Dead in the water

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Holy Roller

Holy Roller

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Is there anything under the left side of the dash on a 67 dart GT. That would cause all power to shut off? I was trying to hook up the speedometer, and now there's no lights or anything working. The battery is good but no power Any ideas...
 
Is there a fusible link under the dash? Everything was working fine until I started trying to get the speedometer cable in. I don't know if I bumped something loose. I looked under the hood and didn't see anything there.
 
You could have blown the fusible link anywhere in the vehicle working under the dash. Electrical damage isn't limited to where you are working. The fusible link(s) on these cars normally comes off the big terminal on the starter relay. Do you have a factory service manual for your car? If not, go over to mymopar.com and download one. They're free and they have the factory wiring diagrams. You're just gonna have to read the diagram and see where the main feed comes through the firewall connector and use a test light and or meter. The firewall connectors in these cars are always problematic. You could have bumped the back of it and made it lose connection if it had a bad connection to start with. You're just gonna have to track it down.
 
Ammeter circuit. Power comes from the big stud on the start relay, which is "battery," goes through the fuse link, through the (big RED) ammeter wire through the bulkkhead connector, to the ammeter, through the ammeter, and out on the big BLACK ammeter wire a few inches to the WELDED SPLICE. That splice branches off, feeds the ignition switch, the fuse panel "hot" buss, the headlights, and depending on year, one or two other components.

Any one of the points I mentioned could have failed.

If you don't have a factory service manual, wander over to MyMopar.com and download one, free, and then go to the wiring section and download the appropriate wireing diagram. The manuals have factory manuals, but the aftermarket ones are sometimes easier to follow. I use BOTH

This page


has a good article on the failure points of that circuit, and a simplified diagram of the main power distribution:

amp-ga18.jpg
 
Take a picture of your bulkhead connector and speedometer cable route through the firewall under the hood and post it here.
Check the wires at the ammeter too. I could see arcing hot wires with a speedo cable….
 
First time pulling the instrument panel on my 66 Barracuda I failed to disconnect the battery.

As I'm pulling the instrument panel, the back of the ignition switch touches the dash, I hear a quick arc --- there went the fusible link.

I replaced the fusible link with an inline weatherproof fuse holder and a 40 Amp (or 50, can't remember).

Key take-a-way -- pull the negative battery terminal when working on the instrument panel !!
 
RustyRatRod said:
You could have blown the fusible link anywhere in the vehicle working under the dash. Electrical damage isn't limited to where you are working. The fusible link(s) on these cars normally comes off the big terminal on the starter relay. Do you have a factory service manual for your car? If not, go over to mymopar.com and download one. They're free and they have the factory wiring diagrams. You're just gonna have to read the diagram and see where the main feed comes through the firewall connector and use a test light and or meter. The firewall connectors in these cars are always problematic. You could have bumped the back of it and made it lose connection if it had a bad connection to start with. You're just gonna have to track it down.
Click to expand...

67Dart273 said:
Ammeter circuit. Power comes from the big stud on the start relay, which is "battery," goes through the fuse link, through the (big RED) ammeter wire through the bulkkhead connector, to the ammeter, through the ammeter, and out on the big BLACK ammeter wire a few inches to the WELDED SPLICE. That splice branches off, feeds the ignition switch, the fuse panel "hot" buss, the headlights, and depending on year, one or two other components.

Any one of the points I mentioned could have failed.

If you don't have a factory service manual, wander over to MyMopar.com and download one, free, and then go to the wiring section and download the appropriate wireing diagram. The manuals have factory manuals, but the aftermarket ones are sometimes easier to follow. I use BOTH

This page

[/URL]

has a good article on the failure points of that circuit, and a simplified diagram of the main power distribution:

View attachment 1716326767
Click to expand...
 
When checking the fusible link, grab both ends of it and pull gently. The link blew in my '72 Charger when the alternator shorted, but it looked fine. The insulation was still intact. I pulled it from the ends and the insulation stretched. It was blown with no visible outward indication.
 
Holy Roller said:
Thank you
Click to expand...
Update on dead in the was water,, A friend told me how to verify if the problem was under the dash with the ammeter. I was told to put a leaf from the positive side of battery to the battery hook up on the alternator. And everything worked , it worked and apparently that's the problem. Now all I got to do is find which wire is loose.
 
That test actually does not prove very much. You already know you don't have power. Look again, the simple diagram I posted above, from the "MAD" page. All the red on the left side of the ammeter feeds power from battery--to starter relay stud-through fuse link--through bulkhead connector (RED) and to the ammeter. Something in there is open, Likely fuse link or bulkhead connector. In some cases it can be the ammeter itself or one of the eyelet terminals on the RED and BLACk wires at the ammeter.

Turn on the headlights to provide a load. Wiggle the bulkhead connector. Use a test light or meter to chase from the starter relay "big stud" through the fuse link and check engine bay side of the RED wire terminal of the bulkhead connector, then go around and check the pass. compartment side.

In very rare cases it can be a failure of the welded splice. First one of THOSE I found was about 1970, in a friend's 69 Road Runner. That's right. I am that old
 
I'll check the ammeter with a test light and see if there's a break there. And check the fusible link. Hopefully I can get it figured out soon. Thank you for your help,. I
 
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