Replaced NSS switch/wiring.ballest resister.voltage regulater.alternator now what???

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edb_app

edb_app

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I have replaced all all of these things including th battery and still have the problem of not enough power. Sometimes when I press the brake the car dies. When I have the lights on and hit the blinker the car dies. What could be causing this. A guy at Schucks told me it is most likely a shortage in the wiring somewhere. Where do I start. I also read on here that maybe the NSS wiring could be shorting out somehow. I am leaning more towards that because the clips are real loose and I am not 100% sure how they are supposed to fit. Is it supposed to drop down from the engine and the wiring fit with the clips into the 2 holes on the side of the tranny pan? Than loop over the pan and connect to the switch? If someone could help that would be great. Its really frustrating replacing so many things and the same problem persists.
 
First off I'm guessing you have a 75 Duster. Also make sure you have a fully charged battery so you can start knowing you have enough juice to eliminate a bad one as the problem.

The NSS is unlikely your problem, that circuit is only used to start the car. I would check the bulkhead connector, the fusable link and lastly your amp guage.

If you have a fully charged battery, even if the regulator and alt were both bad you would still have enough V's to run the car for a while, race cars have niether. A quick way to check your charging system is to start the car and pull the neg off the battery, it should stay running. You can also chect to see if you have 13.5-14.5 volts across the battery when running.

It has to be somewhere between the battery and the dash to have the symptoms your talking about. The bulkhead connector is the first thing I would check, trace your main power wire, check the voltage on both sides first then look at the fuseable link to see if it might be partially melted and still making a partial connection.

The amp guage has all the inside electrical going through it and it could be bad or just a loose connection, sometimes that happens if the cluster was recently out and it wasn't tightened properly. And they do burn out from time to time also.

I have also seen a rare bad ignition switch but check the other things first.

It's sometimes difficult to diagnose electrical problems without knowing how original everything is, if it's had a column or cluster change it would give more clues as to a potential location for the problem. And sometimes just seeing things in person, with a trained eye can really be a big help.

I hope this gives some help to find your problem. JB
 
Battery cables are pretty old and we have been thinking about replacing them and we will as soon as we can. Today we just installed the new alternator and got the battery fully charged so thats not the problem. Tomorrow we will check on the bulkhead connector if we can find it. Can you describe where that and the fusable linkage is. Still haven't gotten around to getting a manual even though we know it is mandatory. That is our first priority before buying anything else for the car.
 
The bulkhead connector is to the left and down about 8" from the master cylinder, it has all the wires going into it including the fuseable link (usually light blue and marked).
 
RedFish said:
Did you ever have the battery checked ?
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Yea we just bought a new battery. Theres just not enough power to keep it running anymore. Now even when she gets warmed up you touch the brakes and *POOF* no more running.
 
Found the bulkhead connector.... will look at it tomorrow. I was also going through some parts I had laying around and found a light switch for the cluster in pretty good condition. I removed the cluster and saw that the old light switch was pretty corroded and moist so this maybe the cause. I will switch it out and let you guys know what happens. Thanks everyone for the input.

DSC07450.jpg
 
It sounds like you're replacing parts needlessly without troubleshooting first. I doubt all those things you've replaced could all be bad at once. You should invest in a good voltmeter and learn how to use it. Check voltage at the battery while it's running first then onto the fuses inside etc. You should not have much of a voltage drop inside the vehicle vs. at the battery. If so you have a resistance path somewhere along the line. Good luck.
 
Replaced my whole cluster today and surprise! Problem fixed. Everything except that the speedometer doesn't work. It worked in my old one so im wondering is there a way to fix this problem. Maybe take the working part and switch out the non working one so my cluster could be complete?
 
If the motors firing on all 6 cylinders and running smooth with the idle mix set and such, set the idle to about 650'ish rpm @ idle in gear and around 800'ish in neutral.

After that check alternator output with a multimeter for 14-14.5 volts.
 
Im going to try to disassemble the old cluster and remove the speedometer connector. Its in perfect condition and if everything goes smoothly I will replace the bad one. Hope this works!
 
edb_app said:
Replaced my whole cluster today and surprise! Problem fixed. Everything except that the speedometer doesn't work. It worked in my old one so im wondering is there a way to fix this problem. Maybe take the working part and switch out the non working one so my cluster could be complete?
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Good!

You'll want to investigate the source of your water getting into the dash area. Look above while you have the cluster out, the windshield leaking is probably what got your switch wet. If you don't fix the source, the problem will come back eventually. I know it's a little wetter in your neighborhood than mine, we only get rain about 30 days a year down here in Fresno, CA. :-D
 
Put the other speedometer in and still not working. Does anyone know what could be doing this?
 
Your not getting it plugged on all the way. You need to wiggle it a little while pushing it on until you feel it click into place. Either that or you pulled out the cable from the housing when you did the swap.
 
I plugged it in until it clicked. I am going to take a look under the car to see if it got unplugged. Also do I need to lube it before I put it on because there seems to be a lot of lube on the old one?
 
Took the cable all the way off and it was all corroded by the trans and was also dripping trans fluid. I know this isn't good but luckily they are fairly cheap. It's just finding a local store that sells them is what the problems going to be. Hopefully this is the only reason for the speedo not working...
 
edb_app said:
Took the cable all the way off and it was all corroded by the trans and was also dripping trans fluid. I know this isn't good but luckily they are fairly cheap. It's just finding a local store that sells them is what the problems going to be. Hopefully this is the only reason for the speedo not working...
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I wish you lived near me and let me work on your car, your throwin money around a little quicker than you need to.

Are there at least 2 people on your household? If so, have one person watch the speedo while the other is underneath the car spinning the cable (counter clockwise), push it in a little bit while spinning. If the speedo spins, put it back together and call it a day. I replaced the cable in my duster only because the guy before me busted the clip end off because he didn't know how to get it off the right way, retard! I've only see one that rounded the cable end because the speedo head was siezed up and you said yours worked before.

Grease, corrosion and dirt are all going to be under an original car with miles on odometer, sorry to tell you this, you can replace the O-ring if you don't want to see it leak anymore. I think your goal is to get it so you can drive it, at least for now and the other stuff you can worry about if/when you decide to restore it.

JB
 
Actually the corrosion is on the cable itself like it was melted by the tailpipe. You can actually see the wire housing. Thanks for all your info! I will try the turning thing tomorrow.

While I'm at it... are you saying that you want me to go under the car and turn the housing counter clockwise or the wire inside?
 
A burned/meted spot is a little different but these cable housings are pretty durable so it shouldn't be a big problem unless it's melted all the way through. Eventually you'll want to replace it but not immediately and no local parts store will be able to get it for you but there are several sources online.

The "wire" inside is the cable, the housing is around it so yes, spin the wire inside.
 
I spinned the cable and the speedo moved but never got passed 40. Since it actually moved the speedo Im guessing that it should work. Made sure to put it back on pretty tight and than took it for a drive. Still not working so I just been driving around with someone else's arm under the dash moving it around trying to find that sweet spot. I noticed also that if I turn the lights on and off over and over its moves the speedo up higher and higher but that probably doesn't mean anything.
 
edb_app said:
I spinned the cable and the speedo moved but never got passed 40. Since it actually moved the speedo Im guessing that it should work. Made sure to put it back on pretty tight and than took it for a drive. Still not working so I just been driving around with someone else's arm under the dash moving it around trying to find that sweet spot. I noticed also that if I turn the lights on and off over and over its moves the speedo up higher and higher but that probably doesn't mean anything.
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Thats just wierd ! The lights shouldn't have anything to do with the speedo cable unless your electrical is grounding through that cable. Good luck
 
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