Intermittent starting and dying problem solved

[hotrod swinger]

For months I’ve been batting an intermittent starting and dying problem in my stock ignition 1973 Dart. It’s been a real bummer. The car would work fine for months, suddenly it would die and not start up again. I’d tow it home, only to find it would fire, first crank. I checked all of the electrical connections over, and over, and over again. At this point, my connections are immaculate, or so I thought.

I started carrying my multimeter around with me hoping I could do a diagnosis on the road, but I would either leave the multimeter at home, or the car would die in a place I couldn’t safely do testing. Every time I towed it home, it would fire up first crank.

There was no pattern. Hot or cold engine, short or long drive, winter or summer months, sometimes within a week, sometimes after three months of problem free driving.

This morning I was tidying up my wiring while the car was warming up, and when working on the wires heading toward the distributor the car started to struggle. I wiggled each of those wires individually until I found that the positive coil connection was loose, and wiggling it made the car die.

Hallelujah the long nightmare is over!

 

[Demonracer]

Not trying to be a smartass, but simple diagnostics is always the place to start. I'm glad you found the problem.

 

[CFD244]

I checked all of the electrical connections over, and over, and over again. At this point, my connections are immaculate.

LOL....Apparently not. Glad you got to the bottom of it. Nothing worse than an intermittent problem.

 

[Plymouth 65]

Congratulations! I had a charging issue once that was intermittent. Car died once, as I was checking the wiring from the alternator the wire pulled out of the crimped connector. Problem solved! 65'

 

[hotrod swinger]

The coil positive connection was not visibly poor, it turned out to be a bad crimp, but it was not an obviously bad one. Every time I did my tests there was appropriate voltage to the coil in both start and run.

 

[Murray]

Intermitant problems are the worst.

 

[toolmanmike]

Not trying to be a smartass, but simple diagnostics is always the place to start. I'm glad you found the problem.

A tech school teacher "Never overlook the obvious" and "start with the basics". Good @hotrod swinger got it fixed. Intermittent electrical can be tough to find.

 

[hotrod swinger]

I’m just participating to have fun and help out other amateur hobbyists like me who may have similar issues. I have nothing to give to experts who know it all like demonracer.

 

[67Dart273]

Intermittent--in ANYTHING is always a PITA. I spent about a dozen years in HVAC/R maintenance. I HATE throwing money and parts at a problem, but sometimes with intermittents you must

 

[toolmanmike]

Intermittent--in ANYTHING is always a PITA. I spent about a dozen years in HVAC/R maintenance. I HATE throwing money and parts at a problem, but sometimes with intermittents you must

I had a stalling issue with my 96 Dakota. Same MO, stall at a light, pop in neutral and starts back up. Thought it might be a fuel pump and did a pressure test ok when it was running. Couldn't get it to stall with the gauge on it. After a few days of it I started wiggling harnesses. 3 going into the ecm under the hood would make the engine miss. I tapped the ecm with a screwdriver handle and it killed the engine. Installed a new (reman) and no issues since. I got lucky for sure.

 

[67Dart273]

I've never understood why some ECM's are in the most inhospitable environment that could possibly be picked LOL

 

[RedFish]

Yeah, the 73 has the electric choke heater also. That ceramic contraption bolted down with the coil is on the same/only switched 12 volts in the engine bay. The thing isn't weather tight either. after 50 years it has got to be corroded. If it shorts out it will rob current from ignition, and charging systems. Go ahead and unplug the damn thing. EPA wanted it. You don't need it.

 

[hotrod swinger]

Yeah, the 73 has the electric choke heater also.

That is unhooked. I use that connection for my AVS2 electric choke.

 

[hotrod swinger]

Intermittent--in ANYTHING is always a PITA.

Now that my connection at the coil is fixed, I have been driving around and my high voltage problem seems to have been corrected. Was the poor connection at the coil causing high voltage?

 

[hotrod swinger]

As part of my search for the problem I improved the grounding of my ECU and VR. Both are now attached with BOLTS rather than body screws with star washers between the bolt and the boxes, as well as between the boxes and the body, all metal to metal contact with grease.

 

[A56]

Ah, the infamous "wiggle test" known throughout the troubleshooting world.

 

[hotrod swinger]

Ah, the infamous "wiggle test" known throughout the troubleshooting world.

yes, it was definitely a learning moment.

 

[K.O. SWINGER]

Well as frustrating as chasing a loose wire can be at least it was an inexpensive fix and all is good, Mopar on brother!

 

[A56]

yes, it was definitely a learning moment.

"Wiggle test" is actually in all Harley Service manuals

 

[Bl1zzard]

The wiggle test. For sure, I wish I would have thought of that this summer. We were coming back from a car show and the oil pressure dropped on the highway. Yikes! I limped it home, looked it over and didn't see anything obvious, changed the oil and filter, cut open the filter, all clean. Took it out for a test drive, same thing. Damn it, we just rebuilt the engine last winter, I don't want to do it again. Kept poking around under the hood. The wire on the oil pressure sending unit was loose. Must have lost connection at highway speed for some reason. Tightened the nut and pressure was perfect again. Sheesh, yes do the wiggle test first. Lesson learned.