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383 not starting......electrical issues #1463574 07/06/13 02:12 PM 07/06/13 02:12 PM
Joined: Dec 2011 Posts: 85 Maine S shipfitter_sjd OP member
shipfitter_sjd OP member S Joined: Dec 2011 Posts: 85 Maine	I am sure this is pretty basic stuff, and it should be for me as well, but I need another opinion. 71 Plymouth 383. I have had battery issues recently. Also, I changed out my alternator recently. I am sure it is hooked up correctly......3 wires. I charged the battery and hooked it up and tried starting the car and nothing. Turned on the headlights and nothing. Looks like I am just under 10 volts on the battery. I hooked a horn up to the battery (with the battery out of the car) and it honked. I can see the battery voltage is low, but I would have thought I would at least get some headlight action...... I am trying to follow the schematic to come up with a common element, ie, bad voltage regulator or ballast resistor or starter relay that would not allow the headlights to come on.......... Just a bad battery? I don't have a spare battery at the moment that I can use to test the bad battery theory on..... Any other ideas or tests that I can try before I have to buy a new battery? Thanks, Steve

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: shipfitter_sjd] #1463575 07/06/13 02:20 PM 07/06/13 02:20 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 32,971 Grand Prairie,Texas stumpy I Win
stumpy I Win Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 32,971 Grand Prairie,Texas	Check the fusible link going into the bulkhead connector. Regulator,starter relay, ballast resistor have nothing to do with the headlights. The fusible link comes off the battery terminal on the starter relay and goes to the bulkhead. You should be able to jump the two terminals on the relay ,large battery and the smaller start terminal,and the engine will turn over. That will tell you if you have power that far. IIRC

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: shipfitter_sjd] #1463576 07/06/13 05:20 PM 07/06/13 05:20 PM
Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 32 pompano beach florida C cudas4ever member
cudas4ever member C Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 32 pompano beach florida	Try wiggling the plugs where the maim wiring goes through the bulkhead I just had my car do that and this fixed it

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: shipfitter_sjd] #1463577 07/07/13 01:01 PM 07/07/13 01:01 PM
Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 295 Spanaway, Washington State P patosmith enthusiast
patosmith enthusiast P Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 295 Spanaway, Washington State	Quote: I am sure this is pretty basic stuff, and it should be for me as well, but I need another opinion. 71 Plymouth 383. I have had battery issues recently. Also, I changed out my alternator recently. I am sure it is hooked up correctly......3 wires. I charged the battery and hooked it up and tried starting the car and nothing. Turned on the headlights and nothing. Looks like I am just under 10 volts on the battery. I hooked a horn up to the battery (with the battery out of the car) and it honked. I can see the battery voltage is low, but I would have thought I would at least get some headlight action...... I am trying to follow the schematic to come up with a common element, ie, bad voltage regulator or ballast resistor or starter relay that would not allow the headlights to come on.......... Just a bad battery? I don't have a spare battery at the moment that I can use to test the bad battery theory on..... Any other ideas or tests that I can try before I have to buy a new battery? Thanks, Steve If you charged your battery and you only have 10 volts I would think your battery has a couple of bad cells. Looks like time for a new one. The headlights not working may be another issue but start with the obvious.

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: shipfitter_sjd] #1463578 07/07/13 01:06 PM 07/07/13 01:06 PM
Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 5,746 Ontario, Canada Dodgem master
Dodgem master Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 5,746 Ontario, Canada	Check the fuseable link and the amp gauge.

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: shipfitter_sjd] #1463579 07/28/13 04:31 PM 07/28/13 04:31 PM
Joined: Dec 2011 Posts: 85 Maine S shipfitter_sjd OP member
shipfitter_sjd OP member S Joined: Dec 2011 Posts: 85 Maine	When you turn the key, you get one clunk, which won't repeat unless you unhook the battery and hook it back up. I have used the original battery plus a new one. I replaced the starter relay on the firewall and get the same result. I also tried jumping, electrically, the starter, but not sure I did it right........with no results. This all started when I replaced the alternator, which I am sure is hooked up right......but think it has no bearing on starting. Do you think it is a bad starter? Or something else? How to prove or disprove? Thanks!

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: shipfitter_sjd] #1463580 07/28/13 04:41 PM 07/28/13 04:41 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 18,426 UPPER MICHIGAN, MARQUETTE COUN... N NITROUSN I Live Here
NITROUSN I Live Here N Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 18,426 UPPER MICHIGAN, MARQUETTE COUN...	Quote: Looks like I am just under 10 volts on the battery. If you are checking the battery at the posts and its under 10 volts and was just charged the battery is JUNK.

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: NITROUSN] #1463581 07/28/13 04:44 PM 07/28/13 04:44 PM
Joined: Dec 2011 Posts: 85 Maine S shipfitter_sjd OP member
shipfitter_sjd OP member S Joined: Dec 2011 Posts: 85 Maine	I agree. I bought a new battery and the outcome (thus far) is the same.

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: stumpy] #1463582 07/28/13 04:53 PM 07/28/13 04:53 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,469 Omaha Ne T TJP I Live Here
TJP I Live Here T Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,469 Omaha Ne	Quote: You should be able to jump the two terminals on the relay ,large battery and the smaller start terminal,and the engine will turn over. That will tell you if you have power that far. IIRC What he said www.tandmautomotive-omaha.com

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: TJP] #1463583 07/28/13 05:49 PM 07/28/13 05:49 PM
Joined: Dec 2011 Posts: 85 Maine S shipfitter_sjd OP member
shipfitter_sjd OP member S Joined: Dec 2011 Posts: 85 Maine	Nothing happened. Quote: Quote: You should be able to jump the two terminals on the relay ,large battery and the smaller start terminal,and the engine will turn over. That will tell you if you have power that far. IIRC What he said

Re: 383 not starting......electrical issues [Re: shipfitter_sjd] #1463584 07/28/13 06:05 PM 07/28/13 06:05 PM
Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 36,041 Lincoln Nebraska R RapidRobert Circle Track
RapidRobert Circle Track R Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 36,041 Lincoln Nebraska	Start at the source by slow charging the batt up overnight outside of the car on a charger or in the car with 1 cable disconnected. Then clean the posts/cable ends at the batt & with the cleaned neg cable bolted to the block & cleaned positive cable bolted to starter relay & clean that large "batt" lug on the starter relay & the ring terminal/wire on it that goes down to the solenoid & clean both the large & small starter terminals & the large & small cables that bolt to them. Then jump across the large/small terminals at the starter firmly with a large screwdriver being carefull not to touch the screwdriver to the starter metal case & if the batt is good the cables are cleaned & the starter is good & the starter has good continuity to the block & back to the batt neg post see if it will or will not crank. That'd be a start live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth

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