**Solved**Help with open wire in harness under hood **Solved**

[my5thmopar]

72 Dart 318. First is is not the bulk head or the ignition switch. Now with that out of the way. I was working under hood on the throttle linkage. I moved the harness near the firewall and the engine died. I checked and cleaned the bulkhead. I held the harness, wiggle bulkhead and wires...engine stays running. Then I held the harness about 6 inches from the bulkhead, wiggle the harness pass this point and engine dies. OK easy fix right! Nope!! I now have the harness tape removed and I am searching for the intermittent open wire. Now :banghead: I can't seem to get a regular failure with the tape off the harness. The one time I had a failure, the engine would run only with key in start position. Wiggle harness and engine starts and runs..****Does that point to a specific wire?**** Of course if I can get it to fail, then I can check voltage to coil, ballast. Any other usual suspects?...its hard to fix when it wont fail. If I tape it all back up...it is going to fail 100 miles from nowhere. Very frustrating so, I'm looking for some other possible method. Thanks Craig

:compress:Not sure which of the suspect items fixed the issue.

1) Bulkhead was not snapped into the firewall. This explains the intermittent issue of reproducing the problem. Sometimes the harness would connect in the tabs and sometimes not. Had to pull clips with screwdriver.

2) Broken/loose brown wire at a splice. I just repaired and didn't trace.

Thanks for the help!!!Craig

 

[daredevil]

I would think it would be the dark blue or dark blue with a white stripe. try a jumper for that one.

 

[67Dart273]

Wires almost never break in the middle. It's almost always an end terminal or a splice

So re re re re rerererererereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee check the bulkhead connector

Some of the factory ring terminals, like the molded ones for the starter and ammeter, are subject to failure. I don't remember about the coil, but you might check that out

I would also pull all the ignition component connectors, IE ballast, ECU and distributor connectors apart, inspect for corrosion, and work them in/ out several times to scrub the terminals clean and "feel" for how tight they are.

Might help in your wiggle tests to clip a test lamp to several points 1 at a time, IE both sides of the ballast, the coil +, the alternator blue field lead, and wiggle away.

 

[RedFish]

I would think it would be the dark blue or dark blue with a white stripe. try a jumper for that one.

That blue wire has a factory weld splice in it also. Those can be replaced with a crimp connector and solder.