Also, the wire that Kultulz pointed out as the culprit, the yellow one going into the back of the alternator... well, the terminal it goes onto is quite loose. I went to tighten the nut down on that terminal (just a threaded post coming out of the back), but the whole thing, nut wire and terminal, all turned as I tried to tighten it.

Loose connection there might be the culprit?

Doc here,

First of all, I'll try and answer your questions as posted..If I read and understand your post, Then your car IS not properly wired, AS PER the factory schematic, AND If in fact as advertised, it may Be headed for trouble..

Print out, AND refer to the diagram on these items.



This wire is the MAIN Buss support wire for power to the electrical system from the car..IT should be a yellow wire from the Alternator output wire to the Black/Yellow Wire that goes to the Ignition Switch (And also should feed the whole fuse buss) BOTH those wires should go to the BATTERY CABLE side of the Solenoid..

IF that wire (the Yellow) Was cut and twisted together..It MAY have been dropping out because of poor bonding..Causing the solenoid to energize and drop out when it loaded the line..(click, click..) THIS wire should NEVER be spliced, It supports all the electrical in the car...remove it, and replace it with a NEW uncut 10 gauge wire.



This IF I read your post correctly, Is Totally in error..AND if true, your headed for a fire or melted Ballast..

The Ballast wire SHOULD NEVER go between the Ballast and the distributer..!! The non Coil side of the Ballast wire is 12 volts... The Coil side of the ballast will be 6 to 9 volts under load (points closed) If you follow the circuit on the diagram, The Ballast resistor (Pink wire) goes between the IGNITION switch, and the COIL +, not the Distributer..and the RED / GREEN wire at the coil + Should go to the BROWN wire to the solenoid "I" as the secondary IGNITION (hot in crank Only).

IF your Ballast wire is wired DIRECTLY to the distributer, you have 12 volts DEAD SHORTED to ground every time the points closed..either this wire OR the ballast resistor SHOULD have gone up in smoke and fire when the points closed (Completes the circuit to ground) ..In Either case, It should NEVER have run..THIS If true, May have burned up the contacts on the Ignition switch and It may be intermittent now also.

Either you didn't follow the wire Correctly..OR you have a major problem that needs investigation and correction right away..the wire may be melted open and intermittently shorting causing the solenoid to drop out when it shorts..(full battery power to ground when shorted and points closed).

The "S" wire is the RED / BLUE wire that goes to the NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH..then RED / BLUE from there to the "Hot In Start Only" position of the Ignition switch. AND nowhere else..THIS wire is the ONLY wire that will effect the energizing of the solenoid. (Except if the battery cable were loose).




Again, DEAD SHORT to ground with the points closed..may not have enough power to support the "S" wire to engage the solenoid ...dunno..maybe the ignition contacts are melted to the point that they won't pass much current..


ON THE COIL READINGS...

Were ALL the wires removed from the coil when testing? you may have parasitic resistance indicated on your values..

Was the meter CALIBRATED to DEAD "000" , BEFORE you made your tests in R X 1 Scale on OHMS?

ARE the Battery's in your meter NEW and FRESH ?

All of these will give you "Error Factors" in your readings..

1.6 on a primary winding, on a non internal ballast , IS close but, Indicates some winding damage..This reading should be under an OHM , but More than "000"..While it may continue to run fine, it will not perform as well and may prematurely fail..


9.67 on the secondary winding IS also close, (10k to 11k) but also indicates some winding damage..

I'd replace it..even though it may continue to operate for some time..It may also fail in a parking lot 100 miles from home. Roll the dice...

From what you post , If I understood what you have said, you have some serious electrical/harness problems that require some attention (especially if a hack was in there before cutting wires and splicing wires with poorly attached splices or twisted wires) .

That's my nickel's worth..

Doc

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Doc here,

IF you talking about the ALTERNATOR..

The output connection internal the alternator has now sheared off..from the internal soldered lug..(maybe if lucky, might be spinning around a soldered terminal) IF true, it won't charge now..Or if it does, it may undercharge and cause a lot of HEAT doing so..

Rebuilding the alternator at this point is indicated.

This Would not effect the Solenoid energize at all (according to the stock diagram) but will contribute to low charge state of the battery (same result..).

Doc

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Doc,

I think there may be some clarification to make on my side.

The wires going to the "S" and "I" posts are fixed (they were worn at the ring terminals, very frayed-- gave them new terminals), and are tight now.

Yellow wire, correctly located and connected, was twisted together, now has a new ring terminal, no twisted parts anymore. BUT, the post that it was attached to seems to be loose. When I tried to tighten it down, the bolt/terminal moved with the nut. Couldn't get it too tight. This may be the culprit in the low battery charge/no-start!

My ignition wire goes straight to the (+) terminal on the coil. Resistor wire does not go between ballast and distributor. Only one wire on (+) terminal, and that is the ignition wire.

On (-) terminal, wire from ballast resistor connected, as well as a tach wire (now no longer). Ballast resistor inbetween (-) terminal of coil and the points on the distributor.

Coil readings-- coil was completely removed from car, no wires connected to it at all. I went to the parts store to get a new resistor and new coil (Accel 8140), and the hardware store for wire. I'm going to change out those three things out, resistor, coil and wire, and report back. Also, I tested the new coil with my meter, and got numbers closer to what you said I should expect. Seems that the coil needed to be replaced.

My thinking is that 1) I messed with two wires at the same time. I must have pulled the alternator wire loose, or loosened the terminal, causing it not to charge, and 2) the second wire, connected to the ballast resistor, was somehow affecting the rest of the system, since a larger wire won't let it run, and the coil somehow seems to be damaged as it would with a bad ballast resistor. Playing with those two at the same time made me think that one thing was the culprit, but that was wrong.

Thanks again, Doc. You're a heckuva guy to give me all this help. Appreciate it, and I appreciate the input from Milton,F&J and Kultulz, too!

Doc here,

IF the Ballast resistor is on the - terminal...It is totally WRONG..It's a wonder it runs..

The ballast resistor goes BETWEEN the wire from the ignition switch power AND the + side of the coil..The secondary ignition wire goes directly to the + terminal of the coil..

Doc

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Doc,

Man, you really are a Doc, eh?

Sure enough, the ballast resistor is installed inbetween the negative terminal of the coil and the points on the distributor.

I checked the ignition wires, and they've been, let's say, customized. Crimped about an inch out of the switch into differently colored wires, which I believe means that I do not have a resistor wire on the car. Obviously, the wiring was "redone" on the car. That may be why the previous owner placed a ballast resistor in there, attached to the engine (I know, I know, heat is going to kill it off), to replace the resistance that was apparently taken out.

So, should I install that resistor inbetween the ignition wire coming out of the switch and the (+) terminal? Or, simply take it out and just run it without the ballast resistor? I know that burns up points, but, hey, I don't run the car that much right now.

Thanks a bunch! Didn't even think about where the resistor was placed!!

Doc here,

By all means, Install the ballast resistor...otherwise you will be installing points about 3 a month and coils shortly thereafter..

Locate the wire that goes to the + side of the coil, remove it, VERIFY that it goes on and off with the key..this is the wire you want to go to ONE side of the ballast resistor..The other side of the ballast resistor will go to the + side of the coil.

NEXT, go to the solenoid, locate the wire that is on the "I" terminal, Clip the end off it and insulate the end and tie it back. Mark it "Old "I" wire. Run a BRAND new 14 gauge wire from the "I" terminal DIRECTLY to the Coil + (PAST THE BALLAST). This way there can be NO errors.

NEXT, find the wire that is on the - side of the coil..that wire should run directly to the points terminal inside the dizzy..IF this wire has been cut or is fray..REPLACE it..with the same gauge wire. This way there can be no errors.

Finally, Connect your Tach wire to your Coil - terminal.

Use star and lock washers on all the terminals, DON'T crimp wires together, REPLACE them..(AND only one at a time , then move on after confirming the first is correct..)

BURNISH both "Foot Pads" on the coil mount and the mount to coil down to bare metal, then burnish the mounting area (engine or fender well) down to bare metal AND use STAR and lock washers for proper bonding.

Now is a good time to relocate the coil if you wish to do so..Engine heat as well as heat from current swamp will kill a coil.

You will find, not only will the car start much easier when cold, it will run better and get much better fuel economy then I'm guessing you've been getting..you COULD follow it up with cap, rotor, plugs and wires..for even better performance and mileage.

Again, I would INSPECT the harness for further "HACK" jobs..you may be courting a major fire you CAN NOT put out..

Your car didn't come with factory fuse links..

If a wire shorts in a bundle, it will melt the bundle , creating more shorts, starting fires around it and the surrounding area..(interior parts, Fuel, oil and hydraulic lines)

This fire can not be put out until the Ignition source is removed (The battery either explodes, Or the 4 gauge cable melts through) , By this time, your rod is a burned out hulk...you can knock it down with a fire extinguisher, but the second you run out..it will burst right back into flames.

I'd install a FUSE link OR Maxi Fuse on the main buss support wire at the solenoid (the 10 gauge wire going into the firewall), First, and do the inspection..If you feel it's above your tool/skill level, seek help from a local auto electric shop..and we are all here to help too.

Doc

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Thanks, Doc. Can't tell you how much I appreciate the guidance, patience, and instruction. I'm an actual professor, so I know how valuable those three things are to people trying to learn and improve.

I am going "hack-hunting" after I test, possibly replace, the alternator. There actually isn't that much to fix after looking through the dash, though the previous owner seemed to put too much faith in electrical tape, (am I the only one who does shrink tubing and wire looms out here?).

He also cut off way too much insulation on the wires when installing disconnect and ring terminals. A lot of the wires are bare just past the terminals, and many are severely bent, enough so you can see broken strands. I will be replacing those wires soon enough, trust me. I'll have to do it anyways for what I plan to do with the car.

Tell you what, I'll do before and after shots, and I'll see what you think. I'll also send a photo of my dad's Vette that he's restoring.

Thanks again, Doc!

I guess that this should just say 'update' since I am updating this post, but I do have a question or two.

Well, I went ahead and got new coil (since previous one tested a little badly), new ballast resistor, and a new alternator. Rewired the ignition system so that it goes 'ignition wire-ballast resistor-coil-distributor' now, and I moved both the coil and the ballast resistor to the firewall and off of the intake manifold. Car starts quite well.

However, I did drain the battery out with the last alternator since it wasn't charging. I changed out the alternator, car started, but today, when I was trying to fix some of the wiring in the dash, I of course left the door open maybe too long and when I went to start the car, the battery turned over a couple of times and then all I heard was clicking. Dead battery again. Jumped the battery, got it started, ran it for a some time while I checked to make sure that I didn't have anything shorted or otherwise draining the battery. After shutting off the car, I checked the system by pulling the hot wire off of the positive post and with my test light clipped to the negative terminal, I touched the hot wire to see if there was a drain. Light didn't come on, no drain. Afterwards, got the car to start a few times after that with no problems.

But, the alternator was really, really hot, hotter than the old one was (I remember touching it when I changed the wire terminals out). I searched the forum for "hot alternator" and sure enough, Doc, you had mentioned that an alternator may be doing too much by using it to resurrect a dead battery.

Question: does that explain why my alternator was hot? I upgraded to the 65-amp since it was the same price, and since I am adding some aftermarket gauges. Are there other things I should check? Should I trickle-charge that battery? My meter shows full voltage coming out of it now. I just want to make sure that other electrical issues aren't the culprit here and burn out a brand new alternator.

I also have another question. Should I run a wire from my "I" post on the solenoid to the positive post on my coil for better starts? I remember someone saying that, but I can't find it, and I want to be sure before I do that.

Thanks again, guys, especially you, Doc. Galaxie is running strong!

Actually, now that I am looking at the diagram you have posted, Doc, there's supposed to be a brown wire connecting to the red/grn ignition wire goint to the (+) terminal of the coil. If I have that wire in that place, I should not need to add a wire like I was asking about above, right? If I don't have one, then I should add one from the "I" terminal to the (+) terminal on the coil?

Doc here,

I would add it anyway. The reason, Because you really can't verify it's condition (unless you undo the harness and follow it) . This way, you know it's good and goes from point to point without cuts or butt splices.

Just abandon the old one, insulate , Mark and tie it back.

It's really the easiest thing to do to be sure it's right.

Doc

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