no clue • The Dodge Challenger Message Board

by **drewcrane** » 12 Nov 2009 18:11

OK i have a major connector that is not making connection,i tried to start the car and everything went dead,
i have had this problem before and i thought i fixed it but now its dead and 12.5 volts at the battery, no fuses blown , but i dont even have headlights , this car got a look through before the vp trip and

2 days ago it take a shit on me and i am a little frustrated cause i hate wiring anyway ,
so i will have to go and check each and every wire again ,and i hope i can find it, the last time it did this the starter relay was loose, but man im stumped for now :frown:

by **DAYLEY/CHALLENGER** » 12 Nov 2009 20:47

Hey Drew. This happened to me a few times when I first went on the road. The bulkhead connection was the problem I had a little green junk on some of the terminals. Brass brush and everything cleared up and no more competely dead stops.

by **drewcrane** » 12 Nov 2009 20:55

ahh i will try that ,i was kind thinkin i would be in that area again,i will do some clean up and let you know , thanks big time thanks :thumbsup:

by **Jon** » 12 Nov 2009 23:09

Are the fusable links in good shape? Try moving them around with the headlight switch on.

by **drewcrane** » 12 Nov 2009 23:20

fusible link is good ,but i have no headlights,i hopefully will get to it tomorrow,but i moved the link and everything is good and tight, and since i had this problem before i replaced that link as well as the whole connection, its clean ,
but i think davey is right its in the bulkhead connector, it has to be its pretty much the only thing i havent checked
so if i get motivated i will crawl in there, my problem is to get under the dash i have to remove the seat i have recaros and with the side bolsters i cant get in there with out wrenching my back , and now i rambling but i will keep yall posted thanks :thumbsup:

by **Goldenblack440** » 13 Nov 2009 3:00

Yeah, bloody electrical! Do the main headlights wires go through the bulkhead? My 73 had been rewired with relays in the engine bay for the headlights before i bought it. Probably a good thing as there was evidence of a meltdown prior. Pain in the ass.

by **drewcrane** » 13 Nov 2009 6:24

yes i think the headlight wires go through the bulkhead its a different plug,but i hard wired the alt/amp wire a long while back,
but dave and i were talking about this specific weakness in the electrical system and the bulkhead is cheap design,with the old brittle plastic its no wonder they have issues :roll:

by **DAYLEY/CHALLENGER** » 13 Nov 2009 14:18

Drew........I cleaned mine under the hood.at the fire wall. Unpluged below the master cylinder and leaned in.........Its just the plug in connections. This is what shut me down.

by **fbernard** » 13 Nov 2009 18:39

I had a similar problem I sorted out 2 days ago (Nov 11th is a holiday here..) I couldn't figure why my headlights didn't work anymore (first the high beams, then the lows went dead too).
I even tried out two other headlight switches incliding one new.

At one point, as I was trying to follow voltage with a DVM, I lost everything, there was no power at all.
The culprit? The harness was disconnected at the headlight (foot) dimmer switch.

I got everything back to normal after I reconnected that.

I still don't understant how it came off, but there's nothing to hold it in poisition either.

by **drewcrane** » 13 Nov 2009 19:03

well now i have disconnected each bulkhead connector, cleaned with electric cleaner, the werent that dirty, but to no avail i am still dead,im going to look at my foot switch now,

also i am wondering if i should use some dielectric grease?,i will keep trying any other ideas,please post them and where is dave?

by **drewcrane** » 13 Nov 2009 19:30

i found it!i went back to the fusible link,and right where it connects i have a a quick disconnect ,connector,and it was really corroded in side i am going to have to find a better way to do this , it looks like to much voltage/amps,going through it,here is a pic any ideas on how to do this connection better,as you can see the factory connectors are gone

as is the case 90%of the time it is something i created,my mistake :frown:

oh well i have to learn some way :thumbsup:

,and if it were not for this board,and you guys it would have taken me longer :lol2:

Are the fusable links in good shape? should have looked closer :s013:

by **DAYLEY/CHALLENGER** » 13 Nov 2009 23:53

by **Jon** » 14 Nov 2009 2:19

Drew, I figured since you fixed it last time it may have been in that same area. Good the see you found it, those wiring bugs can be a pain in the arse. :s001:

I would replace those wire sections, and new Fusible link wire as fit. Do you have one from the alternator at the relay per that Mad wireing site?

by **drewcrane** » 14 Nov 2009 3:19

I would replace those wire sections, and new Fusible link wire as fit. Do you have one from the alternator at the relay per that Mad wireing site?

ok say that again?,

i only have the fusi.link at the relay,the resistance is to much for the connector, and i might consider soldering that connection, and i always keep an extra link in the car, so i will use this link as a spare and keep a connector for emergency use :thumbsup:

by **patrick** » 14 Nov 2009 4:53

Glad you got it squared away, Drew. :thumbsup:

Our car's are never done. :lol:

by **drewcrane** » 14 Nov 2009 12:58

patrick wrote:Glad you got it squared away, Drew. Our car's are never done.

aint that the truth :s008:

by **Goldenblack440** » 14 Nov 2009 18:46

Gr8 you found the problem - hope you had a few beers to celebrate! At least it is somewhere where you can stand upright and see and repair, and not have to turn into an upside down contortionist to get to!

by **drewcrane** » 14 Nov 2009 21:07

Goldenblack440 wrote:Gr8 you found the problem - hope you had a few beers to celebrate! At least it is somewhere where you can stand upright and see and repair, and not have to turn into an upside down contortionist to get to!

yes i was thinking the same thing ,a pretty easy fix and indeed time for a shot of tiquila ,or 2,

now i am trying to decide if i should just solder it or try to maintain the connection,by periodic cleaning.

by **Jon** » 14 Nov 2009 21:38

After getting set up with all the electrical and soldering goody's, wiring repairs are alot easier and longer lasting. Fabian posted a link to Del City recently that carries some cool stuff.

www.delcity.net

by **drewcrane** » 14 Nov 2009 23:08

Jon wrote:After getting set up with all the electrical and soldering goody's, wiring repairs are alot easier and longer lasting. Fabian posted a link to Del City recently that carries some cool stuff.

www.delcity.net

yes all of the factory connections i have replaced with solder have been spot on,i make sure to use resin core not acid core solder,and use shrink tubing after that.

and thanks for the link i have been looking for a good supplier of all that kind of stuff :thumbsup:

by **dave-r** » 16 Nov 2009 12:19

Sorry mate. I was busy. :lol:

by **drewcrane** » 16 Nov 2009 17:53

dave-r wrote:Sorry mate. I was busy.

thats a good excuse :s024:

what i need to know is do you think it would be ok to solder that connection, from the wire to the fusible link?in stead of the current quick connect

by **dave-r** » 16 Nov 2009 21:25

I solder as much as possible to be honest. I don't like any kind of crimp or mechanical connection and the fewer you have the fewer losses you have in the system.

It is not something you need to dissconnect is it so you may as well. Just make sure the wire is thick enough for the current.

by **drewcrane** » 16 Nov 2009 21:49

yes i dont like those crimpers either,i will solder it but one thing i have learned, is if and when that fusible link burns,it can take out some of the wire next to it in the loom,so i plan on keeping it away from the other wires,just in case,cause i dont trust those fus. links

by **Jon** » 17 Nov 2009 3:13

Good point Drew, when a wire is melting down it can cause other problems for sure. :shock:

I have seen one in action, don't ask where, when, or how please. :oops:

The link wire is said to be a slow burn fuse, which is positive in some situations. Not a sudden surge pop from overcurrent like the conventional type.

I saw where they make a fiberglass type loom wrap that is non-flammable which might be a worth looking into.

by **drewcrane** » 17 Nov 2009 13:52

I saw where they make a fiberglass type loom wrap that is non-flammable which might be a worth looking into

yes i have some different types of insulation, but some fire resistant wrap would be good ,

i did find some heavy rubber shrink tape its made in england, not sure about that, but it is pretty heavy stuff :thumbsup:

by **drewcrane** » 17 Nov 2009 13:55

ask where, when, or how please.

mine was when i was young and still learning and i grounded something out ,

and poof right in front of me ,and when i was done it fried 5 different wires in the harness and i had to splice in new bits of wire it really sucked, :wink2:

by **Goldenblack440** » 17 Nov 2009 14:04

Can you not just solder in a fusible link from a modern vehicle? I'm sure they are not a danger of burning when they blow. Almost every modern car from the late 80's onwards should have one. My Opel derived Commodore (Kommodore in Germany) has a blue rubber encased fusible link. And if there is still any doubt, just get one of those ceramic woven heat tubes they use on the spark plug leads ends, such as from Summit and cut it to length and put cable ties around each end along the wire.

I agree with Dave too, i hate the crimps if they are not needed. I solder in everything i can.

by **drewcrane** » 17 Nov 2009 18:35

Goldenblack440 wrote:Can you not just solder in a fusible link from a modern vehicle? I'm sure they are not a danger of burning when they blow. Almost every modern car from the late 80's onwards should have one. My Opel derived Commodore (Kommodore in Germany) has a blue rubber encased fusible link. And if there is still any doubt, just get one of those ceramic woven heat tubes they use on the spark plug leads ends, such as from Summit and cut it to length and put cable ties around each end along the wire.

I agree with Dave too, i hate the crimps if they are not needed. I solder in everything i can.

ya know i was thinking the same thing,i just need the amps/voltage and then i can find one does anybody know exactly what the rating is on a stock fusible link?

by **dave-r** » 17 Nov 2009 21:46

30 amps should do it I would think. Maybe 40.