mattwash08 10 Report post Posted December 5, 2012 Started the car this morning and when I turned the lights on everything died as if there was no battery in the car or anything. So I disconnected the battery, pulled the ignition switch and put another in, reconnected battery and still nothing. going to return the switch so it seems thats not the culprit.... Anyone know where else to look? if not Im going to have to trailer the car back to the shop that works on it by my parents house 45 min away... Thanks in advance, Matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miketyler 15 Report post Posted December 6, 2012 Dying after turning on headlights suggests charging system. But no power at all now suggests dead battery or bad connections. Have you eliminated those possibilities? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grabber70Mach 107 Report post Posted December 6, 2012 Might want to call and ask Randy. Randy Jacobson Midlife Harness Restorations 2316 E. 9th St. Lynn Haven, FL 32444 850-248-1967 harnesses@fusemail.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattwash08 10 Report post Posted December 6, 2012 (edited) Dying after turning on headlights suggests charging system. But no power at all now suggests dead battery or bad connections. Have you eliminated those possibilities? going to take the battery to bench test it either tonight or tomorrow, but I could get the motor to turn over by jumping it at the solenoid. It would immediately die again as soon as I the screwdriver away that was making the connection though. ** The bad connections is a MAJOR possibility, my wiring harness is pretty sad looking. Wanting to upgrade to a modern harness, but i don't have the funds nor the place to do the swap since the cars sitting in the parking lot at my apt at college right now. Edited December 6, 2012 by mattwash08 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danno 128 Report post Posted December 6, 2012 I have a couple of suggestions to check. If you have jumper cables, jump from the minus battery terminal to the chassis somewhere. There is a good chance the ground wire from the engine to the chassis (on the back of the motor) is bad. If you have a good battery, the problem is not with the charging system. A car will start and run for a long time with no charging. I would also clean the teminals on the battery with a wire brush. Too many times I have seen these get dirty and not make connection. Even though you think they are connected, if the terminal is oxidized, you will not get any voltage out of it. Do you have a voltmeter? You can buy them cheap enough and it will give you a real good indication for where the problem is. If you do not know how to use it and what to look for, you can ask us. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LindenBruce 27 Report post Posted December 6, 2012 How about the fusable link at the starter solenoid? B Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattwash08 10 Report post Posted December 9, 2012 I know nothing about electronics, which is something I really need to start learning. But my mechanic told me to use a wire with alligator clips to connect the positive side of the battery to the positive side of the ignition coil. With this method and jumping it at the solenoid i was able to get the car running to drive it to his shop 40 miles away instead of paying $220 for a tow. Im pretty sure he knows what the problem is because Ive gone through this before so ill be sure to have him explain it so I can fix it myself net time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
