'65 Dart-Lights flickered, lost electrical, loud bang, car died
I'm not sure I can make this much simpler. SOMETHING has caused the fuse link to fail, and it might be something serious enough to burn up a wiring harness. THAT is why you need to try and find the short, not just fix the fuse link
Do you recognize the starter relay? Should look something like this:
The main battery cable goes to that big stud at upper right in the photo, and the fuse link takes off from there and feeds power in through the firewall into the interior of the car.
Once again, I refer you to the diagram "B" I posted above:
http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1965/65DartB.jpg
On that diagram, find the battery, trace the RED down to the left and find the STARTER RELAY
Then from the terminal on the relay, trace the wire coming up and to the left which is labeled
"FUSIBLE LINK (dark blue tracer)
That goes up to and through the firewall beside a large black wire, which is the alternator output
You will eventually need to go downtown and find a parts store who can sell you something in a fuse link.
But BEFORE you try and repair that you need to ATTEMPT to find the short. This is why you need wire a test lamp in series with the battery---because the test lamp will act as a current limiter and protect against more damage.
1---Disconnect the battery ground cable for safety
2---Find the break in the fuse link, (I'm sure there will be one) by tracing and feeling the wire with your fingers. Cut out the "bad" part and TEMPORARILY wire in a jumper even if you only use a "test" clip lead. This "repair" for now is only for TESTING
3--Now take your test lamp and fasten one end to the engine block or other place where it will be well grounded. Take the other end and solidly hook to the battery post. One good way to do this is to take the test lamp probe and clamp it to the battery post with some sort of C clamp, carpenter's clamp, Vise grip, or even just regular pliers with a great big rubber band. Use your head
4--I'll bet the lamp lights. Close the doors, make sure the trunk lamp is out if you have one, and that everything inside the car is off, lighter, radio (if wired hot) dome lights, etc, etc. Check around.
5--If you are sure that everything is off, move to the alternator. There will be one LARGER wire hooked to the alternator with a nut and stud. This is the output of the alternator. UNHOOK that wire, make sure it does not touch ground, and see if the test lamp goes out.
If the lamp goes out, you have a bad alternator and have found the problem
If the lamp does not go out look elsewhere
6--If the test lamp remained LIT in the step above, go in and pull fuses one by one, and look at the lamp for each. If one fuse drops out the lamp, either there was a load turned on at that time, or that is the circuit where the short was located.
7--If the tests above do NOT result in the lamp going out, post back and we'll move onward
I'm not sure I can make this much simpler. SOMETHING has caused the fuse link to fail, and it might be something serious enough to burn up a wiring harness. THAT is why you need to try and find the short, not just fix the fuse link
Do you recognize the starter relay? Should look something like this:
The main battery cable goes to that big stud at upper right in the photo, and the fuse link takes off from there and feeds power in through the firewall into the interior of the car.
Once again, I refer you to the diagram "B" I posted above:
http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1965/65DartB.jpg
On that diagram, find the battery, trace the RED down to the left and find the STARTER RELAY
Then from the terminal on the relay, trace the wire coming up and to the left which is labeled
"FUSIBLE LINK (dark blue tracer)
That goes up to and through the firewall beside a large black wire, which is the alternator output
You will eventually need to go downtown and find a parts store who can sell you something in a fuse link.
But BEFORE you try and repair that you need to ATTEMPT to find the short. This is why you need wire a test lamp in series with the battery---because the test lamp will act as a current limiter and protect against more damage.
1---Disconnect the battery ground cable for safety
2---Find the break in the fuse link, (I'm sure there will be one) by tracing and feeling the wire with your fingers. Cut out the "bad" part and TEMPORARILY wire in a jumper even if you only use a "test" clip lead. This "repair" for now is only for TESTING
3--Now take your test lamp and fasten one end to the engine block or other place where it will be well grounded. Take the other end and solidly hook to the battery post. One good way to do this is to take the test lamp probe and clamp it to the battery post with some sort of C clamp, carpenter's clamp, Vise grip, or even just regular pliers with a great big rubber band. Use your head
4--I'll bet the lamp lights. Close the doors, make sure the trunk lamp is out if you have one, and that everything inside the car is off, lighter, radio (if wired hot) dome lights, etc, etc. Check around.
5--If you are sure that everything is off, move to the alternator. There will be one LARGER wire hooked to the alternator with a nut and stud. This is the output of the alternator. UNHOOK that wire, make sure it does not touch ground, and see if the test lamp goes out.
If the lamp goes out, you have a bad alternator and have found the problem
If the lamp does not go out look elsewhere
6--If the test lamp remained LIT in the step above, go in and pull fuses one by one, and look at the lamp for each. If one fuse drops out the lamp, either there was a load turned on at that time, or that is the circuit where the short was located.
7--If the tests above do NOT result in the lamp going out, post back and we'll move onward
