wiring problems 74 valiant

-
D

deliriumx

Member
Joined
May 27, 2010
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
alright im having a problem with headlights and dash lights flickering with the rhythm of the engine at idle also the volt reading at my battery is no more then 12.6 when the car is running and my alt is putting out 14 volts. new alt and regulator and still no change, after 2 weeks the battery gets to weak to start the car and every time it gets too weak the first thing that happens when i try to start it smoke shoots out of the carb and when i mean shoot you can hear a loud his and whiteish smoke shoots out. this is really odd after i charge the battery its fine the car starts right up with a little stumbbling then once its warmed up i have zero trouble for two weeks. this car could use a rewiring but i have rear window rust im working on and can only do one thing at a time (money is tight) any tips would help thanks
 
Check the ignition switch wires connector at the bottom of the steering colume, Check for burning and or melting Long flat connector .... if you find melting or burning , check the wiring diagram, The head lamp switch circuit to the ignition Switch tends to develope high resistance and over heats and melts... If this happens you will have to go Hunting for other melted wires thru the haness wiring loom ... Use a volt meter and check for continuity,gounds and powers, check for good and bad grounds... for wire repairs use soilder or self shrink tubing connectors.. Lastly Wire in a four pin relay to the head light circuit To decress Circuit load and decress risistance...
 
i know very little about wiring but im going to learn somehow. should i just go for a painless harness? the fuse block looks pretty rusty on the prongs i dont know if i wanna save this rats nest under the dash i feel if im going to do this i might as well do it right. my problem is i dont live ina house so i dont have a garage maybe i can rent one? or maybe a storage? i dont know i'll figure something out.
 
I would try loseing the ammeter and just connect the two wires together first.It worked for me.Good Luck.
 
If you know very little about wiring you should not attempt to "rewire" the car because you'll only make things worse for yourself. It needs to be diagnosed then fixed properly. You've already spent money needlessly on a new alternator and regulator which could have been easily avoided. With any electrical issue don't jump to conclusions. Buy a good voltmeter and learn how to use it.

That said, your problem as stated above by others is probably at your firewall connector and/or possibly the ammeter. A lot of current flows through the firewall then through the ammeter and then on to the fuse distribution. Any resistance along the way will result in a voltage drop and thus give you problems. Basic Ohms law - V=I/R or E=I/R... look it up. Good luck.
 
Question, you said you were putting out 14 volts; but how many amps are you putting out?

I had a similair problem with a dodge truck and the brushes were bad in the alternator, volts were constant but it wouldnt charge battery because amps were too low. I replaced the brushes and had no more problems.

Just a thought.
 
wow thanks for the tips i'll check the alt amp. i do have a good volt meter just need to learn to use it. ima crawl under the dash and take a look and i'll bypass the ammeter and see what happens. just got home from work so i'll check this stuff out.
 
ok wow i just checked the volts at my battery with the car running it was at 17.1 b4 i turned it off cuz it kept going up i havnt done anything to the car yet except jump it the other night when it died and charge the battery. the alt is putting out 18 volts now not sure about the amps cuz i dont know how to check the amps with this meter it has a dial and volts is the only one i understand. btw my ammeter doesnt look to active it just stays in the middle and only goes negative when i use something with the car off and pushing the brake peddle with the car off makes it go negative too, didnt know power brakes use battery power too?
 
Bad connections. Clean/check bulkhead, And ground to voltage regulator. Check volt reg as the next step.
 
ok got a working volt meter and the bettery with the car off is just under 12.6 once i start the car it goes to 12.5 then goes up to 12.7 and just hovers there the alt. is putting out 14.8. i tried to get to the ammeter but its harder to pull the cluster out then i thought the speedo is unplugged is there anything else i need to remove to take the cluster out?
 
oh man you guys rock it fixed everything to bypass the ammeter. when i got back there the wires were melted and the back of the ammeter was rusty. cant thank you guys enough i'll be back as i bring this rusty mopar back to life :love7:
 
ya i know as my lights still flicker but my battery charges now so its drivable. ima get the body work done first then get the car rewired by a pro
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top