Simply stopped

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Shunyun

Shunyun

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Folks, I know I've seen this before but I can't seem to think through it. 65 Dart 225 simply died while running. I can bridge the starter terminals and it cranks but won't catch. Key won't start it. Took the alternator to Autozone, their machine says it's broken but the replacement doesn't fix the problem. I need guidance to troubleshoot. Any links or stickies you'd recommend?
 
Start reading. Posts on "no start" every week. Determine if problem is spark or fuel. In-line spark tester ($4) and starter fluid ($2) may distinguish. Easy to tell you are a newbie at cars since if it cranks, the battery is charged and fine. The alternator's only job is to keep the battery charged (while driving), so how could changing that help? Read.
 
When the car 'died', did it just suddenly and completely quit, or did it slowly sputter and die? This symptom may help to better focus on the problem.

If the ignition failed, then this should not be a big disaster, but requires some patience to troubleshoot it. If you have a voltmeter or can borrow one, then this should be fairly easy to troubleshoot. Since you seem willing to read and educate yourself, I would start with a schematic for your car; it wil lmake it a lot easier to converse on this forum about what to look for. Go here and download both A and B pages of your year car's schematic.

If you just want to throw a part in it to see if you get lucky, then try installing a new ballast resistor; they are pretty cheap.

As said above, this problem extremely rarely involves the alternator or voltage reagulator. Focus is on the ignition and fuel supply.
 
if it just stopped, I say ignition. Bypass the ballast resistor entirely and see if it starts, just connect the spade connectors with a paperclip or something. If it starts and runs, you found it. if it sputtered and died, look at fuel. splash some fuel down the carb and try and start if it kicks over then dies its fuel related.
 
Also, ignition points or electronic ignition. With points ignition if the condenser is old and quits, same thing happens. Please try to give more information. Like points or electronic ignition, when was the last time it was tuned up? Also, did it just die, leaving you stuck, or slowly fade away. If you're having trouble understanding what is being asked, I strongly suggest you do some research for a bit. In these days there are a wealth of information out there. You just need to ask the right questions, but first get a basic understanding of what you have to work with. I know, you just want it fixed, and fixed now, but in order to get help you have to know what you're dealing with. I know I repeated myself, that is only because that is very important to troubleshoot what the problem could be. There are so many reasons why the car will just stop on you. Hope this helps. I'm not trying to be a smart *** here, just trying to save you time and money and the stress.
 
I think he meant that he took the starter to autozone and the replacement did not resolve the issue. Coincidentally this happened to us today on our 318 Scamp - started fine while trying to dial in the new carb and then no crank. Thanks for the suggestion on the ballast as that's one part we haven't replaced. I'll add my 2cents tomorrow after some troubleshooting.

And having spent hours searching this forum, some topics are easier to find than others.
 
Louie70Dart said:
Also, ignition points or electronic ignition. ...............
Click to expand...

^^THIS^^ need more info

You need to learn to troubleshoot. If this is points, you can almost troubleshoot by looking for spark at the points, but a 12V test lamp is much better, and a multimeter better than that yet

Get a bag of clip / test leads from Radio Shack

If you have Pertronix / Mopar / HEI but not MSD or other CD, jumper 12v to the coil + and see if it runs

Test for spark USING THE KEY

It is important to understand that ................

Using the key to crank..............

VS jumpering the starter relay sets up different situation for ignition voltage

One is "run" voltage going through the ballast and is dead in "crank."

"Start" feeds 12V direct to coil + "IGN2" the brown wire or bypass circuit. If this is not working it will not fire with the key.

Hook your lamp / meter to coil + Turn the key to run. Bright light? dim? nothing? 12V? far less? nothing? Points might be open, might be closed

As above, a bad condenser or coil or points not breaking / making can shut ya down right there

I might not be back right away, been busy this week
 
Step 1 is to try. It has been 5 days and no response from the OP. Sorry I get frustrated, but I used to teach Physics and constantly had students whine, "I tried for hours and can't see how to approach problem #1". I'd ask, "did you read the chapter? (all 3 pages). If so, did you notice problem #1 is exactly like example #1 with just a few numbers changed?".
 
...my first thought was "ballast" has gone south..happened to us with our slanty..
 
My first thought would be the plastic distributor gear feel apart. My question is does the rotor spin when engine is cranked?
 
All, thanks for your posts. :prayer:
I actually do know how to troubleshoot but wasn't there mentally when first working on it (on the street, homework due in a masters course, middle of the day when I should be at work, etc.) I read all your posts and spent time this weekend with my meter and got it running.

What was it? The alternator. :banghead:
"...but... you said that didn't fix the problem." Yeah, I did. Seems that 'attached' isn't the same thing as 'being attached and properly grounded'.

My hypothesis:
Like I said, I was on the street and didn't have all my tools, so couldn't cut the steel sleeve to mount it. So I had it in the circuit and was bridging the solonoid and battery terminals and the starter would turn, so that led me down a wrong path, thinking it was the starter relay that was bad. But as I understand it now, the relay depends on the 12v from the alternator to trigger; so although there was 12v to the battery terminal on the relay and 5v in the dashboard lights, energy on the low volt side of the relay is in circuit with the alternator. I think.

Could someone confirm I got that right? If I didn't then I still haven't got it fixed, simply 'jiggled' the right connection and needlessly spent $60 on a new alternator.
 
Sorry no

You could remove the alternator from the car completely, and if there's enough in the battery to crank the engine fast enough "it will run." I've done it

In sometime around 71, my 70, which had had the battery go completely dead at one point (parked at a dealer, monkey left the hazards flashing) this battery was SULPHATED. Long story short, I moved the battery to the trunk, and THIS is where we discovered, on a trip from San Diego (Miramar) to "the desert" that the battery was OVERCHARGING

So we literally would drive for hours and hours with the voltage regulator unhooked, "running off the battery."

Now, admittedly, this was BEFORE electronic ignition and certainly EFI.
 
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