I'm starting to think its an epidemic..

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dartgirl66

dartgirl66

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Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Alright guys.. I have a question.. I got my Dart going again the other day.. It had been sitting for a year. It has a 360 in it, and it will NOT charge for the life of it. I've drove it like that for a long time.. Just had to make sure to keep a spare charged battery with me, just in case. BUT.. we've did everything that we could think of other than rewiring it. I really don't wanna do that because its just gonna all be tore out when it goes to the shop to be restored. We're put a new alternator on it, a voltage regulator, all kinds of stuff.. and the only other thing we can think of is maybe a corroded wire? Whats y'all's thoughts? I'd really appreciate the help. We also just bought a '79 Ram Charger that has a 360 with the same issues that we can't figure out! I'm starting to think its an epidemic! lol :help:
Thanks in advance!
Wendy
 
340sixpack said:
Amp guage and check the bulkhead connectors,probably one or the other or both.
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I've did everything to try and get it to work.. I didn't realize that it had that much to do with it.. Hmm... My stock AMP gauge doesn't work, but there is an aftermarket one w/ an oil pressure gauge on it, too. The oil pressure gauge works, but I just assumed the AMP guage was telling me it wasn't charging, we've taken the wires off and put new ends on them, even tried running the wires together seeing if it was the gauge.. So I don't know.. :angry7: lol
 
on your car's voltage regulator there is two wires,black is hot with key on,the green wire(field wire) goes to the alternator and plugs on to it,this wire should energize when the engine is running,then there is the large wire that goes to the alternator this should have power at all times.it doesn't sound like the amp gauge is bad or unhooked unless they ran it thru the aftermarket gauge because it starts and runs so I don't feel the problem is with that part of it.look at the alternator and see if it has one or two plug on connections and a larger bolt on connector,if it has two plug on connectors and one larger bolt on connector you will need to run a ground wire from one of those field wire connections to a ground and then the charging system will work.if you have power coming into the voltage regulator but not coming out to the green(field wire then the points inside the regulator may need to be cleaned or the lil wires inside may have gotten burn't thru.hope this is helpful.
 
waggin said:
on your car's voltage regulator there is two wires,black is hot with key on,the green wire(field wire) goes to the alternator and plugs on to it,this wire should energize when the engine is running,then there is the large wire that goes to the alternator this should have power at all times.it doesn't sound like the amp gauge is bad or unhooked unless they ran it thru the aftermarket gauge because it starts and runs so I don't feel the problem is with that part of it.look at the alternator and see if it has one or two plug on connections and a larger bolt on connector,if it has two plug on connectors and one larger bolt on connector you will need to run a ground wire from one of those field wire connections to a ground and then the charging system will work.if you have power coming into the voltage regulator but not coming out to the green(field wire then the points inside the regulator may need to be cleaned or the lil wires inside may have gotten burn't thru.hope this is helpful.
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Thanks I'll check that out in a lil bit! :D
 
waggin said:
on your car's voltage regulator there is two wires,black is hot with key on,the green wire(field wire) goes to the alternator and plugs on to it,this wire should energize when the engine is running,then there is the large wire that goes to the alternator this should have power at all times.it doesn't sound like the amp gauge is bad or unhooked unless they ran it thru the aftermarket gauge because it starts and runs so I don't feel the problem is with that part of it.look at the alternator and see if it has one or two plug on connections and a larger bolt on connector,if it has two plug on connectors and one larger bolt on connector you will need to run a ground wire from one of those field wire connections to a ground and then the charging system will work.if you have power coming into the voltage regulator but not coming out to the green(field wire then the points inside the regulator may need to be cleaned or the lil wires inside may have gotten burn't thru.hope this is helpful.
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Hmm.. so that didn't work either.. I guess I'm stuck driving around with a spare battery.. lol, we tried it on the Ram Charger too with no success..
 
I think we need more info to diagnose this,is it single field alt or dual?pic of tha back of it?which wires came up hot while the engine was running?
 
I have to question how you go about changing these charging system components.. Do you always disconnect the negitive battery cable ?
You can buy a new regulator and kill it before you get it bolted to the firewall. Install electrical stuff and make sure its chassis grounded before making wire connections. Same applies to those amp gauge terminals. connecting them together rules out the gauge but if sparks fly while you're tinkering , there goes another regulator or fusible link or both.
The altenater itself is grounded but its mounting hardware but enough paint could interupt that ground too.
 
definately need to have a ground for alternator and voltage regulator and always a good idea to unhook the battery when changing out the components,I have a test light that you hook up to the battery and you can check for ground and for hot red light for hot green for ground but they also sell one called a power probe that is slick as can be even has a buzzer and a button to feed power to something lil' on the pricey side but very valuable tool for diagnosing problems
 
i have bought altnators from auto zone and it took 3 exchanges to get one that worked, make sure you have it checked before you walk out with it so you know your not chasin other problems just cuz you replaced it with a new one, same goes for the regulators, unwrap the tape from your charging system related wires and track each wire making sure its not broke or shorted, you'll find the problem keep workin at it..... trouble shooting electrical is like connecting the dots, you gotta check each connection and wire and make sure it connected and its compnents are up to snuff.
 
It would help to take a few voltage measurements. I assume you have the old style alternator with only a field and a battery wire. The battery wire should be the same voltage as the battery as it is connected directly the positive side and should be at least 12 Volts DC when the engine is not running. The field connection comes from the regulator and can be checked with an ohmmeter for continuity to see if it gets all the way back to the regulator. If you temporarily energize the field with a jumper to 12v you should get max voltage out of the alternator while it is running. If that works then your problem is back toward the regulator. If not your alternator is bad.

You can get more free infomation at:
http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=78
 
So we've pretty much did all of the above now with the Ram Charger. We're back to the idea of a bad altenator. We 'should' have had it tested before we left Auto Zone.. or 'Idiot' Zone as I call them. I hate the place.. lol. BUT apparently, my 'nonmopar, cebby boy' husband said, oh its new, so it'll be good.. But anyways.. when I have a chance to check out the Dart again I'll let y'all know. I really appreciate the advice. :)
-Wendy
 
worse comes to worse someone in your town at a auto electric shop can convert your altenator into a single wire altenator, and when your rpms increase to around 1400-1600 rpm it will charge without all the other mess.
 
Oh puhlease......she don't need a chebby alternator on there,it's a simple system that has worked for over four decades....she's tryin to fix it right not rigg it up.two components to the system that can be tested for free at the local auto parts store and the wiring which is simple also.wish you lived closer it'd be workin already.
CHEATHAM said:
worse comes to worse someone in your town at a auto electric shop can convert your altenator into a single wire altenator, and when your rpms increase to around 1400-1600 rpm it will charge without all the other mess.
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waggin said:
Oh puhlease......she don't need a chebby alternator on there,it's a simple system that has worked for over four decades....she's tryin to fix it right not rigg it up.two components to the system that can be tested for free at the local auto parts store and the wiring which is simple also.wish you lived closer it'd be workin already.
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I believe she just said it is a single wire system already. So you are dealing with a chebby system.
 
dartgirl66 said:
So we've pretty much did all of the above now with the Ram Charger. We're back to the idea of a bad altenator. We 'should' have had it tested before we left Auto Zone.. or 'Idiot' Zone as I call them. I hate the place.. lol. BUT apparently, my 'nonmopar, cebby boy' husband said, oh its new, so it'll be good.. But anyways.. when I have a chance to check out the Dart again I'll let y'all know. I really appreciate the advice. :)
-Wendy
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Bought my altenator brand new...had to get it replaced because it wasn't charging...and yep at autozone!
 
Okay.. this is new to me.. I didn't realize that it was a Chebby system.. Hmm.. Well, my uncle, the one who gave me my car back in the day, is notorious for rigging stuff.. So theres no telling with it, to tell you the truth. He has a really nice Challenger that he's rigged the wiring with chopped up extension cords if that tells you anything.. So what should I do now? Change the altenator all together? lol
 
It would really help if you knew a bit about basic electronics. It's a simple system and a few quick measurements should nail down which component is not right. Buy a voltmeter and learn how to use it or take the car to someone who does. It should be easy to nail down the problem within 10 minutes.
 
nope not a chebby system,early a's have one wire for the main connection and one for the field wire so that's two.still a simple system and as was stated it's been functioning for four decades no need to change it just find the problem and it'll be good for four more decades :cheers: I promise! we could use a pic of the alternator that would be good! and a pic of the voltage regulator...and a pic of the wiring running down the valve cover.....and get a test light,I'll draw you a diagram on the pic's or one of the other members can show you where to touch with the test light,or voltmeter,if you can have the alternator tested at "idiotzone"would be good and maybe the regulator would be also helpful...the wiring gets kind of brittle up towards the front of the engine and could be broken
cuda67 said:
I believe she just said it is a single wire system already. So you are dealing with a chebby system.
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