The firewall bulhead connectors on these cars are well known for this type of misbehaviour. Symptoms include "phantom" faults that come and go.

Very cool dude at the auto electric place told me A bodies have 3 issues:

Bulkhead connectors

Ballast resistors

Ammeters

He had time tested cures for all 3.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

So what are the time tested cures for these, other than an incendiary grenade in the gas tank? Specifically the bulkhead connectors. Thanks.

I found this article to be very helpful. http://www.madelectrical.com/electrical ... uges.shtml
I had a similar problem. I followed the advice on the above site, and it seems to have solved it.

Moose

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1966 Clark Cortez, Industrial /6

My original wiring was a melted mess so I installed new harness and components. I am not sure whether I have an ammeter or voltmeter in mine. It just says alternator and it has a positive and a negative direction for the needle. I may just go ahead and do this change if the problem surfaces again. Thanks. HOWEVER, I am still puzzled as to why it happens only after starting but not when running. Can anyone enlighten me on this? Thanks everyone.

Well, I started and ran it yesterday and last night about 50 times and drove it all ove with no problem after cleaning everything. Now today, after the car sat all night, it starts but dies after the switch goes into the run position. I removed and rehooked the middle bulkhead connector and it started and ran. Problem is, sometimes this works and others it doesn't. I guess I need to just get rid of the connectors as that article says. This makes no sense to me why it will start and then die. I thought the most juice was required for starting. Also, why does it never die after it starts and stays running.

If you'd like, I'd be glad to come over some time, take a look, and scratch my head a bit. I'm no great shakes as a troubleshooter, but maybe we can figure this thing out. I'm in the phone book.

Lyndal Davis
'64 Valiant V200 4-door
225 / Pushbutton 904

That would be cool. BTW, I still have your tranny and some other stuff Scott left here to return anyway. I am definitely going to do the rewire thing to bypass the ammeter. It certainly can't hurt.

I don't know the design of your particular system or if it even has one of these, but did you check the oil pressure switch? I have seen engines exhibit those exact symptoms when the oil pressure switch is malfunctioning.

You know, my sending unit went out about the time this started. I have since replaced it and I still have the problem. Are you referring to the sending unit or some other switch? If there is something else in that circuit I can check that would be great. Thanks.

Yes, I was referring to the sending unit. However, if you have replaced that already, it might not be the sender but it could be a break in that wire somewhere. If any of the critical engine sensors are malfunctioning(i.e. temp, oil pressure, etc.) your engine might very well crank over but still appear to have no juice at the coil. When there is a malfunction or an "open" circuit it is essentially the same as a harmfull sensor reading and your ignition system is subsequently disabled to prevent damage to the engine. You said earlier your harness was fried, so I would look real hard at that to make sure that all of the wires are in good conditionand that the rest of your sensors work properly.

did you replace the firewall connector? i mean, all the "box"?

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Juan Ignacio Caino

Please use e-mail button istead of PM'ing. I do log in sometimes but I'll be answering quicker thru e-mail.

I did replace the connectors at the firewall. However, from reading the article, it seems I am best to make that modification. Hopefully it will also deal with this problem. Thanks all. I will keep everyone posted and if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know.

Well, yesterday I rerouted the red and black wires bypassing the ammeter and shored up all my previous splices with connectors and solder. SlantValiant came over and gave us help and encouragement and uttered a few secret slant 6 incantations. (Thanks again for your help) It worked great until this afternoon, then back to the same old start fine and die in run position. Wiggle the middle bulkhead connector and it works great as long as it is running. Tomorrow I tackle the blue wire in that connector since it goes to the ignition. I will also tear open my new harness I bought. I noticed he did not use solder. Perhaps there is a loose splice there. It still makes no sense though as to why it never dies when driving.

Ive had the same type of trouble with several of the 70s Dodge trucks I have owned over the years. The reason that once it starts it stays running, is that there it feeds off the alternator, rather than thru the harness, when cranking the alternator isn't turning fast enuf to be generating anything yet. One time in my 79 Ramcharger, right after I installed a 100 amp alternator, I went to give someone a jump, soon as that alternator started working beyond what the original one did, a smoke show from the dash board (ammeter destroyed itself), 1st time I shut the thing off after, I had that, had to run a jumper from the battery to the + side of the coil, once running I could remove the jumper and was fine til the next time that I shut it down. I wound up replacing the ammeter with a Stewart Warner 100 amp unit, never another problem with that truck!

I must have gotten my incantations mixed up ...