No power please help

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salinasjoel

salinasjoel

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Had a short in my ammeter that I finally found, but I burnt out the fusible link that leads to it on the bulkhead first. I got a new link I'm going to install Thursday, but with everything but the ammeter hooked up and the fusible link still burnt I have zero power. Is that normal? I feel like I should still have brake lights, lights, and ignition but I have nothing.
Here is what I know:
Battery is full charge good voltage
Car ran prior to redoing the dash
Had a short that I linked to the ammeter
Burnt the fusible link at the bulkhead
Everything is hooked up except the ammeter
I have power to nothing at all

Any suggestions? Could it be as simple as the fusible link?

It's a 65 dart v8
 
I don't think you should have any ppower. Alternator through the fussible link and ammeter. then, everything feeds off that. Not 100% ppositive but I think thats how it works
 
salinasjoel said:
Well I sure hope that's whats going on that would make life simpler
Click to expand...

Simple yes, but, dooesn't everything feed through the bulkhead? If the ffusibe link was out, wouldn't that take out the rest of the power to the car? Not being a smartasss, just wondering??
 
Yup. Ammeter must be hooked up or the wires jumpered together

Here read this:

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

simplified diagram from this page

amp-ga18.jpg
 
These guys know a lot on here. Me, I'm working up the courage to start but from all I've read, by passsing the original ammeter is the most effective way to prevent meltdown. Sounds like your into the ammeter anyway. I ran a #10 shunt from the hot side of the alternator to the hot side of the relay and still didn't have the courage to run a hotter alternator. Some say thats a good fix, but????
 
The stock fusible link has a male/female connector as a service disconnect. No power inside the cabin.
The wiring mod described at madelectrical.com webpages is popular.
 
Well I guess that's bad news as it means I likely did not find my short I just created an open in my entire circuit when I disconnected the ammeter.

I can't hook up my battery without getting spark. And it isn't in any of the hot wires like lights and horn

Any suggestions?
 
What did you do with the original ammeter wires?
 
Just got the same problem I pulled it out of the garage started right up. Working on my other car 4 hours later no power at all.
Ran battery cables and no luck .. No horn brake light nothing not even a little dim,

What went wrong? Help car ran perfect over 2 years daily driver first time this happened
 
BIG-B-Barracuda said:
Just got the same problem I pulled it out of the garage started right up. Working on my other car 4 hours later no power at all.
Ran battery cables and no luck .. No horn brake light nothing not even a little dim,

What went wrong? Help car ran perfect over 2 years daily driver first time this happened
Click to expand...

You should start a separate thread
 
67Dart273 said:
What did you do with the original ammeter wires?
Click to expand...

I just unhooked it as a dead wire thinking that's where the short was. I didn't realize it was that vital to the circuit. So my "new" scenario is what was happening prior to the ammeter being unhooked.

The spark when hooking up the battery is when the ammeter is hooked up. I know there's a short somewhere but it doesn't seem to be in one of the always on wires like lights or the horn.

I've unhooked the harness at the bulkhead that runs the lights and coil and so forth and still can't hook the battery up.
 
salinasjoel said:
I just unhooked it as a dead wire thinking that's where the short was. I didn't realize it was that vital to the circuit. So my "new" scenario is what was happening prior to the ammeter being unhooked.

The spark when hooking up the battery is when the ammeter is hooked up. I know there's a short somewhere but it doesn't seem to be in one of the always on wires like lights or the horn.

I've unhooked the harness at the bulkhead that runs the lights and coil and so forth and still can't hook the battery up.
Click to expand...

OK, you have me confused, I need exact details. Your "new" scenerio is now "before?" I'm lost

"You can't hook up the battery." You mean even with the ammeter unhooked it still sparks? Not sure that makes any sense, unless one or both of the original ammeter connections is touching ground!!!
 
You may have a short circuit inside the alternater or starter. Positive battery wire melted to a headeer ?
 
67Dart273 said:
OK, you have me confused, I need exact details. Your "new" scenerio is now "before?" I'm lost

"You can't hook up the battery." You mean even with the ammeter unhooked it still sparks? Not sure that makes any sense, unless one or both of the original ammeter connections is touching ground!!!
Click to expand...

Yeah I confused myself

Everything hooked up:
I cannot hook up the battery without major spark.

What I have tried:
Unhooked all "always" on connections one at a time trying to find the source.
Results:
Starter: unhooked still sparks
Alternator: unhooked still sparks
Headlight switch: unhooked still sparks
Horn relay: unhooked still sparks
Ignition switch: unhooked still sparks

All electronics on the car functioned prior to 2 changes that were made:
1. Dash disassembled and repainted
2. New electronic distributor installed but was not hooked up when sparks occurred (electronic)

Car is always in off and key out of the ignition switch. When attempting to hook up battery.

The ammeter I found out was a non factor when you told me it needs to be hooked up to complete the power circuit. I just undid the red wire (not attaching it anywhere) and tested the battery and of course there was no spark since there was not a completed circuit. I had fooled myself into thinking I found the short when in reality I just wasn't getting any power to anything at all.

Hope this helps I appreciate your guys help so far!
Car is ready to drive if I can get this electrical sorted out.
 
Disconnecting that red wire removed the problem though didn't it ? The fault is inside the cabin. There is a welded splice in the harness where the high current branches to several places including ignition switch, fuse box, etc.. You could get a wiring diagram that shows all the possibilities and would help but the hunt continues regardless.
One thing you might try... put everything back together except the bat cable, pull every fuse from the fuse box. Check for the draw/short.
If 1 fuse creates a problem you're on a trail. You mght discover a coin in the lighter well or a problem in the dome lamp wiring, other.
If one of the fused circuits isn't the problem, you know where it aint, and move on to the wiring to the ignition switch, etc...
 
Pulled the fuses. Didn't help. Ill check the splice tomorrow see if I can't find anything. The most frustrating part is that it was running before I removed the dash. I guess your right that pulling the ammeter "red" wire does lead it into the cabin so that's a plus.
 
Simplest way to rule out the ALT' gauge itself is to use a 10-24 nut and bolt to put red and black together off the gauge. Tape it or otherwise isolate your bolt connecttion from ground.
The madelectrical bypass isn't absolutely neccessary, it's just popular.
 
RedFish said:
Disconnecting that red wire removed the problem though didn't it ? The fault is inside the cabin. ..
Click to expand...

I would agree with this.

Simplified diagram down this page:

As I understand? You have the ammeter wires hooked together and "safe" away from ground? Inspect that carefully!!!

The power comes from the battery, through fuse link, through bulkhead, through ammeter, and to the "black side" of the ammeter.

In the harness, a few inches away from the ammeter, in this black wire, is the factory welded splice. It feeds a few things as shown:

The fuse panel "hot buss"

wiper switch power on some cars

headlight switch

ignition switch

NONE of this is fused except for the fuse link in the engine bay

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

amp-ga18.jpg
 
Got her figured out the short was in the ammeter, so I jumped the wire and called it a day only to find out my dizzy may be bad
 
67Dart273 said:
I would agree with this.

Simplified diagram down this page:

As I understand? You have the ammeter wires hooked together and "safe" away from ground? Inspect that carefully!!!

The power comes from the battery, through fuse link, through bulkhead, through ammeter, and to the "black side" of the ammeter.

In the harness, a few inches away from the ammeter, in this black wire, is the factory welded splice. It feeds a few things as shown:

The fuse panel "hot buss"

wiper switch power on some cars

headlight switch

ignition switch

NONE of this is fused except for the fuse link in the engine bay

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

amp-ga18.jpg
Click to expand...

What do you think about putting a switch at the splice under the dash? It would be nice to have a quick kill switch for parking at shows with the top down as I know sometimes people like to fiddle with things. What kind of switch do you suggest?
 
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