Battery draining fast

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Good Morning,

Please take Redfish's advice very seriously, people have lost cars due to this kind of issue.

I believe you said that you put your test light between the negative battery terminal and the negative battery cable and it did not light. Is that correct?

Also, please look at the back of the alternator very carefully. There are two styles of round back alternators. One is the 1969 and earlier which has only one field terminal connection. The second type is the 1970-1971 style that has two field terminal connections. After looking at the back of the alternator closely, Which one do you have?

Disconnect the blue wire from the regulator and with the battery connected and ignition key in the run position do you have 12 volts from the blue wire to ground?

Please report back on these questions and please do not leave this car with the battery cables connected unattended for even a second.
 
That extra green wire near the alternator could be going to the horns if they are up in that corner of the engine compartment; it just happens to run in the same area in some harnesses. Or, the PO had a later alternator inthere for a while and that was the 2nd field wire. The one you have should only use 1 field wire.

The 3rd wire at the regulator is a ground; some of the aftermarket regulators have a 3rd ground connection. The blue wire (12v to run the regulator from the ignition switch)goes to the stab on terminal and that is often marked 'I' or 'IGN' on the regulator. The green wire to the alternator field connects to the regulator terminal with the screw; that is often marked 'F' or 'FLD'.

Pete is on the right track; you need to stop and do things in an orderly manner. You have not established that the battery is even good and that is step number 1. The fact that you started it and then it would not restart (only click) after a short drive shows that the battery is either bad or there are bad connections just in the battery area. It is waste of your time and ours to not do this in an orderly process. A Redfish points out, with the wide ranging variety of symptoms you have reported, there are likely mulitple issues to be corrected and several causes of the problems reported. You can only figure this out in an orderly fashion, especialy with people helping by 'remote control'.

12.4 volts on the battery shows a partial charge so is not bad. Please do as asked and do the battery tests as requested and let us know. Start with the battery disconnected and check the voltage for a few hours to see if it is dropping. If not, then connect and try that again. You can do this every 30 minutes to an hour as you are working on other thigns so there is no time wasted.
 
Took battery and alternator to local auto parts store and battery is good next tested alternator and it was bad . I also found out the extra green wire was later added and the original was cut off and screwwdown to the nut on the regulator . It was removed and terminated . I purchased new alternator and regulator . cleaned up all the splices correctly along with he after market radio that the wires were twisted with black tape connections .
The battery held its charge for four hours .installed new alternator and regulator with ground cable off and she started right up put tester on alternator and 11.64 volts directly at the terminal .
drove it around for ten to fifteen minutes and battery now tested just over 9 volts . questions could this be a ground issue ? I found another harness as I was cleaning up coming up next to the battery was a harness with what looked like a#8 wire cutoff and there are 3 to 4 wires that are taped to it that branch off in to the compartment.
it has a after market gound to the block . i checked the block for ground with light tester and it lit up . Does the regultor need to be grounded with screws thru the firewall ? I touched the ground cable to the negitive post on the battery with everything back in and no arch tonight so i may have fixed the short , but now its not charging.
 
Pete in NH said:
Good Morning,

Please take Redfish's advice very seriously, people have lost cars due to this kind of issue.

I believe you said that you put your test light between the negative battery terminal and the negative battery cable and it did not light. Is that correct?

Also, please look at the back of the alternator very carefully. There are two styles of round back alternators. One is the 1969 and earlier which has only one field terminal connection. The second type is the 1970-1971 style that has two field terminal connections. After looking at the back of the alternator closely, Which one do you have?

Disconnect the blue wire from the regulator and with the battery connected and ignition key in the run position do you have 12 volts from the blue wire to ground?

Please report back on these questions and please do not leave this car with the battery cables connected unattended for even a second.
Click to expand...

Yes i did put a tester from cable to terminal no light .

The alternator only has one blade terminal .

I will test the blue wire in morning and get bac to you and Thankjs for all the advise .
 
Yes the voltage regulator should be well grounded to the chassis as is everything else on these cars. ( Bold because you will do well to remember this. ) Dang near all the wires are positive wires. Ground path is a daisy chain of parts and hardware instead of a copper wire.
The original voltage regulators had some parts mounted on the outside of their underside. Todays replacements have modern electrical components that removed the need for those external bits. You would need to lift yours to see which type it is.
One of your pics showed a strange something poked out from under one side of the reg'. If that is shorting something or if that green wire that was poked under was shorting something the regulator may be dead.
Then sometimes the cars mounting holes for the regulator are striped. Some owners relocate the reg'. Other owners add a ground wire from their 1 good screw to a good ground connection nearby or all the way to the battery ground.
 
Good Morning,

I'm beginning to think the wiring in this car has been seriously messed with. Yes, as Redfish said the regulator needs to be grounded well to the firewall. The original mounting screws are self tapping types that over the years don't tighten very well after being removed and replaced several times. So, carefully clean the firewall mounting area of rust and old paint and also clean the regulator mounting bracket of rust and paint. Use an actual nuts, bolts and lock washers if you can get behind the firewall.

Please take some photos of that #8 wire you mentioned so we can see what you have there. Also, post some photos of the starter relay on the firewall and bulk head connector area so we can get an idea of how bad the wiring has been messed with.

You now have a new regulator and alternator and it still isn't charging so, I have to believe that it's a wiring issue. Also, let us know about the 12 volts on the blue regulator wire.

With your new alternator, put your voltmeter across your battery, disconnect the green wire to the alternator field, start the car and very briefly connect the alternator field terminal to the alternator output stud with a short jumper wire . The voltmeter should jump up to 16 to 17 volts. This will confirm the alternator is good and it is connected to the battery through the charging circuit. Do this test quickly and do not leave the field connected to the output stud for longer than it takes to get a voltmeter reading. Let us know what you find.
 
The regulator does have a stripped screw I'm going to run a wire from the ground (aftermarket) wire to the firewall and replace the screws on the regulator and pigtail a self tapping screw to the same wire with ring connectors. I'll let you know what happens .
DD is beating me up over this its her first Car and she just want to drive it . I've restored an old Falcon and Chevy Truck and I've worked as a residential electrician ,butI've got to say these plymouths are very tricky trying to figure out !!!
Thanks again for your input gentleman ,
 
Actually, these old Chrysler systems are pretty simple once you understand them. What does them in today is age, rust and corrosion, people who don't understand them making wiring changes with quickie patch jobs to keep them running. Its what happens to 50 year old cars that go through multiple owners.

Also, ammeters have long ago disappeared from dash boards so few people understand them anymore.

I hope your daughter can hang in there a bit longer. This issue will get sorted out and she'll have a very nice, unique little car.
 
Pete in NH said:
Actually, these old Chrysler systems are pretty simple once you understand them. What does them in today is age, rust and corrosion, people who don't understand them making wiring changes with quickie patch jobs to keep them running. Its what happens to 50 year old cars that go through multiple owners.

Also, ammeters have long ago disappeared from dash boards so few people understand them anymore.

I hope your daughter can hang in there a bit longer. This issue will get sorted out and she'll have a very nice, unique little car.
Click to expand...

Yeah She will she gets her hand on it and helps me a lot . Funny thing we found the car on CL afew months ago and didn't have cash at the time . I mentioned I grew up with a friend that had one that would spin the tires all the way to the corner . She kept asking me to call him and finally had the funds and it was removed .we thought he sold it . I was in the process of restoring a 69 falcon that belong to a neighbor that gave me the car
. The biggest mistake everything and I mean everything was broken or not working . I had the motor rebuilt with another block it went on for a while . She ended up asking if we could sell it she wants a older falcon , she wanted steel dash bucket seats vintage muscle car looks . Senior in high school and working . We'll searched craigslist and under falcons was two 65 cudas ! One local that was very clean and all original .12000 funny thing it was white with gold interior . We went to see it and ear to ear smile she loved it and it has everything she asked for . The other one was up north body straight except one dent on rear quarter but all there all the chrome was clean no pitting lenses had been replaced just need tlc and restore the seats and carpet for 3200 .the owner was very cool and upfront on the issues so we had it shipped home . He said he had trouble starting it sometime after reading on this forum it was the ballast resistor . Ear to ear smile again now just making sure its safe then well do complete interior restoration . And retro sound system with Bluetooth so she's not on the phone driving . Hitting it today ill let you know what happens and thanks
 
New alternator and regulator cleaned up wires after reading thru similar problems and not really knowing what or where the fusible link is I'm guessing its the little wire that jumps the wire harness to the distribution just to the left . Well I found a heavier gauge wire that's been spliced with a blue butt connector . I need to find a fusible link or make one does anyone know what amp this link is ? I started grounding the alternator and regulator and rain started coming down . Hopfully it stops so I can get this thing figured out.
 
Bud, where are you located? Ive owned these for going on 25 years now, not much we cant figure out. I got a FSM that has a very thorough wiring section. Shoot me an email address and ill get back with you tonight. The squareback alternators and round dual field and electronic regulators are very easy to transplant and it sounds like you alread have the secomd field wire in your harness...but your new one should be easy to fix too. Id look into maybe a bad regulator. The older ones turn the alternator exciter voltage on and off like a duty cycle with points, whilenthe electronic ones vary the ground resistance to the alternator, manipulating the output voltage.
 
The fusible link is on the driver's side and connects between the large lug on the starter relay and one of the the smaller lugs going through the firewall. (It is a rather thick wire but not nearly as thick as a starter or battery cable.) You can find fusible link wire at NAPA or buy a new complete fusible link from a few sources. It is a specific type of wire so substitutes should only be used as a temporary patch. Sometimes they do get patched and don't last.

Now the fusble link typically blows open or becoems erratically open. It would not cause the alternator to not charge; it could cause the car's electrical system to be entirely dead.

Glad you and your daughter are on this together. It will be a good set of lessons in patience with older machinery and planning ahead for handling roadside breakdowns! (Tell her not to drive it in any tough neighborhoods for a looong time while it gets sorted out.)
 
I must say your daughter has excellent taste in cars! So many of her age would want something from Japan.

The fusible link is a small #16 gauge blue wire between the 5/16" battery stud on the starter relay and one of the bulk head connector pins. It may have a small molded tag on it labeled fuse or link. This wire is covered with a special high temperature insulation and is meant to act as a last resort fuse that is supposed to melt open in case of a short circuit to hopefully prevent a fire. They can fail by corrosion under the insulation and look okay so you really need to check them with a meter. They can also melt open and appear okay from the outside.

I prefer to replace them with a 50 amp Maxi-Fuse in a separate holder. A Maxi-Fuse is a more modern blade type fuse used on newer cars. They are widely available and once you get the proper holder installed very easy to replace if need be.
 
Glad you and your daughter are on this together. It will be a good set of lessons in patience with older machinery and planning ahead for handling roadside breakdowns! (Tell her not to drive it in any tough neighborhoods for a looong time while it gets sorted out.)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^this made me laugh^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The light came on when testing the blue wire with key in on position. I went back out in the rain and ran a ground to the regulator box with ring connector looped it over thru the alternator mounting bolt and now getting 9.46 directly from pos terminal .
 
pishta said:
Bud, where are you located? Ive owned these for going on 25 years now, not much we cant figure out. I got a FSM that has a very thorough wiring section. Shoot me an email address and ill get back with you tonight. The squareback alternators and round dual field and electronic regulators are very easy to transplant and it sounds like you alread have the secomd field wire in your harness...but your new one should be easy to fix too. Id look into maybe a bad regulator. The older ones turn the alternator exciter voltage on and off like a duty cycle with points, whilenthe electronic ones vary the ground resistance to the alternator, manipulating the output voltage.
Click to expand...

Pm sent to ya and Thanks I'm in Culver City by LAX
 
A fusible link isn't identified by amp rating. They go by wire gauge. 2 sizes smaller than the wire it protects is the practice. OEM link is 14 awg if my memory serves correct.
Fusible links are available at most part stores. Theirs wont include the factories disconnect terminals. Year One sells a complete OEM like replacement.
I wont comment on the maxi fuse substitution since I don't know for sure if that is a good idea or not.
 
Okay, you have 12 volts on the blue wire going to the regulator. Please do the connecting the field terminal on the back of the alternator to the alternator output stud test mentioned in my post above. This will tell us if the alternator is good and if the charging circuit path is intact.

Also, the poor battery is taking a beating by not being charged yet still being called upon to start the car. Get yourself a small 4 to 6 amp charger to keep the battery up.

With the green field wire connected and the engine running, measure the voltage from the Green field wire at the regulator to ground with your voltmeter. What is that voltage?
 
ok charging battery today removed the bulkhead connector used 300 grit sand paper glued to feeler gauge to clean all the blades .I also removed the connectors from what I now know as the starter relay and cleaned those contacts . I pulled the fusible link off thanks to all of your replies and it fell apart there was only a few strand holding it together . Im going to put everything back and see what happens then test the green terminal to output terminal if this dosent work.

Some one should make a sticky of a picture with all the relays labeled for dummies like me !
 
Happy New Year,

The joys of 50 year old electrical systems. That can happen to fusible links, they corrode away under the insulation and you don't see it.

If you are replacing the link with fusible link wire you want a 16 gauge link usually color coded blue. You should be able to find this replacement link wire at an auto parts store. They are a pain to replace because you have to put on a new 5/16" ring terminal and then deal with the bulk head connector pin.

I prefer to have to go through this foolishness only once and that's why I go to a Maxi-Fuse. NAPA has a good quality Maxi-Fuse holder P/N 784482. You cut the wire loop on the holder in the middle and crimp on a new 5/16" ring terminal on one end. The other end is a bit too heavy to get into the bulk head connector pin. So, there are two ways to deal with that. The first is to use a very short piece of wire that will fit the pin and splice it to the fuse holder wire. The second way is what I refer and that is to splice a new piece of #8 red wire to the fuse holder lead and run it directly to the ammeter terminal that presently has a red wire on it. You would remove the original red wire from the ammeter. This gets a troublesome bulk head connector out of the way. The Maxi-Fuse is very easy to replace in the future if need be and they are available even in big hardware stores.

As to fuse size, these cars typically had 35 amp alternators so a 40 amp Maxi-Fuse is fine. If the car has A/C they typically got 45 amp alternators so use a 50 Amp fuse.
 
If your battery is draining fast, find the leak and plug it....
 
Pete in NH said:
The other end is a bit too heavy to get into the bulk head connector pin. So, there are two ways to deal with that. The first is to use a very short piece of wire that will fit the pin and splice it to the fuse holder wire.
Click to expand...
The OP has '65 A body so he has the bulkhead connector that has 2 separate screw terminal lugs in the connector: one for the fusible link connection from the battery and another for the alternator connection. So he has the best bulkhead connector setup; he essentially already has a form of the Mad Electrical pass-through in the bulkhead.
 
HAPPY NEW YEARS !!
I did get a maxi fuse type connector it's yellow . It makes sense to pull a fuse and not have to mess with the bulk head and those tiny screws that are hard to see and yet alone unscrew lol.
Well I did all that and the voltage is up to 11.97 - 12. Up and down noticed as I was working in the dark the dash lights don't work .
I finally got the engine wiring done ,now went into car under dash and looked at the fuse box and the fuse tabs are rusted and corroded . I'm going to tackle that today .
Can anyone tell me why there surface rust pattern going down the inside firewall just on the drivers side ? There's not carpet in it and it looks like its getting rain coming in directly over the bulk head . I need to fix this ASAP !
Thanks Bud27
 
Rust is from leaking brake fluid that has been fix previously .
The shaft to the master cylinder and the master cylinder look like they have been replaced.
 
This is might be the problem any suggestions like upgrade fuse holder .
 

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