Sudden Inability to start.

[VillaTA]

So, while installing my water temp gauge, I accidentally left the key on and ran the battery flat. I put the battery tender on and went out of town for 3 days. I cannot start the car. It immediately fires once, black smoke comes out of the pipes and my garage reeks of gasoline. I’ve tried to clear the carbs, but it won’t do anything but fire one time and shut off. All I did was connect the gauge to the acc tab on the fuse panel, ground it and connect the sender with the specified 18 gauge wire.
Any clues what’s going on?

 

[VillaTA]

Now that I think about this- this is what the original shop reported to me when they replaced my coil, electronic ignition and ballast resistor last year. I thought they were full of it. What could it mean if the battery dying causes this issue?

 

[Challenger RTA]

Bad ignition switch? when you have the battery charged.Ignition turned off.put a test light in between a battery post and cable. see if it lights up. even a faint glow. radio memory will draw power,pull fuse. If the light is on pull fuses until light goes out.Bad stater will drain the battery.

 

[VillaTA]

I don’t think it’s the switch but I’ll try anything. . The car will almost start. It just stops running after one second. Radio isn’t hooked up.

 

[Challenger RTA]

I don’t think it’s the switch but I’ll try anything. . The car will almost start. It just stops running after one second. Radio isn’t hooked up.

That part is the ballast resistor. or ignition sw or wire that feeds the resistor. Are you saying it shuts off when you let of the stater, that's the resistor or circuit.

 

[VillaTA]

Even if I keep the key engaged, the motor turns and ignites once, maybe twice, then blurps off.

 

[Challenger RTA]

If there is a bad connection,Be it power or ground.you won't get power the run correctly. What happens it it over heats. The is a voltage tolerance it has to work in,be it low or high. Electronics burn up.

 

[VillaTA]

I’ll totally disconnect the wiring from the water temp meter and see what happens

 

[Challenger RTA]

There is ing 1 and ing 2. Start and run. It still sounds like the ballast run circuit. You may have a bad coil, electronic ignition and ballast.or is the new gauge shorting out? or battery?

 

[VillaTA]

Ok. If I keep the key engaged, and keep giving gas, it stays running. Poorly. As soon as key goes back to acc 2 position, it shuts off

 

[Challenger RTA]

Hot wire it see if it runs.

 

[Challenger RTA]

Ok. If I keep the key engaged, and keep giving gas, it stays running. Poorly. As soon as key goes back to acc 2 position, it shuts off

That's the ballast resistor.

 

[VillaTA]

Next question, what would keep blowing the ballast resistors?

 

[Challenger RTA]

What I'm really getting at is the maybe a bad connection,not allowing the right voltage. battery terminals bulkhead connectors,ing sw plug for the ign sw. any connection in that circuit.or leaving the key on!

 

[VillaTA]

Here are the parts replaced last time, including the spark plug wires. I’m kinda chicken to try to take the column apart, but I feel like that has to be where the problem is. In my older thread about the electronic problem, I believe we narrowed the problem down to being in the car.

 

[Challenger RTA]

A long time ago I had a problem like that. And it was a bad bulkhead connector. the same kind of ignition.
In the 2nd picture there is a Samoyed running in the field of snow.

 

[VillaTA]

A long time ago I had a problem like that. And it was a bad bulkhead connector. the same kind of ignition.

The shop replaced the bulkhead connector last time.

 

[Challenger RTA]

Then it might be the connector under the steering column.I would check that.

 

[VillaTA]

Checked both connectors under the dash. No obvious signs of any corrosion, burn, or other problem.

 

[Challenger RTA]

Was that you a few weeks or a month ago that had a coil over heating or someone else?