Need some electrical help with my ‘68 Plymouth Valiant 100

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I ended up still getting the original FSM for 19 bucks on eBay.
Good for you! I do the same. I hawk ebay for old books, manuals and NOS engine and electrical parts, because nothing is made in USA anymore and the quality is questionable at best. With parts, I look for brands like Echlin (NAPA), Michigan, Sealed Power, TRW, Pacific, Hastings and on and on. The box has to be old and yellowed and say "MADE IN USA" before I pull the trigger. lol
 
I always try to get first edition PRINTED manuals. By the time they get on PDF format, they have been through lots of revisions, which sometimes is a good thing, but also a lot of times, information gets left out, consolidated, or it's just plain wrong. Maybe it's just me bein old fashioned. I like a BOOK that doesn't have batteries and the screen will not go down on
I get it. I have my dad's original FSM from when he bought his / my Dart

I just find the posable searchability of a PDF to be helpful and if I need something pri red I can do that.
 
Good for you! I do the same. I hawk ebay for old books, manuals and NOS engine and electrical parts, because nothing is made in USA anymore and the quality is questionable at best. With parts, I look for brands like Echlin (NAPA), Michigan, Sealed Power, TRW, Pacific, Hastings and on and on. The box has to be old and yellowed and say "MADE IN USA" before I pull the trigger. lol
That is good to know! Thanks for mentioning these brands I’m going to reference this for my parts. My uncle is shipping me an alternator he got from a duster or possibly a vailant. He said it should work in my car, but I’m not totally sure on it. I gotta get a regulator too. Would you say rock auto, classic industries and summit are the best place for parts online?
 
I get it. I have my dad's original FSM from when he bought his / my Dart

I just find the posable searchability of a PDF to be helpful and if I need something pri red I can do that.
Absolutely. I wasn't saying NOT to get the PDF. They're certainly useful. Just be aware, that the information in the PDF and an original first edition manual "may not" be the same.
 
The first thing I would do is unplug all three bulk heads connectors at the firewall. Clean them with contact cleaner , Put Dielectric grease on them and plug them back in. Also add a ground from the negative terminal to the body. The large positive wire coming from the battery going to the bulk head has a short extension near the firewall called a fusible link. They get corroded inside and at times barely make contact. If you can stretch it at all the fuse wire inside is no good. Its a start .
Sorry this is a dumb question, but how would I add a ground from the negative terminal of the body exactly? Here is a photo of the bulk heads(?)

IMG_1501.jpeg
 
That is good to know! Thanks for mentioning these brands I’m going to reference this for my parts. My uncle is shipping me an alternator he got from a duster or possibly a vailant. He said it should work in my car, but I’m not totally sure on it. I gotta get a regulator too. Would you say rock auto, classic industries and summit are the best place for parts online?
Your car "probably" has the round back alternator with the single field. I would recommend going to the later (1970 I THINK?) square back dual field alternator. I think these guys will agree with that. Just know that with the dual field, the one small wire from the old alternator will attack to one field (doesn't matter which) and theo other field gets grounded. I made this upgrade on my 64 and it charges better and more stable. But be advised, don't go "crazy" with the alternator amperage. I wouldn't recommend going any father than maybe a 50 amp unit. I think mine is like a 37? I cannot remember. It's been awhile ago. But they will probably try to give you a 60 or 70 amp unit. Don't do "THAT".
 
Read my post no.8
Ah yes! I remember this response now but I’ve been getting so overloaded with info that I’ve lost track of the replies. Just screenshotted it to easily refer back to because I am gonna need it tomorrow haha. Thanks for writing that all up, very easy to understand.
 
Don't worry about returning it- if you're like me, I prefer to have an actual hardcopy manual sitting in front of me- dog eared pages with greasy thumbprints and all. The digital copies are nice, and sometimes are our only option; but nothing beats a "book on the shelf" for me.
i ended up snagging it still
 
So the red arrows are showing where the leak is coming from. I wish I could record it to show a video but it is bubbling out from that crack. The blue arrows are just pointing out some of the leakage that can be seen. Is this where the thermostat housing is? I don’t really know where that is located.

View attachment 1716330828

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So it appears you DO have a intake leak, there is a passage there for coolant from the head so if the red arrow is the area of the leak then it is probably leaking at that gasket you could try putting a wrench on the bolts closest to the leak on the intake and see if there loose but if no go then the intake is coming off, not a terrible difficult job but not something you want to necessarily take on at this point. For reference the thermostat housing is bolted to the intake with two bolts directly under the upper rad hose so NOT your leak.
 
Snailgarden, don't get too far ahead of yourself.

One problem at a time.

Before you swap out your alternator be sure you completely understand how they work.

This is what you have now




This is the newer style



Be sure you COMPLETELY understand the differences.

There is no reason to change any parts till you KNOW the part is bad.

Pull the existing alternator and find a parts store that can test it.
 
Snailgarden, don't get too far ahead of yourself.

One problem at a time.

Before you swap out your alternator be sure you completely understand how they work.

This is what you have now




This is the newer style



Be sure you COMPLETELY understand the differences.

There is no reason to change any parts till you KNOW the part is bad.

Pull the existing alternator and find a parts store that can test it.

so, trying to do this in order of operation, what the most serious issues are want to get handled asap. Is this probably the top of the list? Also, I am pretty sure the brakes are leaking brake fluid…thinking it’s the rear. When I pulled off the cap, one side is completely gone. I’m going to fill it tomorrow and pump the brakes to see for sure if it’s leaking out the back ones. I’m assuming this is also a pretty major issue that I need to address asap also?
 
Snailgarden, don't get too far ahead of yourself.

One problem at a time.

Before you swap out your alternator be sure you completely understand how they work.

This is what you have now




This is the newer style



Be sure you COMPLETELY understand the differences.

There is no reason to change any parts till you KNOW the part is bad.

Pull the existing alternator and find a parts store that can test it.

Okay thanks for these I’m going to watch them now. So I’m trying to figure out what to address first. Right now the most concerning issues are the newly discovered intake gasket leaking coolant, the rear brakes are leaking pretty sure, and the electrical issues.

When I do address electrical, would it be wise to start with cleaning the fuse box and wire harness and if that doesn’t work then possibly get a new VR, THEN move on to the alternator of the issue persists?
 
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