Found my dads original 1971 duster!

-
H',m interesting.

A loose connection is my only guess right now since when you directly connected the battery wires the car started and ran.
Since we're not confident of the where the break was, it wouldn't hurt to gently tug and push on the wires at the bulkhead connected to see the terminals aren't loose. The terminals have barbs on them sometimes they don't catch or hold.

View attachment 1716268602

View attachment 1716268603
Thanks again for all of the help. The builder was supposed to put all new parts in the car. Then asked me 7 months in if I wanted to buy a new wiring harness for it. I asked him what normally happens and he said that he always just uses the old wiring. In your opinion should I be ordering something like this? Or just use mine if I can find no visible damage etc?

IMG_0690.png
 
I’ll check again in the morning for a burnt wire etc. We looked pretty good today did didn’t see anything. A bad ground or a ground not hooked up couldn’t cause anything other than not working, could it? Not much was done right by the idiot builder. When we pulled the dash today he didn’t have much hooked up at all. Damaged vent cables, broken Speedo cable that wasn’t hooked up, radio not hooked up, no speaker, ground wires not hooked to anything. Crazy. He said that the dash and electrical was completely done. Lol
Oh boy!

The later panels like yours may have more grounds than my 67 but the three I mentioned are the ones I know for the interior.
In theory the instrument board will be grounded simply by mounting it, but at least on mine I found the factory had ground wire from the capacitor mounting screw to the radio support strut. I didn't see cap on your dash. I *think* it may not be needed if an electronic IVR is installed.

1719540386126.png


Loose wires - broken connectors. Any of them could have been a short, or a short waiting to happen.
 
Oh boy!

The later panels like yours may have more grounds than my 67 but the three I mentioned are the ones I know for the interior.
In theory the instrument board will be grounded simply by mounting it, but at least on mine I found the factory had ground wire from the capacitor mounting screw to the radio support strut. I didn't see cap on your dash. I *think* it may not be needed if an electronic IVR is installed.

View attachment 1716268604

Loose wires - broken connectors. Any of them could have been a short, or a short waiting to happen.
Ok great. I’ll have a really good look in the morning! I really appreciate your time and efforts!
 
If this were mine and I was bypassing the ammeter, I would not simply attach the 2 wires together and have them "hanging in space." Instead, I would bolt both wires to 1 terminal of the ammeter posts and call it good. This way, you know the wires are firmly anchored together in a fixed position and will not someday have the insulating tape fall off and accidentally touch something since that would be a dead short. Perhaps Mr @Mattax may have an opinion on that as well.

Well done so far with all of your testing and debugging and buffing, etc, etc. You have a great looking car to be proud of!
Your point is a good one. Loose wires, especially with a bit of weight on them, can jiggle around and even if they don't hit somehting immediately, over time the strands next to the crimp gets stressed and break. I certainly am guilty of having ignored and despised the factory wire supports when I first started messing with cars. I've learned to respect them now.
 
Thanks again for all of the help. The builder was supposed to put all new parts in the car. Then asked me 7 months in if I wanted to buy a new wiring harness for it. I asked him what normally happens and he said that he always just uses the old wiring. In your opinion should I be ordering something like this? Or just use mine if I can find no visible damage etc?

View attachment 1716268606
Lets see how bad it is.
The engine compartment harness takes a beating from the heat and outdoors.
Inside wiring often is in very good condition.
If you just need some plastic connectors, most can be bought used or new.

ps. thats a lot of money and my experience with replacement engine harness was that it was good, but not superior. I started the thread about Chrysler terminals after having to replace terminals on that replacement harness after 15 or 20 years.
 
Lets see how bad it is.
The engine compartment harness takes a beating from the heat and outdoors.
Inside wiring often is in very good condition.
If you just need some plastic connectors, most can be bought used or new.
Perfect. Thanks! Here are some pics of the fuel gauge. I just took it off. It smells very badly burnt. If I shine a light in the small open space at the bottom, it looks like a burnt coil in there. Hard to tell for sure though. Can this be taken apart without damaging it??

IMG_0691.jpeg


IMG_0692.jpeg
 
The MR Heater box people should be able to help out with the mechanical cables. I'm sure used one are availablewithout too much hunting or waiting.
 
Perfect. Thanks! Here are some pics of the fuel gauge. I just took it off. It smells very badly burnt. If I shine a light in the small open space at the bottom, it looks like a burnt coil in there. Hard to tell for sure though. Can this be taken apart without damaging it??

View attachment 1716268608

View attachment 1716268609
Yes...and I believe you have ordered a new IVR from @67fish383S . His parts and instructions are OUTSTANDING and will show you exactly how to take it apart. Here's a link to his thread in case you need it: [FOR SALE] - Solid State Rallye Gauge Instrument Voltage Regulators (IVR)
 
Perfect. Thanks! Here are some pics of the fuel gauge. I just took it off. It smells very badly burnt. If I shine a light in the small open space at the bottom, it looks like a burnt coil in there. Hard to tell for sure though. Can this be taken apart without damaging it??

View attachment 1716268608

View attachment 1716268609
They can be taken apart. That's how you defeat the internal voltage regulator when you are installing a solid state IVR. Check out the link I sent you from RTE. They have instructions there.

Damn....Treed by @Demonx2 :)
 
Perfect. Thanks! Here are some pics of the fuel gauge. I just took it off. It smells very badly burnt. If I shine a light in the small open space at the bottom, it looks like a burnt coil in there. Hard to tell for sure though. Can this be taken apart without damaging it??

View attachment 1716268608

View attachment 1716268609

:(
Some people here have taken them apart, but I have not.

FYI The very center of the back is the ground contact.

You can test for resistance but if you can see one of the wire coils is burned up, then that's not a good sign. A little evidence of heating wouldn't worry me if it resistance was OK.


I test mine three ways.,
First was a resistance test. Then checked and found resistance in the board. Posted here Gauge Cluster Issues/IVR

Then attached a couple batteries to power, and finally used resitors to simulate sending units and test the whpole kit and kaboodle on the bench.

But to your specific situation. Go through this thread for and you'll see the gages should be 20 ohms, andthe IVR should be 50 ohms. if they don't pass that there's no reason to go further.

The Chrysler Master Tech book and film explain how they work.
 
They can be taken apart. That's how you defeat the internal voltage regulator when you are installing a solid state IVR. Check out the link I sent you from RTE. They have instructions there.

Damn....Treed by @Demonx2 :)
That link looks like great instructions. For some reason it comes up very blurry on my end. Can’t read any of the writing
 
:(
Some people here have taken them apart, but I have not.

FYI The very center of the back is the ground contact.

You can test for resistance but if you can see one of the wire coils is burned up, then that's not a good sign. A little evidence of heating wouldn't worry me if it resistance was OK.


I test mine three ways.,
First was a resistance test. Then checked and found resistance in the board. Posted here Gauge Cluster Issues/IVR

Then attached a couple batteries to power, and finally used resitors to simulate sending units and test the whpole kit and kaboodle on the bench.

But to your specific situation. Go through this thread for and you'll see the gages should be 20 ohms, andthe IVR should be 50 ohms. if they don't pass that there's no reason to go further.
[/URL]

The Chrysler Master Tech book and film explain how they work.
[/URL]
I checked resistance between A and I and I get zero again. If I switch from I to S, I get 22. That post is pretty complicated for me, as far as testing goes
 
That link looks like great instructions. For some reason it comes up very blurry on my end. Can’t read any of the writing
In his thread, Dennis (67fish383S) offers to send a pdf of his instructions if you send him a PM. It sounds like it would be worth your while to send him that PM.
 
I checked resistance between A and I and I get zero again. If I switch from I to S, I get 22. That post is pretty complicated for me, as far as testing goes
Yea. It was a lot of info for you to absorb in one evening.
Take some time and go back through it all and it will start to make sense. Make your own drawings and sketches. Whatever it takes for you to learn. For me its drawing stuff out or at least tracing it.

Seperate the stuff from last night into two categories. Stuff related to supplying power (main circuits and connections). Stuff related to the gage operation.

For the gages, look at the Master Tech before diving back into the thread.
I is input. I don't know if its from the Ignition Run circuit or the Switched Accessory circuit in your car. But either way it is powered with the key on.
A is the IVR output. So I should connect to A. So the heating coil is open.
S is to the fuel sender. A should connect to S with about 20 ohms resistance

That's about all I can offer now. FABO will freeze my desktop - as it did last night - and I can't have that happening.
 
In his thread, Dennis (67fish383S) offers to send a pdf of his instructions if you send him a PM. It sounds like it would be worth your while to send him that PM.
Ya. We’ve been messaging. He’s already sent the instructions
 
Yea. It was a lot of info for you to absorb in one evening.
Take some time and go back through it all and it will start to make sense. Make your own drawings and sketches. Whatever it takes for you to learn. For me its drawing stuff out or at least tracing it.

Seperate the stuff from last night into two categories. Stuff related to supplying power (main circuits and connections). Stuff related to the gage operation.

For the gages, look at the Master Tech before diving back into the thread.
I is input. I don't know if its from the Ignition Run circuit or the Switched Accessory circuit in your car. But either way it is powered with the key on.
A is the IVR output. So I should connect to A. So the heating coil is open.
S is to the fuel sender. A should connect to S with about 20 ohms resistance

That's about all I can offer now. FABO will freeze my desktop - as it did last night - and I can't have that happening.
Ya. I really appreciate the help! You have a lot of knowledge!
 
Hey guys. Update: im taking the cluster to Mr Heater box, where the make the printed circuits on wed. They are going to test everything and get it all fixed up. They are also going to add LED lights and convert it to solid state. Question. I’ve googled and can’t find any on info on this : my car has the rear blower fan in the speaker hole and the slot that allows the air to defrost the back glass. I’m just trying to figure out what trim pieces go on top of the hardboard back dash area. There are no pre marked cutouts in the hardboard or anything. I think you put jute, then the hardboard. But there must be a grill or trim pieces that go on top afterwards?? Looks like the fake car builder kept mine
 
I believe that from the factory it would have had slots in the parcel shelf. (the board covering the rear shelf). I'll try and get you a picture of a 69 dart as reference.
 
I believe that from the factory it would have had slots in the parcel shelf. (the board covering the rear shelf). I'll try and get you a picture of a 69 dart as reference.
Ahhh. So just slots in the hardboard itself? I have the piece here. I’ll post a picture of it. Thanks!
 
I believe that from the factory it would have had slots in the parcel shelf. (the board covering the rear shelf). I'll try and get you a picture of a 69 dart as reference.
Here’s mine. It has slots for speaker holes, but nothing for the rear vent. Forgot. Headliner is all fixed now! My friend who does upholstery has it looking mint

IMG_0720.jpeg


IMG_0719.jpeg


IMG_0716.jpeg
 
Thanks. I agree 100%. I would never leave it that way. To be honest I’m still not sure why or if I should permanently bipass it anyway. I still need to get power to the rest of the car. Have to come up with the final plan once things are sorted out. Thanks you! So excited to drive it for the first time

For me, the main issue with the amp gauge is having that high amperage circuit running through the "flimsy" bulkhead connector and then again running a high amperage circuit all through the dash harness. The possibility of gauge failure is of some concern, also. All of these could lead to a melt-down/ fire situation. Best to rewire that circuit, usually with larger gauge wiring to accommodate upgraded alternator possibilities, to run only in engine compartment from alternator directly to battery ( or starter relay). I also do not trust the main power feed circuit to ignition switch, running through bulkhead connector. I actually remove the connectors for that circuit from bulkhead connector, drill the opening a little bigger ( through the plastic) and run a new hard wire straight through there and then splice it back into that circuit under dash. Making sure I use a new fusible link on engine compartment side, of course ( on engine compartment side just so it is accessed easier, if need be ). If done neatly and properly, most people won't even notice the difference. All this, along with good redundant grounds, could prevent alot of issues down the road.
 
-
Back
Top