My electrical is a mess

2691 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by 268darts, Jan 17, 2006

Discussion Starter · Jan 17, 2006

I'm having a hard time selling my 67 Dart because most people are turned off by the fact that the electrical is all screwed up and I think all the problems may be related a little bit. I'll just tell you guys everythings that wrong and you can tell me if it could be all related or if it really is just that everything has taken a poop. If you guys don't want to address all the problems then I have one main problem I need help with. My battery dies every time I drive the car (I've replaced it within the last 4 months). When I charge it, it could hold that charge forever while just sitting but as soon as I drive it it lasts about 3 hours w/headlights on. Here are the other eletrical problems I have: wipers don't work but can hear wiper motor turning, no guages but speedo and voltage, no dash lights (although once when I pulled hard on the headlight knob, the dash lights turned on for a few mins but never again). I don't have a radio, I've looked at the fuses and the fuse box is very corroded, and theres some bare wires around the wiper motor. I know there could be millions of reasons behind these problems but I wanted to see if any of this info. clicks together to anyone as one major problem. I could really use all the help I can get as I have no experience at all with eletrical. Thanks a lot!
Jennie

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PinkE

· #2 · Jan 17, 2006

Could be your alternator? That's what keeps your battery charged up while the car is running. Corrosion could cause a bad contact in your fuse box, that could be why there are some things not working...Loose wires by the wiper motor sounds like someone somewhere along the lines had a problem with that better find out why there cut, maybe a direct short if one of those wires comes in contact with some metal...Look under the dash and see if any wires were cut under there...Sounds like you better have someone take a look that knows electrical stuff...I had a wiring harness wear through and it started on fire...Not a good thing....Hope this helps ya...I'm sure the guys will give you some ideas too....

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Jim_Lusk

· #3 · Jan 17, 2006

Discharge of battery - Bad alternator or regulator (does the ALT guage point toward the "D" when running?). Easy fix.
Dash lights - probably a bad light switch, but could also be the 2A instrument light fuse.
Wiper motor - sounds like the wiper transmission arm is disconneted from the motor.
No guages - bad or missing Intrument Voltage Regulator. Broken pins on the circuit board.
No radio - blown fuse, bad radio, no speaker or wires disconnected.

I will say this, though. Your price is fair even given the problems noted. If I were in the market I probably would have bought it already and dragged it home on my trailer.

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Jim_Lusk

· #4 · Jan 17, 2006

I might be taking a quick trip to Tracy this weekend. Depending on the time we might be able to swing by and take a quick look, if you'd like.

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Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 17, 2006

Man, that would be so awesome. I don't want to inconvenience you at all though. Pleasant Hill is still a good amount of time farther than Tracy. Kevin440 just told me that you are the master of electrical. I really don't even know where to start with this electrical stuff... :-\ I think the alternator guage points 1/4 away from D. It points a 1/4 from the left...not sure which that is. I'm going to pull all the fuses and take a wire brush to the fuse box before this weekend and check out the wires around the wiper motor. Thanks a lot!
Jennie tnku tnku tnku

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Jim_Lusk

· #6 · Jan 17, 2006

Jennie, It's not too far. My wife's sister lives in Tracy. She wanted to take some stuff up to her and she's fine with the idea of me and Jeff (my younger son) heading your way. We'd come around Mount Diablo. That's a nice drive anyway. Send me a PM with your phone number and we can set up a time, probably Saturday afternoon.

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Jamakin

· #7 · Jan 17, 2006

it probably doesn't need to be said but PLEASE DISCONNECT THE BATTERY before you clean up the fuse block

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268darts

· #8 · Jan 17, 2006

I had a broken pin on the circuit board that caused my gages to not work. Another thing was some lights didn't work. Flashers, tail lights, turn signal on one side. I got out the test light and had power to both sides of the fuses. Then I checked the headlight switch. Then I replaced the new H/L switch. Still no luck. o[ I was going over the wiring diagrams when I realized there where 2 hot terminals on the H/L switch. Test light showed no power to B2 on switch. Power from the fuse that leads to the H/L switch. I pulled the fuse box down and touched the back of it where the wire is that H/L switch comes from. Tunrs out the clip that holds the fuse had a tad of corosion on it and also didn't hold the fuse tight. When I touch the back side there was no power. When I touched the fuse side the fuse made it appear hot. A little scotch briite, a little squeeze on the clip, and everthing works.

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