'71 Dart/Demon engine wiring harness question (ballast resistor wires)

[French demon]

Hello folks

In the '71 Dart/Demon FSM engine wiring harness, there is a darkblue wire [J2E-18DBL]
This wire is connected onto the idle stop solenoid of 340ci engines only.

OK. Now the question : is this J2E-18DBL wire present in ALL Dart/Demon engine harness? Even of those equipped with a slant?

Here's a picture of my ballast resistor and two blue wires are plugged onto the left connector.

According to the '71 FSM wiring schema above, there should be only one blue wire connected to the ballast resistor.

I suspect a precedent owner to have cut and rerouted the J2E-18DBL wire (unused with a non-340ci engine) to the ballast resistor.
As it comes from a splice, this wire is useless and doesn't disturb the ballast resistor function, but just want to know what's this extra darkblue wire.


François

 

[Mattax]

According to the '71 FSM wiring schema above, there should be only one blue wire connected to the ballast resistor.

I suspect a precedent owner to have cut and rerouted the J2E-18DBL wire (unused with a non-340ci engine) to the ballast resistor.
As it comes from a splice, this wire is useless and doesn't disturb the ballast resistor function, but just want to know what's this extra darkblue wire.

François

I think if you search for photos of other '71 a-bodies you will find they are all the same.

Electrical design probably made up the scheme and then handed it off to production.
Production engineering was putting together the cable bundles and so no reason to have a giant welded splice.
In fact, they may have found a big splice coulded problems with fitment or routing. So they made the female connection at the ballast resistor into a junction. (They did this most years - 1969 being one possible exception.)
The schematic never got updated with this production change.
Functionally there is no change. But if there was break in the line, then for troubleshooting these changes need to be figured out.

 

[67Dart273]

Don't know about your question, but it is simply a branch of the "key side" of the ballast, AKA the "ignition 1" or "ignition run" line. Depending on year, there could be several loads on that line, generally, ignition system, alternator field (70/ later), VR IGN terminal, electric choke if used, a one or a two smog/ emissions devices in later years, and you already know, the idle solenoid. That line IS NOT FUSE, and is commonly prone to voltage drop, which causes OVER charging

It is not a bad idea to cut that line close to where it comes out of the bulkhead connector, and connect the bulkhead connector end to trigger a "Bosch style" relay, then connect the engine bay end to the switched load contact. Feed the contacts with a good heavy fused line AKA off the "big stud" on the starter relay