74 Duster (318) ignition not working, not getting spark

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Thanks for the pic. I'll remount the ignition control module then see if there is a hole behind it where I can mount the ballast resistor.

And to the other post, yes... I'll make sure to wire wheel all the paint off of the fender behind where the ignition control box will go to make sure it has a good ground.

Does anyone have a closer picture detailing the wiring harness around that corner area on the driver's side near the firewall? It would be nice to have a pic of the wires as they are so I can know what needs to go where in terms of wiring the ballast resistor back into the circuit.


Progress pics. Having trouble removing the dowel rod in the steering column back near that saw blade-looking thing so I can access the ignition locking cylinder. Any help would be appreciated!

And thanks for the help everyone! I also found the previous owner's Haynes manual and it's making it a bit easier to understand this stuff.

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Holy **** that's some cobbled up wiring. Did you unplug the bulkhead connector from the firewall and clean that up? I do it every spring on my Mopars with just terminal cleaning spray and the spray protectant you can get over the shelf. If it's never been done you might be surprised what you find.

But seriously, just spend some money and buy a new engine harness and battery cables. Anything is better than what you got now.
 
Learning how to fix a significant wire rats nest is going to take time, especially if your electrical skills are limited to start with. If this is the same car you are trying to flip then wanting to keep your costs down (not buying a engine wiring harness) makes sense. However, the alternative is spending a lot of time figuring it out. What is your time worth? Unless you put zero value on your time, depending on how many hours you think it might take to solve the wiring, you might be further ahead buying a pre done wiring harness.

Just to keep it even more maddening, adding $500 of new parts won’t increase the selling price of the car by $500.

Getting the car running will go a long way in being able to sell it quicker, providing the price is realistic for the condition of the car.
 
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Learning how to fix a significant wire rats nest is going to take time, especially if your electrical skills are limited to start with. If this is the same car you are trying to flip then wanting to keep your costs down (not buying a engine wiring harness) makes sense. However, the alternative is spending a lot of time figuring it out. What is your time worth? Unless you put zero value on your time, depending on how many hours you think it might take to solve the wiring, you might be further ahead buying a pre done wiring harness.

Just to keep it even more maddening, adding $500 of new parts won’t increase the selling price of the car by $500.

Getting the car running will go a long way in being able to sell it quicker, providing the price is realistic for the condition of the car.


Maybe you should either help me figure out the wiring issue as it is now or go find another place to spend YOUR time.
 
Holy **** that's some cobbled up wiring. Did you unplug the bulkhead connector from the firewall and clean that up? I do it every spring on my Mopars with just terminal cleaning spray and the spray protectant you can get over the shelf. If it's never been done you might be surprised what you find.

But seriously, just spend some money and buy a new engine harness and battery cables. Anything is better than what you got now.

That's a good idea. I have to buy some cleaner to clean up the steering column electronics anyways.
 
Snatch it all out and put in an aftermarket no ballast required distributor and coil
toggles for power and start
 
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If money is an issue you could check and repair sections of wire, be sure and use the correct gauge and solder/shrink wrap when you can. A wiring diagram helps also but can be intimidating if you don't know how to read one. You would basically use the diagram for example to trace and troubleshoot your ignition system, wire by wire. yes as said it is time consuming and you have to be patient. I want to also add that I have seen plenty of "melted" wires on my Mopar, and yes i did buy a new under hood harness. I could have used my old one but I tore my car down for paint and body, and figured I didn't want to get the car done only to have it catch on fire one day...Not trying to scare you .
 
If money is an issue you could check and repair sections of wire, be sure and use the correct gauge and solder/shrink wrap when you can. A wiring diagram helps also but can be intimidating if you don't know how to read one. You would basically use the diagram for example to trace and troubleshoot your ignition system, wire by wire. yes as said it is time consuming and you have to be patient. I want to also add that I have seen plenty of "melted" wires on my Mopar, and yes i did buy a new under hood harness. I could have used my old one but I tore my car down for paint and body, and figured I didn't want to get the car done only to have it catch on fire one day...Not trying to scare you .
New wiring harnesses are not cheap, but certainly are well worth the money. After a few (!) years of neglect and many owners, you never know what has been done to the various wiring segments. It is really important that the OP start simple and move along. Get things going first, then work on other challenges one at a time. I bought a '70 Duster that was running, but had weird electrical issues. In my case, I replaced the engine wiring harness & under dash harness to resolve most of the issues. Cheap? No, but having an older car is not a thrifty endeavor either. Do what you can, then wait for a little more money and fix something else. These cars are longer term projects... unless one has deep pockets and can take big swings. Have fun, and don't get frustrated! That is what this form is all about; Mopar guys helping Mopar guys!
 

Thanks for these pics! It's really what I needed to see. I'm trying to plug these wires back where they go and I suppose I'll just have to color code them because the manual doesn't really show much else besides wires going to and from the ballast resistor.

If you have time, could you get some more close ups of the wires going into the ballast resistor and then the plug that goes into the ignition control module? I may have to throw in the towel and get a new engine wiring harness, but I wanted to give this a go before dropping $200.

Thanks for your help so far!
 
Pay attention what you are doing connecting the ballast. It is two resistors in one assembly. Notice there is a "U" shaped index at one end. Here is a simplified diagram

Ignition_System_5pin.jpg


Notice that the two connectors that are jumpered together go to the oblong hole index end. ALSO notice that there is an "U" index hole at the other end. The original factory harness connector indexed into this "U" to make sure it was connected properly. Notice the side that goes to the COIL This must be so. You can not reverse the connections on that end, as the ballast is two different resistances.
 
Pay attention what you are doing connecting the ballast. It is two resistors in one assembly. Notice there is a "U" shaped index at one end. Here is a simplified diagram

View attachment 1715733905

Notice that the two connectors that are jumpered together go to the oblong hole index end. ALSO notice that there is an "U" index hole at the other end. The original factory harness connector indexed into this "U" to make sure it was connected properly. Notice the side that goes to the COIL This must be so. You can not reverse the connections on that end, as the ballast is two different resistances.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have two manuals and I'm going back and forth and was trying to figure out what was going on lol...

I'll send some progress pics as soon as I work on it some more.
Pay attention what you are doing connecting the ballast. It is two resistors in one assembly. Notice there is a "U" shaped index at one end. Here is a simplified diagram

View attachment 1715733905

Notice that the two connectors that are jumpered together go to the oblong hole index end. ALSO notice that there is an "U" index hole at the other end. The original factory harness connector indexed into this "U" to make sure it was connected properly. Notice the side that goes to the COIL This must be so. You can not reverse the connections on that end, as the ballast is two different resistances.

And I was wondering about that with the ballast--whether it mattered which wires were going to what end. Thanks for clearing that up. I'll make sure it's mounted properly.
 
Pay attention what you are doing connecting the ballast. It is two resistors in one assembly. Notice there is a "U" shaped index at one end. Here is a simplified diagram

View attachment 1715733905

Notice that the two connectors that are jumpered together go to the oblong hole index end. ALSO notice that there is an "U" index hole at the other end. The original factory harness connector indexed into this "U" to make sure it was connected properly. Notice the side that goes to the COIL This must be so. You can not reverse the connections on that end, as the ballast is two different resistances.

Here is where I'm at. Had to go get some more connectors to finish it up. The spliced end goes to the alternator correct?

Also, how many of these little tin caps are necessary between the plug and the ignition control module? There are several in my case. Maybe left over from frying/replacing older ignition boxes?

And exposing the wires (i.e. cutting off the factory tape around them) really helped in this endeavor a great deal.

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Pay attention what you are doing connecting the ballast. It is two resistors in one assembly. Notice there is a "U" shaped index at one end. Here is a simplified diagram

View attachment 1715733905

Notice that the two connectors that are jumpered together go to the oblong hole index end. ALSO notice that there is an "U" index hole at the other end. The original factory harness connector indexed into this "U" to make sure it was connected properly. Notice the side that goes to the COIL This must be so. You can not reverse the connections on that end, as the ballast is two different resistances.

Your diagram doesn't really look like what Dart WR has going on. I understand your diagram though, and am pretty sure I can wire everything in according to that picture.

Also, there is a lot of excess wiring that I'm going to crop off once I'm sure it's all in the right sequence and the engine is running. Would you not do that?
 
Also, this diagram is saying that there is a wire going from the ballast resistor into the voltage regulator. This is for a 1972 duster. Idk if that's different than the 74.

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New wiring harnesses are not cheap, but certainly are well worth the money. After a few (!) years of neglect and many owners, you never know what has been done to the various wiring segments. It is really important that the OP start simple and move along. Get things going first, then work on other challenges one at a time. I bought a '70 Duster that was running, but had weird electrical issues. In my case, I replaced the engine wiring harness & under dash harness to resolve most of the issues. Cheap? No, but having an older car is not a thrifty endeavor either. Do what you can, then wait for a little more money and fix something else. These cars are longer term projects... unless one has deep pockets and can take big swings. Have fun, and don't get frustrated! That is what this form is all about; Mopar guys helping Mopar guys!

Wanted to give a belated thank you to you, sir. I appreciate your candor, and everyone else's for that matter. I appreciate the kindness while I'm trying to learn how to fix this stuff.
 
Post #6 in the second picture. It shows that the NSS switch has been bypassed. The yellow wire to ground. You may want to fix that.
 
Post #6 in the second picture. It shows that the NSS switch has been bypassed. The yellow wire to ground. You may want to fix that.

I don't know what you're trying to say or what photo you're referencing. Are you talking about the ground wire on the starter relay?
 
It appears you have some mechanical ability. Probably enough that you can repair what's there. I suggest getting lots of shrink sleeve and a decent heat gun. They're cheap. You can get a wire gauge and measure the gauges of the wire and get the correct colors and gauges from most any parts store. Looks like you've already made a few repairs already. I would take a deep breath, follow your wiring harness and fix it one wire at the time. It's time consuming, but you can rebuild that harness one repair at the time. The only thing that might hinder you is if the insulation elsewhere is dried to the point it's cracking. If that's the case, then another harness might be best. Speedway Motors always has good prices on harnesses. Now, they are all GM color coded, but big whoop, they are all marked on the wire what they're for and where they go. No firewall connector. That's a big point of contention on a Mopar. They always give trouble over time. Here's a 22 circuit complete harness from Speedway and it's on sale.

22-Circuit Universal Automotive Aftermarket Wiring Harness Kit

Now, I'm not suggesting you jump right on that, because it looks like you're gettin it done. There's a lot of reward in making something good out of something bad. I love doing it. Sometimes though, it's best to start clean. Without being there and seeing all the rest, that's a decision you're going to have to make.
 
It appears you have some mechanical ability. Probably enough that you can repair what's there. I suggest getting lots of shrink sleeve and a decent heat gun. They're cheap. You can get a wire gauge and measure the gauges of the wire and get the correct colors and gauges from most any parts store. Looks like you've already made a few repairs already. I would take a deep breath, follow your wiring harness and fix it one wire at the time. It's time consuming, but you can rebuild that harness one repair at the time. The only thing that might hinder you is if the insulation elsewhere is dried to the point it's cracking. If that's the case, then another harness might be best. Speedway Motors always has good prices on harnesses. Now, they are all GM color coded, but big whoop, they are all marked on the wire what they're for and where they go. No firewall connector. That's a big point of contention on a Mopar. They always give trouble over time. Here's a 22 circuit complete harness from Speedway and it's on sale.

22-Circuit Universal Automotive Aftermarket Wiring Harness Kit

Now, I'm not suggesting you jump right on that, because it looks like you're gettin it done. There's a lot of reward in making something good out of something bad. I love doing it. Sometimes though, it's best to start clean. Without being there and seeing all the rest, that's a decision you're going to have to make.

GOT IT TO CRANK FROM THE IGNITION ON THE COLUMN! No start, but this is progress for this car. Also, with the replacement column, more of the gauges are working where they were previously dead. I now have readings on the fuel level and alternator! And turning signals and lights finally work!

I have no idea how to use a voltmeter. I don't know how to set it and use it really, but I imagine there is still an issue and it's probably not getting spark. Also, if anyone could tell me where to fill up the carb with gas and how much to put in, I would be grateful.

Also, does anyone know what these codes "C E 1" etc. mean in the wiring diagrams in the Haynes manual or where I could find a key?

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I hope this does not cause confusion but this is what I have in my 74. The shop manual is a necessary companion to any of the photos. I noted that a previous owner went crazy with a black spray can and this got on the wiring. So hard to tell the color on some.

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CE-1. In your shop manual continue a few pages to the end of the diagrams. At the end of the line diagrams are some charts that show the connectors. CE is "connector engine" meaning engine bay. CI is "instrument" or Interior I forget which, Example: In the service manual AND I AM REFERRING TO A CHRSLER manual and not some Chilton/ Haynes/ whatever else........

CE1 is shown on page 8-171 and it is the coil terminals. The charts show what it looks like where it connects and gives you an approximate physical location

CE1diagram.jpg


You need to find yourself a By Gawd fer real Chrysler service manual. You can get reprints either paper or "on CD/DVD" online various places
 
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