Electrical demons...

[moparnole]

Hey guys! I believe my 72 charger may be possessed....a few months ago I began to encounter a problem with the starter, in that every once in a while, when starting the engine, the starter would stay engaged when the engine is already running. Since this discovery I have replaced the starter, starter sylanoid, ground wire, ignition switch, voltage regulator, you name it, but it is still doing it. Also, the alternator (also new) isn't charging the battery at all, which could be a wiring issue, but I'm not counting out the idea of calling in a priest to get rid of these electrical demons  What would you guys recommend I try, or check in regards to this bucket full of issues, am I missing something? Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

[Kern Dog]

On the alternator issue:
I thought I had a bad alternator in my 73 Dart. The guage always showed a discharge even when revving the engine. I put in a alternator that tested good. The guage still showed a discharge. I changed the voltage regulator and still no difference....THEN I noticed that one of the wires leading to the plug for the voltage regulator was barely hanging on. There was maybe 3-5 strands still connected. I soldered in another wire and now the alternator shows a charge. The multimeter confirms that it is charging now too.
Electric stuff is not my strong suit. I have found though that most of the time, it is something simple like a loose connection or poor negative ground contact.

[flyinlow]

Yes , all 3rd gen. Chargers are possessed ...sorry

You mentioned the solenoid ,which is inside the starter. Did you check the starter relay on the firewall, near the brake booster?

Take a test light, there are two bolt on connector's on the relay. The large one should be hot al the time. The small one should only be hot when you turn the key to start. 

There are two push on connectors on the relay. One brings in power from the ignition switch to the relay control circuit in the start position. The other grounds the relay control circuit thru the neutral safety switch or clutch petal switch. These are both smaller wires.

[moparnole]

Thanks for the reply's! I meant to say starter relay instead of sylanoid, my mistake (perhaps whatever has possessed the car made me say that lol) Anyway this afternoon I took a closer look at the wires on the relay and the ones that you push on seemed a bit loose, I replaced the connector on the prong with the "I" on it (ignition?) To where that one is no longer wiggly, and I noticed that the one that pushes on beside it was loose also, and then noticed that there was about an inch and a half area on the wire that didn't have the insulator on it but was instead covered with electric tape, and the wire seems a bit weak where that part is (the threads are there but it keeps wanting to bend there) perhaps this might be a piece to the puzzle?

[flyinlow]

I looked at my 73, the I terminal wire goes to the bulkhead connector and back to the ignition switch. The other connector which has two wires goes and a plastic idiot proof connector guard goes to the automatic transmission neutral safety switch. If these where loose the starter might not crank the engine , but would not cause the starter to keep cranking.

I have seen starters not seated properly hang the starter drive ,not releasing from the starter ring gear. It makes a racket the sometimes sounds like the starter running.    more a GM starter problem.

Troubleshoot:  loosen the NEG. battery cable so you can quickly disconnect the battery ,if you need to kill the starter.  Pull and ground the coil wire.  Have an assistant crank the car for a second ,then release the ignition switch and see if it continues to crank.  If it does , pull the I wire off the relay and see if that stops the starter. If it keeps cranking carefully disconnect the battery cable.  Your problem is a sticking Starter relay or a sticking starter solenoid or damaged wiring between the relay and starter.
If it stops cranking after you pull the I wire , your problem is the ignition switch or wiring between the ignition switch and starter relay.  Let us know.

I know you replaced many components , but this is how I would troubleshoot it.

[A383Wing]

A weak or low charged battery will cause the starter to stay engaged also

[moparnole]

Alright, so I finally had time to do some troubleshooting on the charger, and after pulling and grounding the coil wire , went to hit the starter, and sure enough it stuck, but turned off after we pulled the wire off of the I on the starter relay, does this mean there is a bad wire somewhere from the ignition to the starter?

[flyinlow]

You know the problem is "upstream" of the starter relay.

If you take a 12v. test light and check for voltage at the I. wire connector. (disconnected from the starter relay so the starter is not cranking)  Turn the key to start and then release. The test light should be illuminated in start and stay illuminated when you release the key and it returns to the run position, if the problem is occurring.   So it would have to be the Ignition switch or the wiring. You replaced the switch. The chances of the original and the replacement both sticking would be small , but wiggle the key in run and see if the light goes out? After that it is down to the wiring. Look for melted /damaged  wires . With the test light illuminated move the wiring harness around and see if the light flickers. If you have tilt wheel move up and down and observe test light...good hunting.


If the wiring problem can't be found, you can run a new wire bypass from near the ignition switch to the relay  for the summer and repair/replace it next winter.