What are these parts & how do I test them?

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mickey_bigdaddy

mickey_bigdaddy

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Trying to get my 318 to fire for first time since I bought this Duster. I turn the ignition key and nothing happens. So I'm tracing the ignition, one part at a time, to see where the problem is located. All I know for sure is that the battery is fully charged. I do know that the second picture is the voltage regulator but how would I test it?

Motor is a '70 318 with 3 speed manual. I know the motor is not original and the floor mount shifter is also not original.
 

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mickey_bigdaddy said:
Trying to get my 318 to fire for first time since I bought this Duster. I turn the ignition key and nothing happens. So I'm tracing the ignition, one part at a time, to see where the problem is located. All I know for sure is that the battery is fully charged. I do know that the first picture is the voltage regulator but how would I test it?

Motor is a '70 318 with 3 speed manual. I know the motor is not original and the floor mount shifter is also not original.
Click to expand...

First pic is the starter relay. Take a screw driver and touch the large stud to the small screw on the other wire. When you jump the volts across it, with the key in the run position, it should crank the engine and run, unless the starter is bad.

Second pic is the voltage regulator. Once the engine is running, check with a voltmeter to see if you are getting above 12.5 volts or better.

Third pic is the ballast resister. Check it with a voltmeter for continuity.
 
It does not turn over? Your first photo is the STARTER RELAY. NOTICE the "push on wires." The YELLOW wire gets "start" voltage when the key is twisted to "start."

The remaining wire goes to your CLUTCH SAFETY SWITCH so the clutch must be in when cranking. Remove that wire and hook a jumper from that relay terminal to ground. See if the engine now cranks with the key

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The BOTTOM photo is the coil ballast resistor. It is either good or bad, as a rule. WHEN STARTING by using the KEY, the ignition switch supplies power directly to the coil through the BROWN wire on the right hand side in the photo. This goes directly to the coil + terminal

So if the ballast is bad, usually, the engine will "fire" when cranked, but die when the key is released to "run."

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The MIDDLE photo is the voltage regulator. Not important to get the car running. You could unplug it, or not, does not matter to fire and run the engine.

Do yourself a huge free favor. Visit these two links and download yourself a FREE shop manual for your car. At the MyMopar site, there is also more / other info posted

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?p=1970088617

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=31

THANK you for posting pertinent information about what you are working on. Many, here, lately, do not
 
I got my pictures out of order so sorry about calling the first one a voltage regulator. I knew it.

Anyway, I know that the starter relay will not fire the starter with a screw driver. I tried it already. But, I am not sure if all the wiring is done right on the clutch pedal safety switch. So let me jump that connection and try again or should I just go buy a starter relay and them jump that safety switch connection?
 
mickey_bigdaddy said:
I got my pictures out of order so sorry about calling the first one a voltage regulator. I knew it.

Anyway, I know that the starter relay will not fire the starter with a screw driver. I tried it already. But, I am not sure if all the wiring is done right on the clutch pedal safety switch. So let me jump that connection and try again or should I just go buy a starter relay and them jump that safety switch connection?
Click to expand...

Going by the new information, I would say you most likely have a bad starter relay, unless the neutral safety switch connection or switch is not functioning properly. As mentioned by 67Dart273, you can just take a jumper wire, connect to that terminal on the starter relay and the other end to ground. I wouldn't buy a starter without verifying it's bad. Most of the part stores can test your old starter for you to see if it is bad, or you can do it yourself with jumper cables.
 
You jumpered across the two large exposed terminals?

And this does not operate the starter?

If so, it's not the starter relay.

Might be the wire itself, the big one from the square terminal down to the starter solenoid, in any case

bad connections at or around the starter

Sometimes that solenoid wire or even the battery cable breaks internally

Or bad starter
 
67Dart273 said:
You jumpered across the two large exposed terminals?

And this does not operate the starter?

If so, it's not the starter relay.

Might be the wire itself, the big one from the square terminal down to the starter solenoid, in any case

bad connections at or around the starter

Sometimes that solenoid wire or even the battery cable breaks internally

Or bad starter
Click to expand...

Good point; it can't be the relay because when he jumpered it, it bypassed it and it still didn't work.
 
I cleaned up the terminals on the starter relay and now the starter turns over by shorting those two terminals. But, the ignition key still does nothing when I turn it.
 
mickey_bigdaddy said:
Should I change the ignition? I looked around and all the plugs are connected.
Click to expand...

I told you how to check this in my first post..................

There are two connectors coming out of the column. You might have to remove the small trim piece under the column to acess them. One is pointed on the end, ..........wrong one. That one is the turn signal. Here's the ignition switch connector
 

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I would pull that yellow wire off the relay, temporarily replace it with a connector and wire and GROUND that thing good to the body. make sure the transmission is in neutral , and see if it turns the engine over at the key.
 
73AbodEE said:
I would pull that yellow wire off the relay, temporarily replace it with a connector and wire and GROUND that thing good to the body. make sure the transmission is in neutral , and see if it turns the engine over at the key.
Click to expand...

Wrong wire.................
 
Is there anything between the starter relay and the ignition switch that needs to be checked? Otherwise, I assume its a bad ignition switch.
 
mickey_bigdaddy said:
Is there anything between the starter relay and the ignition switch that needs to be checked? Otherwise, I assume its a bad ignition switch.
Click to expand...

Ya know I've explained this. PLEASE re-read what I've posted.

Look up above with my post with the diagram. This is your ignition switch connector. It comes out of the column close to where the column meets the bottom of the dash. You need to get a light or meter and check at that connector.

FROM THERE the yellow wire goes through the bulkhead connector

CHECK for power on the yellow AT THE RELAY with the key IN START. If you have power there, either you did not get the other relay terminal grounded, or the relay is bad

If you do NOT have power there, check at the yellow wire at the ignition switch connector. If you DO have power there and NOT at the relay, it's the bulkhead connector

If you do NOT have power there at the switch connector check for power coming TO THE SWITCH CONNECTOR

Look at the diagram above.

The top wire is the yellow start wire

The largest red wire, 5th from the bottom, is the incoming battery.
 
Brrrrrr, that was a cold winter. Back to work again.

So this motor has no spark. I'll get on troubleshooting that but, the battery negative cable gets pretty hot when I try to start it. Is that normal?
 
Brad4406 said:
First pic is the starter relay. Take a screw driver and touch the large stud to the small screw on the other wire. When you jump the volts across it, with the key in the run position, it should crank the engine and run, unless the starter is bad.

Second pic is the voltage regulator. Once the engine is running, check with a voltmeter to see if you are getting above 12.5 volts or better.

Third pic is the ballast resister. Check it with a voltmeter for continuity.
Click to expand...

I jumped the large stud to the small screw on the starter relay and the motor turns over but will not start. The ignition key is turned to on.

I tested the ballast resistor with a voltmeter and it does have continuity.

I do not have spark at the plugs.
 
mickey_bigdaddy said:
I got my pictures out of order so sorry about calling the first one a voltage regulator. I knew it.

Anyway, I know that the starter relay will not fire the starter with a screw driver. I tried it already. But, I am not sure if all the wiring is done right on the clutch pedal safety switch. So let me jump that connection and try again or should I just go buy a starter relay and them jump that safety switch connection?
Click to expand...

This is incorrect. I can fire the starter with a screwdriver when i jump the starter relay terminals.
 
67Dart273 said:
The remaining wire goes to your CLUTCH SAFETY SWITCH so the clutch must be in when cranking. Remove that wire and hook a jumper from that relay terminal to ground. See if the engine now cranks with the key.
Click to expand...

Engine turns over but only by jumping the starter relay.

Hooked a jumper from CLUTCH SAFETY SWITCH to ground and turned the key. Still nothing,
 
67Dart273 said:
I told you how to check this in my first post..................

There are two connectors coming out of the column. You might have to remove the small trim piece under the column to acess them. One is pointed on the end, ..........wrong one. That one is the turn signal. Here's the ignition switch connector
Click to expand...

I'm missing something here. Is the CLUTCH SAFETY SWITCH test what you are talking about? I did that and still the key does not turn over the motor.
 
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