Electrical Help Please
I'm no good with electronics so I need some help with my '68 Dart with a 505"/440 stuffed into the engine bay with the battery moved to the trunk. First time I drove it I stopped to put gas in the car. Then I went to show the car to my father-in-law. Then I stopped at Wendy's on the way home. The battery died at Wendy's and I had to call my wife to jump me off.
The car is slow to start like the timing is too high or like it has a lot of compression. It eventually kills the battery. I'm afraid to drive the car because I don't want to get stranded. I have hooked a Battery Tender to the battery so it will give a slow trickle charge and the battery will be fresh every time I drive it. I also moved the timing temporarily so it's easier to crank. It still seems to run good but it's been 20 degrees outside so I haven't really done much to it yet like actually checking the timing with a timing light.
I called the previous owner and he said the same thing had been happening to him. He suggested a voltage regulator. Would a bad voltage regulator cause the battery not to hold a charge? I think that's a stock type MOPAR voltage regulator on the firewall in the pic. Seems like the alternator might be bad? How can I tell. Someone mentioned to remove the positive battery cable from the battery while it was running? What would that show?
Thanks for the help in advance.
I'm no good with electronics so I need some help with my '68 Dart with a 505"/440 stuffed into the engine bay with the battery moved to the trunk. First time I drove it I stopped to put gas in the car. Then I went to show the car to my father-in-law. Then I stopped at Wendy's on the way home. The battery died at Wendy's and I had to call my wife to jump me off.
The car is slow to start like the timing is too high or like it has a lot of compression. It eventually kills the battery. I'm afraid to drive the car because I don't want to get stranded. I have hooked a Battery Tender to the battery so it will give a slow trickle charge and the battery will be fresh every time I drive it. I also moved the timing temporarily so it's easier to crank. It still seems to run good but it's been 20 degrees outside so I haven't really done much to it yet like actually checking the timing with a timing light.
I called the previous owner and he said the same thing had been happening to him. He suggested a voltage regulator. Would a bad voltage regulator cause the battery not to hold a charge? I think that's a stock type MOPAR voltage regulator on the firewall in the pic. Seems like the alternator might be bad? How can I tell. Someone mentioned to remove the positive battery cable from the battery while it was running? What would that show?
Thanks for the help in advance.
