1974 Plymouth duster 318 5.2V8

So, i got my duster finally working, and last night i get no juice to my car, no lights turn on nothing when i turn the key, Obviously im assuming its the battery since i have no lights in the car period.

This morning i purchase a new battery to see if its true, I put it in and it starts up for about a second then dies off, every time. The lights are on in the car so thats half my problem. I tried starting it about 3 times ( i was short on time)
could it be the ground wire? or do i need to keep trying to to let it settle in?

so my question is what could the problem be, the original battery i had in it has about 675 cranking amps at 32 degrees and 550 cold cranking

but my new one has 650 and 525

could this not be a enough to keep my car started?

thanks for any help

 

Anyone else thinking ballast resistor?

 

Yup, ballast resistor

 

yep, once it starts the alt takes over, so its not a battery problem,
my guess is ballast.
if it were a ground it wouldnt start at all,

 

hey guys im am having the same problem with my 318! It will crank and turn over until it blue in the face but will not start. I have replaced the ballast but still same thing happens! any suggestions.
Thanks for the help!!

 

Touch a plug wire to ground while cranking to see if you have spark. This happened to me and it ended up being the ignition module! (that box attached to the firewall)

 

ok I will give this a try
thanks

 

These might help explain some of the basics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c_Pyrdhs9E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Et0T...eature=related

 

OK so i just checked the spark plug wires... no spark . So i forgot to give this information before but. before i started to redo the interior and floor pans and such. starting it was a pain i could start it after the 5 or 6 time after i had just started it 2 mins before.

could this be the distributor?

 

HOW ARE you checking the spark,

READ!!!

IF you have a bad ballast resistor, YOU WILL NOT get spark when cranking the engine BY JUMPERING the start relay

To properly check spark, YOU MUST crank the engine USING THE KEY


Here is why:

Mopars traditionally have 3 separate electrical circuits involved with start/ run:

A traditionally YELLOW wire comes directly from the ignition switch through the bulkhead to the start relay. This circuit is hot only in "start" This causes the engine to crank on older "stick" cars, and on auto cars, or newer cars with a clutch safety switch, the shifter must be in park/ neutral, or the clutch pedal must be depressed

A traditionally BROWN wire (separate circuit) comes from the ignition switch, through the bulkhead, electrically to the coil+ THIS IS HOT ONLY during cranking, and IF YOU HAVE a bad ballast, this circuit is what causes the engine to fire. IT NORMALLY causes a hotter spark during cranking, by BYPASSING the coil ballast. This is the BYPASS circuit, known as IGN2,

THE RUN circuit is traditionally blue, and comes FROM YET another circuit in the IGN switch, is known as IGN1, and is hot ONLY in run. It is NOT hot in START. This circuit feeds the instruments, is NOT fused, and goes through the bulkhead to feed the regulator and igniton, and on newer cars, feeds the alternator field, and electric choke if used, and I believe, the distributor solenoid, if used.

THIS IS IMPORTANT. IF the coil ballast is BAD, the above RUN circuit WILL NOT provide you any spark when cranking the engine, by jumpering the start relay.

 

if he has no power to lights etc, its not the ballast resistor