I have a 74, 350, 200hp, manual,vert. I am riding down the road with my lights on,radio on, the car has no a/c, or pw brakes all of a sudden, no warning the car starts to die and goes completely dead. I can charge the battery at home let it sit over nite with a fully charged battery and in the morning it's dead. I checked the cables and connections, their ok. I have 12v engine off at battery, 14 engine on at battery. I took of the neg cable and connected the positive probe of my meter to it and the neg probe to the neg terminal and it read 13. The main ground wire coming out of the bottom of the battery compartment to the chassis is good. I looked at the connections coming from the junction box on the drivers side fender wall an it is clean and tight. I don't know what else to do. Any ideas? I would appreciate any input. This will drive you crazy. Joe
-
-
Re: 74 electrical problem
Joe, Charging the battery tells me one thing, the alt. maynot be puting out full charging rate especially if your running a few opition such as headlamps blower motor or other items that require higher out put of the alt.,If battery keeps dieing, the simple voltage meter gives you some insite on the charging system, but a charging station like the automotive shops use can run more tests and load test the sytem and check to see if the system is putting out its rated amperage. and also test the battery.
So my advice first to check the condition of the fan belt that drives the alt. a slipping fan belt will give you the type of problems your having. Also its a good idea to have the battery charged overnight at a slow rate then bring it to a auto parts store and have it tested, they'll do it for free most of the chain stores. A battery that is requiring a constant charge from the alt. will over work the belt and alternator. a shiney surface on the belt is a indicator that the belt is slipping.(charging system voltage output is 13.8/14.2 and a fully charged battery is 12.66,if the batterys charge state does not reach the 12.66 the a chance the battery maybe faultly)New England chapter member, 63 Convert. 327/340- Chapter/Regional/national Top Flight, 72 coupe- chapter and regional Top Flight. -
Re: 74 electrical problem
I can think of two possibilities:
(1) You've got a battery disconnect switch and the contact surfaces are worn. The 'green knob' style switches are known for this since if the knob is insufficiently tightened, it can bounce, create arcing and kill the thin layer of copper plate that acts as the contact surface on the upper bar the brass nut inside the green knob tightens against.
(2) Your car's main fuseable link is starting to fail from age/heat. The fuseable link 'lives' inside the tape wrapped wiring harness that serves the starter motor. Unwrap the tape and squeeze the wires of the fuseable link between your finger and thumb. If they feel 'spongy' instead of solid, the link is beginning to fatigue and needs to be replaced (an easy job).Comment
-
Re: 74 electrical problem
Another posibility is a bad diode in the alternator. It will charge, but at a reduced rate. A sign of a bad diode is a growling noise emiting from the alternator.Dick WhittingtonComment
-
Re: 74 electrical problem
I would like to thank you guys for all of your insight. Edward the alt. is new(rebuilt) but it could be bad. I am going to an automotive shop to get it check out. Fan belt is new. Dick, I will listen for the growling tomorrow. I been so focused on the battery I haven't been listening for different sounds. Jack, can you tell me where is the battery disconnect switch? Thanks again, your help is appreciated. JoeComment
Comment