|
Post by keithelsner on Dec 13, 2007 17:56:22 GMT -5
Hi I'm 17 and have a 1973 dodge charger s/e, i had it for a week when, my lights started going dim and the next morning the battery was dead so i said it must be the alternator, so i bought a brand new one, put it in and the car started and ran at an idle for twenty minutes or so, then i took it out on the road, as soon as i hit the gas, smoke just filled the car, all the wires under the hood and in the car melted, i couldn't afford a new wiring harness so i made my own and after a month i finished, but the car only starts when I'm holding the key all the way down , but as soon as i let off it dies, Ive checked the ballist resistor to see if it got cooked in the short but its fine, i cant afford a mechanic so any advice on how to get it running would be great. thanks
|
|
|
Post by Jer on Dec 13, 2007 18:13:48 GMT -5
Hi Keith #WaveHi# WELCOME ABOARD !! Click on this link: wichargerguy.proboards101.com/index.cgi?board=electrical&action=display&thread=1195941383This is a recent and HUGE thread about electrical problems in a charger...it has input (a lot of it mine on testing many of the electrical parts in your car. Worth the reading. A lot of the best input in that thread came from Nacho, who is extremely sharp on the electrical hookups, voltages, amps, etc. In fact, he's extremely sharp on just about everything 3rd Generation...he's our 3rd Gen Guru. Oh, and before I forget...you need to find out what caused the original harness to fry, before you end up doing the same thing to your new one...check things like did you accidentally switch some wires, or ground a hot wire, etc. (during your alternator replacement process), and also test the rest of your electrical system components...I don't know for sure but it sounds like you might have jammed a bunch of amps or volts into the system somehow. Good luck, let us know how it's going with your car, and once again, welcome to the site!! ~Jer~
|
|
|
Post by rd (aka Jamey) on Dec 14, 2007 21:27:56 GMT -5
Hi I'm 17 and have a 1973 dodge charger s/e, i had it for a week when, my lights started going dim and the next morning the battery was dead so i said it must be the alternator, so i bought a brand new one, put it in and the car started and ran at an idle for twenty minutes or so, then i took it out on the road, as soon as i hit the gas, smoke just filled the car, all the wires under the hood and in the car melted, i couldn't afford a new wiring harness so i made my own and after a month i finished, but the car only starts when I'm holding the key all the way down , but as soon as i let off it dies, Ive checked the ballist resistor to see if it got cooked in the short but its fine, i cant afford a mechanic so any advice on how to get it running would be great. thanks you have two hot wires running to your ignition switch, one to put power to the coil and one to put power to your starter solenoid. by turning your key totally forward, you are engaging the power to the starter solenoid... what you are lacking is the continuous power wire to your coil so that when you finish starting your engine, it will stay on. the amount of voltage running to your coil/ecu is different from the voltage needed to go to your starter solenoid. (snatcho will have the readings). You need to make sure that you have power running to each one of the hot wires on your ignition switch. sounds like you have it going only to one right now.
|
|
|
Post by Nacho-RT74 on Dec 15, 2007 11:56:41 GMT -5
Hi... first I have to say really sorry!!! really sucks when an untouched harness get bad because is when problems starts, specially if you are not good with electrical and wiring.
I'm good on that and althought I'm good and I'm able to make the harnesses by myself, I don't like to touch that because NOTHING like an untouched part, specially if you are toward to originality... I am.
first we need to know where the damaged arrived. A DAMAGE LIKE THAT can arrive up to underdash and you won't even notice.
If you have the patiente and passion we can work the harness out OUTSIDE THE CAR first to be sure that part is good by itself. If is good, then start to check around.
As stated, you'll have on START position 12 volts at coil, ( brown wire )and yellow wire at starter relay... some other wires will have power too because ballast works like splice, but being feeded directly by ignition key just those will get power.
On RUN position, blue wire at ballast, regulator, electric choke source, and brush on alt will have 12 Volts.
Lets start with that... if YOU DON'T HAVE that, then we are bad on basic.
I made lots of diagrams, and one of them explains how the power flows on every ignition switch position... if you think you are good with diagrams, I can post them.
|
|
|
Post by Nacho-RT74 on Dec 15, 2007 12:14:14 GMT -5
with key on RUN: with key on START beside these wires, engine harness carries: water temp sender ( violet wire ) Oil pressure sender ( gray wire ) Some cars had some wires turned around on diff harnesses, but mostly 73/74 had a black wire running to prop valve on brakes dist block Also depending on equipment: Green traced yellow to tach Extra blue wire to A/C compressor---A/C dryer gas sensor
|
|
|
Post by Nacho-RT74 on Dec 15, 2007 12:37:13 GMT -5
here is the engine harness like should be ( tach equipped ) SOME WIRES could it be turned around... this is a 73 ONLY, even 72 shares allmost the same, with wiper washer wire lenght difference and dist brake block switch location on diff harness,
|
|