a battery post cleaner. I was once fooled by a brand new battery. The posts looked GREAT. I cleaned the clamps, hooked them up, tightened them, and not even a dome light!!!! The posts looked FINE!! but there was just enough oxidation on the posts (or one of) to form an insulating film.
 
You should not just tighten it, take the two apart and clean both the post and clamps. Use a battery post cleaner.

I actually cleaned them both before putting the connector back on, I should have mentioned that. I just used mineral spirits but it worked.
 
And I should add that we got the engine running, adjusted the valves and timing, and are about to take her out for a break-in drive. Just gotta get the valve cover on.
 
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