Need some electrical help with my ‘68 Plymouth Valiant 100
Sorry to go back and forth, but got the three fuse head connectors that go into the fire way cleaned and used diaelectric grease on them and unfortunatley, the flickering is still happening. I had shard a photo of the fuse box earlier in this thread and you had reposted it with arrows. Is that red arrow pointing to the fusible link? It’s a black wire and red wire with a connection in between them next to the fuse heads.
Wrong guy. That was a different poster.
It can be hard to keep the various characters straight without a libretto.
But, yes, I believe that was where he indicated the fusible link was.
The fact that anything is working indicates that the fusible link didn't fuse.
If you wiggle it and it doesn't affect the flickering, then it's not the problem.
Sorry I realize I didn’t fully respond to this all. It wasn’t being driven as a daily driver as of recently, but the previous owner’s dad would move the car around so it wasn’t just stationary, I’m not sure how much he was actually driving it, though. I know the son (previous owner) used to drive it as his daily driver when he first got it in 2014 and unsure how long he drove it around for.
"Was a daily driver in 2014" + "Dad used to move the car around" = "Car hasn't moved in ten years" (give or take).
A car that hasn't moved in ten years will almost definitely need a master cylinder and wheel cylinders. If you can get it going by replacing only one or two, you will be replacing the rest soon.
You're in the desert (at least compared to here), so you
may not need to replace the brake lines, but then again, you may.
... I’ve noticed around the master cylinder there is splatter spots of what I’m assuming might be brake fluid. Is it possible that could be an indication that the master cylinder is bad?
As they say in the car business, "They all do that."
Then again, as they say on the interwebs, "This is useless without pictures."
But it's probably normal.
Definitely give a go at bleeding it, if you're game to now (you probably don't need to bleed it in order to prove it's no good, but you do in order to prove that it is good).
Just remember that bleeders break off (usually the easiest fix then is to just replace the wheel cylinder) and other bad things happen, so be prepared.
Remember, after you bleed it, if you can't stand on that pedal and have it feel hard as a rock, there's something wrong.
Also, be aware that in order to bleed the brakes properly, in spite of all kinds of modern geegaws that claim otherwise, you'll need another person (generally a cranky and impatient significant other), so plan ahead.
Also also, you really need to have a set of flare nut wrenches to start messing with the brakes, if you don't already.
Finally, in spite of having the aforementioned flare nut wrenches, you will also need a small (6") curved-jaw Vise-Grip and a sledgehammer – Brake fittings are generally at least somewhat rusted on, and they tend to respond to sharp shocks much better than steady pulls. This means that using a wrench, even a flare-nut wrench, will often just round the fitting. The (very indelicate) way to avoid this is to clamp that small Vise-Grip onto the nut
once, as hard as you can, and then strike it sharply with a sledgehammer to break it free. After that, you remove the Vise-Grip and use a wrench. Always spray liberally with penetrating oil and allow to sit (ideally for a few days) first (I like KROIL, others like other brands). If removing brake line fittings, once you break it free, DO NOT keep turning the nut – spray it again and watch it while moving it back and forth repeatedly. If it is rusted to the brake line, wiggling it back and forth gently, with plenty of penetrating oil, will
usually allow it to work free without twisting then end of the line off.
As I noted in an earlier post, you will need to place your jackstands under the unibody frame members if you want the rear axle to hang low, which you do want if you are messing with the bleeders, so you have room to work.
– Eric