Electrical problems

[Hemidog]

Just finished routing all my new Painless wiring, and the damn engine won't go.

It seems like the coil doesn't get current after the starter stops.I turn the ignition, the car fires, but immediately after I let go of the ign key, the engine dies.

There is no current in the brown wire when I turn the key to the right. (IGN 2)

This is how my engine bay looks right now.
Nacho! I need help! 

[green69rt]

Just finished routing all my new Painless wiring, and the damn engine won't go.

It seems like the coil doesn't get current after the starter stops.I turn the ignition, the car fires, but immediately after I let go of the ign key, the engine dies.

There is no current in the brown wire when I turn the key to the right. (IGN 2)

This is how my engine bay looks right now.
Nacho! I need help! 

Start doing continuity checks along the path for the brown wire.  It may be something as simple as a bad connector.

[Nacho-RT74]

IGN 2 ( START POSITION ) it should be the resistor Bypass to the coil ( spliced in to ballast terminal )
IGN 1 ( RUN POSITION ) is what feeds the resistor and then the coil THROUGH it.

on Ign switch, IGN 2 ( START ) are yellow and brown wires. IGN 1 ( RUN ) are blue and black ( accesories )

So the Brown wire runs from Ign swicth to ballast and from then to Coil.

The Blue wire runs from Ign switch to ballast, to ECU, to Regulator ( on stock system ), to alt Field brush ( on double field Mopar alts ) and electric choke if available.

I THINK the wire you have running to alt on diagram, is the one that should feed the ECU, Ballast etc, and also field of course...

The yellow jumper between starter relay and ballast is simply wrong. Yellow wire runs directly to starter relay and nowhere else.

[Hemidog]

I followed the instructions to a tee, are they plain wrong? 

[Hemidog]

So remove the yellow bypass wire and jump the blue ALT(field) wire into it's place instead? (ballast resistor).

[Hemidog]

ups... <edited>

[Nacho-RT74]

the first diagram would work, BUT just if doesn't have the brown wire coming from ign switch... since you have the brown wire from Ign switch what is a secondary source on start beside the starter relay source, you don't need that jumper with diode, brown wire already makes that.

another detail is on your diagram you have the brown wire hooked to ballast and ECU... as stated IGN 2 is switch on START position. When you get the power back to IGN1 or RUN, you are cutting the main feed to all the system.

As I can see, you would need to use the brown wire that is spliced to the wire to ECU on ballast, on the wire what is spliced to COIL ( match the brown wires on ballats splice terminal ).

AND, the wire that is feeding the field to alt, need to be spliced to ballast and ECU at the other side of ballast prong.

Remove the wire jumping from starter relay.

another different deal is what wires the painless wiring provides

[Hemidog]

Are you sure?
It looks to me that the brown wire (ign2) should be on the ECU side of the resistor, and the blue(field) wire should be on the coil side.

Not that I'm questioning your knowledge...

[Nacho-RT74]

I'm sure.

The blue wire is the constant source to all engine parts, so being the constant source, makes a constant source to the coil too but THROUGHT ballast resistor. Being the constant source is the one that must feed everything around: ECU, Regulator, Choke if present, and the of course ballast to feed the coil as stated.

The brown wire feeds FROM SWITCH just on Start Position ( Ign 2 ), and that is spliced on ballast to Bypass the resistance when cranking to max output on coil. When you get back to RUN ( ign 1 ), brown wire is cut and blue wire feeds. Then if you have ECU on brown wire you will cut the power.

In fact in the way you have right now the diagram, both wires are feeding JUST ON START ( Ign 2 ). and noi power on RUN, just the field to alt. You need power on RUN at ballast, thats definitive.

of course once everything is hooked, both wires are powered on both positions because ballas acts like splice everywhere, BUT the difference is made by the MAIN source... Ign Swithc

[Hemidog]

gotcha.

I've been trying it my way today, and got the car to run, only for a few seconds and over 2k rpm, and now I need to charge the battery 

I'll switch the wires tomorrow, weird that the painless diagrams were wrong.. 

thanks Nacho! 

[Nacho-RT74]

well I don't know about painless wires colors or what cames with the kit, I'm just talking about Mopar colors and the coming source.

So we can say forgetting the colors that we have on original ign switch one input and 4 outputs being the input of course coming from batt/alt splice and 4 outputs are:

-IGN 1 or RUN to feed all the engine bay ( also some stuff inside cab, like brake light on cluster, maybe some gauge ). This wire use to be spliced in to one side of ballast terminal. Another models are a spliced inside harness on a common solded point on wire.
-IGN 1 or RUN to feed accesories... also feeds on ACC position obviouslly
-IGN 2 or START to feed JUST the starter relay Ign terminal
-IGN 2 or START to feed directly the coil, bypassing ballast, spliced in to ballast terminal on the side what runs to coil

[Hemidog]

Painless uses the correct colors:
brown IGN2
blue IGN1
yellow ST
black ACC
red BAT

I have high hopes for tomorrow!

[Nacho-RT74]

great, yes those are the colors and the useage!!!

[Hemidog]

Rerouted the wires and the car fired right up. It idled for about 30 seconds when it suddenly died.
Now it won't start at all (starter goes,coil gets power,plenty of fuel, but no spark)

these are the voltage values of the coil and distributor wires.

          key to the right    start
coil+     6,4v                 10,3v
coil-      1,4v                 4,5v
dist1     0,45v                0,65v
dist2     0v                    0,22v

maybe the ECU or coil died? any idea on how to troubleshoot?

[Hemidog]

-switched to another coil I know works, but nothing.
-pulled one of the plugs, and tested it. No spark....
-tested the ECU, this is the values I got when i put 12v to the top plug:

wtf? 

[Hemidog]

Ruled out the coil and resistor, I think it's the ECU.

Read somewhere that you can test it by making sure it connected and properly grounded, and seeing if it reads 12 volts on the round metal thingie on top.

It doesnt. but when I unground it, it does.....