Andy's 73 Barracuda
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MilesnMiles
- Posts: 7309
- Joined: Fri Nov 04, 05 8:40 pm
- Location: Cornwall
Absolutely stunning....... 
Not one thing i'd change apart from the owner (to me that is
)
Can't wait to see it in person.........
As for starting issue. Is battery new?
If not i'd look at the starter next.......happy hunting!!!
Not one thing i'd change apart from the owner (to me that is
) Can't wait to see it in person.........
As for starting issue. Is battery new?
If not i'd look at the starter next.......happy hunting!!!
Dave Tildesley.....MMA-081
72 Dodge Dart
73 Plymouth Duster - SOLD
I wanna go so FAST i think i'm going to DIE!..........Then i'll shift into second!
"My Car is a work in progress, Probably never gonna get finished, never gonna have the money to Bananarama!!"
72 Dodge Dart
73 Plymouth Duster - SOLD
I wanna go so FAST i think i'm going to DIE!..........Then i'll shift into second!
"My Car is a work in progress, Probably never gonna get finished, never gonna have the money to Bananarama!!"
Quite partial to steels and dog dishes myself 
Thanks for the great comments – I’m made up.
It’s not a starting issue per-se Dave81 – it’s a non-charging battery issue.
Hook up a fully charged battery and it fires up no trouble.
I’m seeing a good 13.5 volts at the alternator on idle, but more like 11.5 at the battery – so it’s not charging.
When the engine is off I’m seeing about 10 volts at the alternator (back from the battery) –so I’m guessing it’s the old dodgy Chrysler firewall connectors and/or the antiquated alt gauge.
The plan is to simply bypass the whole shebang by running some decent cable straight from the alt to the main post on the starter relay.
That said – I’m not 100% convinced I should be seeing voltage at the alternator when the engine is off.. need to do some googling there. If not it’s probably dodgy ignition switch or some such.
It’s not a starting issue per-se Dave81 – it’s a non-charging battery issue.
Hook up a fully charged battery and it fires up no trouble.
I’m seeing a good 13.5 volts at the alternator on idle, but more like 11.5 at the battery – so it’s not charging.
When the engine is off I’m seeing about 10 volts at the alternator (back from the battery) –so I’m guessing it’s the old dodgy Chrysler firewall connectors and/or the antiquated alt gauge.
The plan is to simply bypass the whole shebang by running some decent cable straight from the alt to the main post on the starter relay.
That said – I’m not 100% convinced I should be seeing voltage at the alternator when the engine is off.. need to do some googling there. If not it’s probably dodgy ignition switch or some such.
SOMtastic wrote:Thanks for the great comments – I’m made up.
It’s not a starting issue per-se Dave81 – it’s a non-charging battery issue.
Hook up a fully charged battery and it fires up no trouble.
I’m seeing a good 13.5 volts at the alternator on idle, but more like 11.5 at the battery – so it’s not charging.
When the engine is off I’m seeing about 10 volts at the alternator (back from the battery) –so I’m guessing it’s the old dodgy Chrysler firewall connectors and/or the antiquated alt gauge.
The plan is to simply bypass the whole shebang by running some decent cable straight from the alt to the main post on the starter relay.
That said – I’m not 100% convinced I should be seeing voltage at the alternator when the engine is off.. need to do some googling there. If not it’s probably dodgy ignition switch or some such.
Sensible mod running a direct wire (just done it myself).
If its a charging issue, next step would be Voltage Regulator. Make sure contact surface is clean and metal to metal behind (casing uses the mounting bolt area as a ground). If still an issue you can get them new for £15-£20 in the UK (Real Steel, Customville).
Dave Tildesley.....MMA-081
72 Dodge Dart
73 Plymouth Duster - SOLD
I wanna go so FAST i think i'm going to DIE!..........Then i'll shift into second!
"My Car is a work in progress, Probably never gonna get finished, never gonna have the money to Bananarama!!"
72 Dodge Dart
73 Plymouth Duster - SOLD
I wanna go so FAST i think i'm going to DIE!..........Then i'll shift into second!
"My Car is a work in progress, Probably never gonna get finished, never gonna have the money to Bananarama!!"
OK – think I’ve got the charging issue sorted… one of the field connectors on the alternator pretty much came away in my hand so re-crimped that, fitted my chunky by-pass cable and put in a new battery for good measure. All now seems well 
Blown fuse was the cause of the side lights not working. The old fuse said “34V” on the side – so no idea what that means. Fitted a 15amp.
Why it blew I’ve no idea, but there was some odd goings on with indicators not flashing, and side lights flashing instead .. which seems to have “gone away” .. not a very satisfactory conclusion though
More pressing now though is the brakes. Went for a test drive Saturday to check the charging and noticed the brakes fading a bit after a longish decent (There are many large hills in my part of the world). Was fine by the time I got back ... so suspected a touch of over heating.
On Sunday though I went for a longer drive, and they faded to virtually nothing…on a big hill - lucky I was wearing brown trousers ! I managed to stop in someone’s drive and the (front) wheels were scorching hot.. Steam came of when I doused them with water.
I Let it all cool down for a good while, then I was able to gingerly get down the hill and home. But it scared the sh*t out of me.
It has discs up front – I’ve not had the wheels off yet to have a look – but here’s a pic from on-line before I purchased.
There’s plenty of fluid and they seem to work pretty well when at a sensible temperature… So question is – is this a common problem, and the solution to avoid big hills ?
Or maybe it because it’s an auto and affords less engine braking ? (never driven an auto before)
I Put it in “1” rather than “D” to get the gear low, but still - engine braking was minimal.
I seemed to gather less speed when coasting in Neutral.
Or – should I be upgrading callipers / discs / pads etc ??
Any Advise gratefully received !
Blown fuse was the cause of the side lights not working. The old fuse said “34V” on the side – so no idea what that means. Fitted a 15amp.
Why it blew I’ve no idea, but there was some odd goings on with indicators not flashing, and side lights flashing instead .. which seems to have “gone away” .. not a very satisfactory conclusion though
More pressing now though is the brakes. Went for a test drive Saturday to check the charging and noticed the brakes fading a bit after a longish decent (There are many large hills in my part of the world). Was fine by the time I got back ... so suspected a touch of over heating.
On Sunday though I went for a longer drive, and they faded to virtually nothing…on a big hill - lucky I was wearing brown trousers ! I managed to stop in someone’s drive and the (front) wheels were scorching hot.. Steam came of when I doused them with water.
I Let it all cool down for a good while, then I was able to gingerly get down the hill and home. But it scared the sh*t out of me.
It has discs up front – I’ve not had the wheels off yet to have a look – but here’s a pic from on-line before I purchased.
There’s plenty of fluid and they seem to work pretty well when at a sensible temperature… So question is – is this a common problem, and the solution to avoid big hills ?
Or maybe it because it’s an auto and affords less engine braking ? (never driven an auto before)
I Put it in “1” rather than “D” to get the gear low, but still - engine braking was minimal.
I seemed to gather less speed when coasting in Neutral.
Or – should I be upgrading callipers / discs / pads etc ??
Any Advise gratefully received !
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Dave-R
- Posts: 24751
- Joined: Sun Apr 18, 04 11:23 pm
- Location: Dave Robson lives in Geordieland
- Contact:
It should brake well even in "Drive" where there is little or no engine braking.
Sounds to me like the brakes have just not been installed correctly.
Maybe they didn't "bench bleed" the master cylinder. Maybe (most likely from what you describe) they have used what was probably the original drum brake master cylinder and the fronts are binding a bit and so overheating?
If it is a drum master cylinder you need to remove the residual valve from the outlet port of the cylinder for the front brakes.
You should get engine braking in anything lower than "Drive".
Sounds to me like the brakes have just not been installed correctly.
Maybe they didn't "bench bleed" the master cylinder. Maybe (most likely from what you describe) they have used what was probably the original drum brake master cylinder and the fronts are binding a bit and so overheating?
If it is a drum master cylinder you need to remove the residual valve from the outlet port of the cylinder for the front brakes.
You should get engine braking in anything lower than "Drive".
Do the front wheels rotate freely when you have the front jacked up???
They should not be fading unless vigorous braking activity........Sounds like they are binding slightly leading to excessive friction, heat and boiling the brake fluid (which I'd also now change) = no brakes!
That's the first thing I'd check....from there others will be better placed to have a stab at it!!!
They should not be fading unless vigorous braking activity........Sounds like they are binding slightly leading to excessive friction, heat and boiling the brake fluid (which I'd also now change) = no brakes!
That's the first thing I'd check....from there others will be better placed to have a stab at it!!!
Dave Tildesley.....MMA-081
72 Dodge Dart
73 Plymouth Duster - SOLD
I wanna go so FAST i think i'm going to DIE!..........Then i'll shift into second!
"My Car is a work in progress, Probably never gonna get finished, never gonna have the money to Bananarama!!"
72 Dodge Dart
73 Plymouth Duster - SOLD
I wanna go so FAST i think i'm going to DIE!..........Then i'll shift into second!
"My Car is a work in progress, Probably never gonna get finished, never gonna have the money to Bananarama!!"
Wow – you guys are awesome.
I’ve not had the wheels off yet – but a binding check is the first and easiest thing.
Thinking about it - there’s an awful lot of brake dust on the wheels – much more than I’d expect after the miles I’ve done ... so unless the pads shed a lot of extra dust when over heated – this suggests to me they are binding a bit and are wearing and heating up anyway under normal use. The heaver breaking on descent prob just tips them over the edge perhaps.
Interesting about reusing the old master cylinder – I’ll check that out as well.
I’ve not had the wheels off yet – but a binding check is the first and easiest thing.
Thinking about it - there’s an awful lot of brake dust on the wheels – much more than I’d expect after the miles I’ve done ... so unless the pads shed a lot of extra dust when over heated – this suggests to me they are binding a bit and are wearing and heating up anyway under normal use. The heaver breaking on descent prob just tips them over the edge perhaps.
Interesting about reusing the old master cylinder – I’ll check that out as well.