I need help. My 1967 Sport Fury Convertible died yesterday. Nothing. Bupkis. I was driving down the highway here in Arizona with the top down and the electrical system just shut down. After having it towed home, I did the basic amateur stuff... checked battery fluids, charged battery overnight, checked alternator draw...but I get nothing. No dash lights, radio, headlights, nothing. Any suggestions? I only get about 5 months a year to drive this car because of the blazing heat (no A/C). ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Most probable stuff is a bad battery cable--they do fail internally from corrosion,

if there's a fuse link up by the starter relay where the main feed goes through the bulkhead connector

The bulkhead connector itself

connections at the ammeter

This should be simple to run down with a test lamp

It is improbable --but HAS HAPPENED--that the main --in harness-- splice failed

Here's a 66 manual you can download, should be quite similar

Here's some useable diagrams:

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1967/67FuryA.JPG

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1967/67FuryB.JPG

On schematic B, look at the wire coming off the starter relay, fuse link, and a LARGE dark blue going to no Z of the bulkhead.

If the link is bad, or the connection right there in the bulkhead connector is bad, you'll lose all power. Now notice it's mate---no Z at the firewall end, turns red, and goes down and over RIGHT TO the ammeter.

Now notice that the other side of the ammeter comes off to a big splice. THIS IS TAPED UP IN the harness, and they can fail. This feeds the "hot" feed to the fusebox, the headlight switch (breaker), and other places.

Once again, a few quick probes with a test lamp should start to tell the story.

 

Check the fusable link 1

 

Could this be caused by the dreaded ballast resistor?

 

I agree could be that. I was told they go out quite often

 

A bad ballast will not kill "all power" to the car which I understood was the symptom. All a ballast will do is this:

If you crank the car it SHOULD fire, then as you release the key, it should die.

This is because on a Chrysler product, the ballast is bypassed during starting with what is known as the "ignition 2" circuit from the ignition switch.

 

Another vote for the fusible link. It's a fat red wire going into the firewall with all the other wires. Trouble is, if this melted it might mean bigger problems. I have been reading a lot about failures in this area lately as these cars are getting pretty old now. A complete inspection of the system is needed. not that hard but you should get a factory service manual for your car. They can be had at e-bay and such. Be careful who you let mess with it, these are old cars and not many mechanics really know what they are doing with them. If you are the least little bit handy you can do it yourself and save a lot of money and inherit the pride of a job well done. good luck and let us know how it worked out for you.

 

OK. I crawled under the dash to disconnect the ignition wires, and as I reached up into the rat's nest of wires, I noticed the console light come on...then go off...then come on. I removed the neg battery cable and removed the dash to look for the loose wire and found two things:

1. According to the diagrams supplied by 440roadrunner (Thanks!), the ammeter has two terminal posts. One for a black wire that runs to the alternator and one for a red wire that runs to the starter relay. BOTH wires were hooked to the same post. I repaired that. The diagram also shows a gray wire that runs from the black post to the accessory fuse on the fuse block. That wire is missing, and there is no wire on the back of the acc fuse.

2. One of the terminals for the fuel gauge had come off and was shorting out against the metal dash frame. I repaired that, connected the battery cable, and now have full electrical connections. Everything works. However, the car won't start. It doesn't even turn over.

If I turn the key over and jump across the starter with a screwdriver it will start and runs great. So...starter relay? Starter? Also, should I add a fuseable link coming off the starter relay?

Thanks for the help. My dad didn't have the patience to work on cars, so I'm learning all this from this site!

 

There may have been a good reason for both ammeter wires connected as were, that is, the ammeter bypassed.

These cars are becoming quite troublesome for a few reasons:

The bulkhead connector, where the major harness "goes through" the firewall, has ALWAYS been a trouble spot, and 30-40 years of corrosion doesn't help

the wiring in that area was never large enough, and installing larger alternators, heavier batteries, or adding a great big sound system can cause problems

The ammeter itself is prone to failure in some models. Part of it is caused by the idea that the ammeter is mounted in the PLASTIC dash casting, in such a way that as more and more current goes through, it gets warm, softens the plastic, starts to lose connection, and gets EVEN WARMER.

Google up "Mad Electrical." There are other forums, with suggestions on bypassing the ammeter, and adding larger gauge wire to prevent failure.

http://www.madelectrical.com/electrical-tech.shtml

An example article, about Dodge pickup:

http://www.madelectrical.com/electri...p-gauges.shtml

 

Thanks 440roadrunner. The dim headlights has always been an issue.

Any thoughts on the starter/starter relay problem? Hate to keep jumping with a screwdriver to start it.

 

OK it starts and runs, that's good, now how to fix the screw driver key issue.
could be the linkage to your shifter, not lining up the neutral safety switch but not likely. Could be the neutral safety switch, could be the ignition switch, or the solenoid itself. They are in the same circuit. Either you need to add a push button on the dash that will bypass this or trace it down and fix it.

 

OK, here's how the starter relay works. Assuming the ign switch has power OK the power goes from the key --twist to start contacts --out the ign switch connector (yellow) through the bulkhead connector -- to one of the push on terminals of the start relay. That's the coil of the relay

The second push on term. of the relay goes down to the neutral safety switch, and GETS GROUNDED in park or neutral.

So to start with, identify the push on terminal NOT yellow at the start relay. Ground the exposed terminal with a clip lead and see if the car starts.

If not, get your test lamp, and see if you have 12V at the yellow wire at the start relay during "start" with the key.

If so, you probably have a bad start relay

If not, you have either

a bad connection in the bulkhead

bad connection at the ignition switch connector

bad contacts in the ignition switch

or the ignition switch is not getting power.

You should be able to pull the switch out of the dash and probe the rear. Once again, make sure you have "hot" 12V to it (great big obvious red)

and check if you have 12V in "start" on the yellow.

If you have it there, but not at the relay, it's either a connection problem in harness, OR THE BULKHEAD CONNECTOR

 

Thanks to Roadrunner440's post, I determined the yellow wire running to ignition from the starter relay was bad at the firewall. Replaced it and it starts right up!

Did the ammeter bypass based on Roadrunner440's post. Everything seems to be working well, with one exception:

The diagram recommends installing fuseable links in the 10 ga wire that runs from the starter relay to the alternator, as well as the 10 ga wire that runs from the starter relay to the ammeter splice. I was unable to find the recommended fuseable links, so I installed traditional ATO fuseholders with 20amp fuses. The car starts and everything works, but the fuse to the splice blows after about 10 mins with the headlights, heater, and wipers on. I changed to a 30amp fuse, but it still blows.

Can I just remove the fuseholder, or is there an additional issue?

 

Read the post in the attached link. Check out that post for a link to Autoshop 101. If you are using a fuse, it may need to be a higher rating than 30 amp. Good luck
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...ad.php?t=14693

 

the reason they use fusible links is because they can take an amp spike for a half second or so without blowing where as a traditional fuse will blow the milisecond you go over its amp rating, this is important because when a car first starts theres a ton of amps going to the starter and otherwise would blow said fuse and ruin ur wiring every day.

 

You need more than 30A fuses. If you can't find fuse links, try a "two way" communications shop they usually have big inline fuse holders. You only need to fuse the one feed from the battery, really, and it needs to be as large as the alternator is expected to put out.

 

I just had a similar problem on friday... Here is what happened.

I was letting the car warm up. It had started just fine.. While waiting for it to thaw the windows it just stopped for a split second and then continued fine for about 5 minutes. Then died..

I went to start it and all I would get is a clicking sound like the battery was dead... so I had a friend give me a jump and still just clicking.

I thought that maybe the battery was totally toast so I took it to have tested, they threw it on the charger for a bit and then said it was fine.

So I put it back in and Tried to start it.. I got nothing not even the clicking... This is the weird part... If I hold the key to Start after about 10 seconds it will start clicking again... But I have to hold it for about that long every time

The battery is not the problem.. when i jump the starter relay it turns over fine...

Here is what I have done so far...

I have replaced the fusible link and bypassed the bulkhead connector.

I have power to the Ignition switch.. I have not tested the yellow wire on the starter relay yet as it got dark, freezing cold and my car is sitting at my work...

Any help would be greatly appreciated....

 

You really should have started a new thread and we need to know the make and model of your car

It is important to understand that the fuse link / ammeter circuit feeds EVERYTHING. If there is a break in that circuit, no headlights, no dome lights, no crank, or ignition

Does it crank, fire, and run when jumpering the starter relay? (Key on)

Later cars I believe (74-5?) have a fused ignition

74 cars have the seat belt interlock

Wiggle the shifter --clutch....might be the safety switch.

Again, we need the year, make, mode, transmission, and engine would not hurt.

 

bad starter