Car power/start troubles

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rumblefish360

rumblefish360

I have escaped the EVIL Empire State!
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The car is new to me, a 71 Duster and I just did a /6 to 400 "B" swap. I have a strong battery. A good cable to it. No power anywhere at the relay. I turn the key and get nothing. (Starter will turn when I use a screw driver to it but not at the relay)

My fuse box is live but have no power through out the car.

I do not know the pathways the energy takes, so, where can i start the tracking?
 
No headlights?

Check for power at the column connector going to/ from the ignition switch?

Power at ammeter?

Sounds like a bulkhead, or ammeter, or "in harness splice" problem.

There's a huge big splice taped up in the harness, under the dash, that "y's" off to various things, including the headlight.

Power at column ignition switch connector should be the big red one

What do you have for diagrams?
 
I,d first check your SNS to make sure it,s grounded,let us know if this works,atleast you can tick that off the list.Check all grounds also.
 
67Dart273 said:
No headlights?
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Correct, no headlights.
Check for power at the column connector going to/ from the ignition switch?
Click to expand...
in column? Would a bad key switch do this?
Power at ammeter?
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Don't know, I'll check it. That was a thought while in bed last night. Dead meter.

Sounds like a bulkhead, or ammeter, or "in harness splice" problem.

There's a huge big splice taped up in the harness, under the dash, that "y's" off to various things, including the headlight.

Power at column ignition switch connector should be the big red one

What do you have for diagrams?
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Diagrams? Nothing. All material is at home in NY, I'm in Ga. some 900 miles apart. I didn't notice any splices. I'll double check.

OK, I have a path to follow now.

OH! I can't seem to find the tranny's neutral safety switch to connect. Small potato's right now.

Petty, what is a "SNS" ?

Should I have 12 volt power on both sides of the starter contacts?
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OK, I'm not sure if the 72 is the same, but "you should know" you can download the 72 shop manual right here

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=132309&highlight=manual,+download

Valiant is page 8-146 for engine bay, and

8-150- 8-151 for the underdash

The "alternative diagrams" from MyMopar:

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1971/71ValiantA.JPG

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1971/71ValiantB.JPG

The battery positive is interconnected with the "big stud" on the start relay and the big stud on the starter, so you should have power there.

Only time you have power at the small stud on the starter is when it's cranking

Because you have no headlights, it's probably BEFORE the ign switch----both get their power from the "in harness splice" so the power comes---

From the battery -- to the starter relay stud -- through the fuse link -- through the bulkhead -- to the ammeter -- to the "in harness splice" which Y's off and feeds the ignition switch and headlight switch

So check for power at the alternator output stud --and I'll bet you don't have any. This confirms a problem in the main feed path above

Next refer to the posted pix of the bulkhead connector. Your fuse link should be feeding power in through J check for power there, and go inside the car and see if you have it on the other side of the bulkhead.

Inside view on left, engine side view on right:

15g2t0h.jpg


Engine side view

59ygle.jpg


If you cannot reach it there, disconnect the ground for safety, go up in the dash and clip two leads (or one at a time) to the back of the ammeter and see if you have power there.

Or get to the column connector feeding the ign switch. There should only be one obvious large red, which is the feed coming from the ammeter through the "in harness" splice. This should be hot.

My number one suspect here would be the fuse link, second would be the bulkhead connector.
 
sounds like bad ammeter, check for power going into it, if not the problem lays in the large red wire going into bulk head connector, check for power on engine side of the firewall and the inside
 
I had this same problem once, turned out to be a bad terminal in the bulkhead connector. Good luck with it.
 
OK, thanks, printing! Got a new test light to check things out with. I'll be back in a few. Thanks guy's.

Hey, HEMI Ed., Artie The fuseable link is good and all the bulk head connectors in the engine bay where disconnected and brass brushed clean. All spade ends are at proper length and should be connecting to the inside of the cabin.

(Artie; The Poly made it to the new owner! And he's stoked! Thanks again.)
 
OK, whew it's hot!

All the above check points are good. from;

The battery to the starter relay stud , fuse able link, ammeter in and out and the connectors at the column though no power at the "P" wire at all.
 
I don't get it. If you have power at the ammeter, you should have headlights.

What means "P" wire, at the bulkhead?
 
Stand by, going back down to write it down.

I have power at the Alt. though.
 
Yep, as writen.

The wire out of the bulk head labeled block "P" as per on the diagram. And it should say I do have power there. In and out of the ammeter as well.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Yep, as writen.

The wire out of the bulk head labeled block "P" as per on the diagram. And it should say I do have power there. In and out of the ammeter as well.
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IF YOU ARE RIGHT that P is dead, that goes through the bulkhead to the "IN HARNESS SPLICE" and from there to the ammeter.

I'll repeat--I've seen those splices fail.
 
A simple test light will come on when there no where near enough current to run headlights, starter, etc.. Try a volt meter,
 
no no, it's live.

I'm thinking somewhere in the harness at the split at the ammeter feeding everything else is broken. I can start the engine without the key and it'll stay running. Key in run position. I get nothing when I turn it to the start position. No engine cranking or power else where. Just nothing else works.

short vid link below
http://www.youtube.com/user/wideglide1983
 
Maybe not. There's only one power "IN" to the key, and if it will run on the key, then the switch is getting power.

Have you probed the yellow "start" wire, comes from the key in "start" goes through the bulkhead to the starter relay?

Maybe the darn ign switch is bad.

By the way, you happen to know Frank Trotta?
 
when I put my duster together I couldnt get it to fire up either.

turns out that when I put my gauge cluster back in the car I never hooked up the two eyelets that mount to the back of the cluster that allow current to pass through the car.

otherwise,check grounds and so on.

and check any fusible links in the harnes....on my duster I found that a few of the old wires were "soft" feeling and were strtchy and limed up and one of the factory fusible links did not feel right so I replaced any questionable wires and replaced the fusable link with an actual fuse that can be replaced if need be.
 
Ignition switch/ Worth a shot I guess. Should be a cheap item.

Sorry, don't know Frank.

Thanks Dude, I have power through the fire wall and through the ammeter.
 
Rumble, some of what you posted is contradictory. It doesn't sound to me like the switch would do "all that" I'd do some rechecking tomorrow.

For example, you might have a bad connection through one of the bulkhead terminals, but "just enough" to operate your meter or test light, yet when you turn on the key or twist to start, the connection stops.

One thing you might do is rig up a "heavy load" test light, using a headlight. THAT sure as heck would put a heavy load on a bad connection and show it up. Or at least rig a test lamp using a stop/ tail lamp.

I'd go through and recheck the main feeds through the bulkhead

the ammeter

the "big red" feeding to the ignition switch connector,

and so on.

You said earlier you had no headlights. This alone indicates a break in a fairly "mainline" feed.

What's the history of this car, was it running at some not to much earlier date?
 
SNS=Safety Nuetral Switch at your transmission,ground it to your starter relay.I had the same problem,was a bad switch.They lose their ground when they go bad.Try grounding it,let us know.
 
pettybludart said:
SNS=Safety Nuetral Switch at your transmission,ground it to your starter relay.I had the same problem,was a bad switch.They lose their ground when they go bad.Try grounding it,let us know.
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I also had trouble getting my duster to start because I forgot to plug in the connector.......but I believe I still had power to everything else....just no start.
 
DusterDude72 said:
I also had trouble getting my duster to start because I forgot to plug in the connector.......but I believe I still had power to everything else....just no start.
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This is why I mentioned the SNS being grounded.Rumble has power and the car will start and run in ON position.I,m betting it,s the NSS.Sorry Rumble,instead of SNS I meant NSS..Neutral Saftey Switch...OOPS!
 
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