My Dodge Charger '69 R/T 440cid

[Charger´69]

Tomorrow I´m going to change my original coil to MSD Blaster 2 coil, so, do I have to do anything else to it than only swap original coil to MSD coil and fire it up? 

I think I was reading from somewhere that there might come some problems because MSD is something 42-45kV coil and original coil I think is less than or maximum 30kV coil. So might there be problems with new coil or not? Many have changed original coil to MSD, have you guys just swapped coils without any other changes to electrical and does it work right that way? 

Original coil has some resistor in firewall, does MSD need it anymore? 

Almost everyone uses this coil but no one doesn´t know how to install this MSD Blaster 2 coil..? 

I got the MSD coil now, and instructions (yes, I red those  ) said that in original ignition systems should use 0.8 ohm ballast resistor with coil and there was MSD part number also to that ballast resistor. I just checked my original ballast resistor with multimeter and it is 1.0 ohm, so I quess I can use it with MSD Blaster 2 coil without problems or does that 0.2 ohm difference cause problems? 

[Charger´69]

Tomorrow I´m going to change my original coil to MSD Blaster 2 coil, so, do I have to do anything else to it than only swap original coil to MSD coil and fire it up? 

I think I was reading from somewhere that there might come some problems because MSD is something 42-45kV coil and original coil I think is less than or maximum 30kV coil. So might there be problems with new coil or not? Many have changed original coil to MSD, have you guys just swapped coils without any other changes to electrical and does it work right that way? 

Original coil has some resistor in firewall, does MSD need it anymore? 

Almost everyone uses this coil but no one doesn´t know how to install this MSD Blaster 2 coil..? 

I got the MSD coil now, and instructions (yes, I red those  ) said that in original ignition systems should use 0.8 ohm ballast resistor with coil and there was MSD part number also to that ballast resistor. I just checked my original ballast resistor with multimeter and it is 1.0 ohm, so I quess I can use it with MSD Blaster 2 coil without problems or does that 0.2 ohm difference cause problems? 

Really? Doesn´t anyone know this??   

[Charger´69]

Well, because nobody didn´t say anything to my question I just swapped those coils. It seems to work just fine, BUT it doesn´t start up as easy as before. I mean it starts up good maybe in 2 seconds when starting engine, but before it started up faster, almost immediately! Does anyone know what can cause this? 

There was some kind of capacitor before in original coil´s + connection, I didn´t use that with MSD coil because instructions didn´t say that I should use, but should I have used it..?  Does that help engine starting faster? 

And here are few pictures of Charger from friday night 

[Charger´69]

 

[Charger´69]

Family photo 

[Charger´69]

Today wasn´t so great day with Charger, we went to beach with it with my girlfriend and when we tried to come back home, Charger wasn´t starting at all  So we had to tow it home 5 miles 

I took starter off and tested it, it´s dead. Bendix moves, but nothing else happens even I striked it and moved in different position. So dead what is dead, tomorrow I buy new starter to it. And new voltage regulator because old one doesn´t work properly anymore, it let battery go too empty before it begins to charge it or sometimes it doesn´s start to charge it at all. It looks like new but doesn´t work, I checked alternator also and that seemed to be fine, but who knows for sure which one is broken, I think it is voltage regulator. Great.

But sometimes this hobby is like now, it needs parts  Hopefully it rocks soon again!! 

[jeryst]

Unfortunately, in todays world, electrical parts are cheaply made and highly unreliable. I dont know how many electrical parts I have had that were bad right out of the box. And others worked, but failed in a short time. Manufactured in China or Taiwan, of inferior materials, with little quality control. That's how it's done today. Gotta make sure the CEO's get their big bonuses.

[Brock Samson]

If it indeed is the starter, save yourself some grief and get the Mini starter and put some heat shield material around it.

 

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,66589.0.html

several other threads on this topic.

[Charger´69]

If it indeed is the starter, save yourself some grief and get the Mini starter and put some heat shield material around it.

 

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,66589.0.html

several other threads on this topic.

Thanks for tip!  I´ll ask today what starters are available now soon in shop and if there are mini starters in reasonable price I´ll buy that. But if not available now I´ll buy original style starter because I want my Charger to burn tires again if not tomorrow then at last day after tomorrow 

Any tips for voltage regulator? I have now similiar than this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DCC-4529794/?rtype=10

And it doesn´t work properly, I think it doesn´t work at all anymore because it let battery go empty 

Can I put this kind of regulator to it, that charges all the time 13.5V..?  There reads that race use only, but I can´t see why it can´t be used in daily driving  An here is link to that 13.5V regulator: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DCC-3690731/

[jeryst]

Race cars are started often, but dont run for long, so it makes sense.
I'm not sure, but if you constantly charge your battery when it doesnt need it, it may ruin the battery.

What takes the most out of a battery is starting the car, and it takes the alternator quite a while to get it back up.
If you start your car a lot, but then just take it for short rides, it will deplete the battery. I remember
reading somewhere that you car needs to be run for a half hour just to restore the power that was used to start it. I'm
not sure how accurate that is, but it doesnt instantly charge back up. Imagine if you had a bucket full of water, and every time
you scooped out a cup full of water, you put back in a half cup of water. It would take a while, but eventually, the bucket would
become empty.

You may have some type of short, or drain on the battery when the car is off, so that may be something you want to check.
If your clock works, it will slowly drain the battery. So will a modern stereo system, because it uses a tiny bit of power for the clock circuitry.

I disconnect the battery on all of my old cars when they are not being driven for more than a couple of days.
When I do that, the battery is always ready to go. But if I leave it connected for a couple of weeks without driving the car, I can see a noticeable difference
in the power of the battery. If I leave it connected all winter, the battery is always dead come spring. If I disconnect it, it is fine come spring.

[Charger´69]

Race cars are started often, but dont run for long, so it makes sense.
I'm not sure, but if you constantly charge your battery when it doesnt need it, it may ruin the battery.

What takes the most out of a battery is starting the car, and it takes the alternator quite a while to get it back up.
If you start your car a lot, but then just take it for short rides, it will deplete the battery. I remember
reading somewhere that you car needs to be run for a half hour just to restore the power that was used to start it. I'm
not sure how accurate that is, but it doesnt instantly charge back up. Imagine if you had a bucket full of water, and every time
you scooped out a cup full of water, you put back in a half cup of water. It would take a while, but eventually, the bucket would
become empty.

You may have some type of short, or drain on the battery when the car is off, so that may be something you want to check.
If your clock works, it will slowly drain the battery. So will a modern stereo system, because it uses a tiny bit of power for the clock circuitry.

I disconnect the battery on all of my old cars when they are not being driven for more than a couple of days.
When I do that, the battery is always ready to go. But if I leave it connected for a couple of weeks without driving the car, I can see a noticeable difference
in the power of the battery. If I leave it connected all winter, the battery is always dead come spring. If I disconnect it, it is fine come spring.

Yes, you right about those things   I disconnect my battery too always when I leave it to garage even for one day. It is old car and old wires etc. so why I do this is because I have, I don´t know what is called, but it is "quick disconnect terminal" (fast to disconnect) in my battery and it´s safer that way.

I think that my voltage regulator has gone bad or broken, because almost every time I´ve revved engine like maniac voltage drops and it doesn´t start charging anymore before next time I start the car. Last two times I drove it, it didn´t start charging at all, so that VR might be as dead as my starter too. I have electronic ignition (some original system, gray box in firewall) and electronic VR.

[Charger´69]

If it indeed is the starter, save yourself some grief and get the Mini starter and put some heat shield material around it.

 

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,66589.0.html

several other threads on this topic.

There was two choices, repaired original starter and new mini starter so I bought new mini starter. I hope it is good, because those reasonable price mini starters are usually made in china and "quality" sucks sometimes....   But tomorrow I get it and hopefully it´s good  

I bought also Standard electronic voltage regulator that is mentioned to -70-92 mopars ( I think it is same than this http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SMP-VR125/?rtype=10 ). I´ll get that also tomorrow, so maybe I´ll burn Charger´s rubbers soon again  

But I´m still thinking about that 13.5V voltage regulator, I would have bought that also if it have been available now immediately, but shops where I called didn´t have that right now   But when they got that, I´ll buy that one also and try how it works in street use. In that shop where I bought that mini starter the salesman said, that he has that 13.5 V voltage regulator in his Dodge and it have worked fine for years now and there hasn´t been problems   I think it would be good for ignition etc. when voltage is higher than 12 V. Don´t know, has anyone here tried that kind of regulator in street use?  

[Charger´69]

Today I assembled new mini starter to Charger.. And started the car and THIS BAD BOY IS ALIVE AGAIN  New starter feels very strong compared to old one 

But it didn´t charge battery at all... So I quick checked that my alternator has correct wiring and I think it is. It is dual field alternator, I checked that also. And I installed new electronic voltage regulator and started car again, IT CHARGES NOW  And charging gauge show slow and smooth action, old voltage regulator when it worked was very unstable, gauge jumped fast to everywhere all the time, charges much, don´t charge at all, charges little, charges much, doesn´t charge at all etc. Now it works slow and smooth and keeps needle above 0 constantly 

So, now it works again 100% and I´m very satisfied and I feel really good again 

Now chin to chest and towards new disappointments 

I´ll buy another new voltage regulator to glove compartment, that I can change that fast if I´m on the road and it fails again.. 

Here is picture that reflects my feelings now, this is taken 2 weeks ago when I was road trip with Charger and with my girlfriend and brother 

[bobs66440]

Now chin to chest and towards new disappointments 

It's the truth, isn't it?

[bobs66440]

Here is picture that reflects my feelings now, this is taken 2 weeks ago when I was road trip with Charger and with my girlfriend and brother 

Great pic!! Enjoy!!

[elacruze]

Well, because nobody didn´t say anything to my question I just swapped those coils. It seems to work just fine, BUT it doesn´t start up as easy as before. I mean it starts up good maybe in 2 seconds when starting engine, but before it started up faster, almost immediately! Does anyone know what can cause this? 

FWIW your dying starter was drawing a lot more amperage than normal, so the voltage available to the ignition during cranking was reduced.
For the .2 Ohm difference, I can't see why that small difference could affect anything much. Electrical Engineers tend to be fussy about significant figures.

[Charger´69]

Well, because nobody didn´t say anything to my question I just swapped those coils. It seems to work just fine, BUT it doesn´t start up as easy as before. I mean it starts up good maybe in 2 seconds when starting engine, but before it started up faster, almost immediately! Does anyone know what can cause this? 

FWIW your dying starter was drawing a lot more amperage than normal, so the voltage available to the ignition during cranking was reduced.
For the .2 Ohm difference, I can't see why that small difference could affect anything much. Electrical Engineers tend to be fussy about significant figures.

Yep, I don´t mind that 0.2 ohm difference, I hope Charger don´t mind that too  We´ll see...

Here is picture of new mini starter that I just assembled. Next to mini starter is old starter that retaired surprisingly 

[Charger´69]

Today I just washed this bad boy and drove it a little bit and it was cool, again 

[Charger´69]

 

[CB]

Why don't you shoot some video clips?
That would be cool, to hear and see your Charger running

[Charger´69]

Why don't you shoot some video clips?
That would be cool, to hear and see your Charger running

Ok, I´ll do that some day soon  I´ll have to check do I already have videos, I think I have some short "movies" 

[Charger´69]

Nothing much, but in new V8 Magazine which is one Finnish American car magazine, had picture of mine and Lumi´s Chargers in article about American Car Shows 2010 compilation in Finland  It was a nice surprise when I yesterday got new magazine and started reading it I noticed that our Chargers was shoot and added to article 

[Charger´69]

Today I changed Charger´s spark plugs.. There was before Autolite 85, I changed there AC Delco R43S spark plugs. These AC Delcos are a little bit colder spark plugs. It worked good with Autolite 85, but those colder AC Delcos was recommended to '69 440cid Magnum engine so I bought those 

It worked good, I did go testing it after change. But damn that was "fun" to change those spark plugs, first I thought that it is 15 min job but I was wrong  It took some while when I got those changed... 

I just wonder why my Charger now "misfires" sometimes when I floor it somewhere 3000-3500 rpm, this happens only when driving first gear, second and third gear no problem  I think it started when I changed my original coil to MSD Blaster 2 coil, I thought that it was pinging and I decreased my initial advance from 15 BTDC to 10 BTDC. That felt that it helped a little, but still sometimes it misfires. Today I noticed it again after I changed those spark plugs, but when I had floored it maybe two or three times that way that engine was pretty hot (200*F), it worked good again, no misfiring in ignition. What can cause this? Is it my ignition box or what? Or doesn´t my engine´s vacuum be enough to open secondaries properly and it misfires because there won´t go enough gas etc.?? I think vacuum is higher (?) when accelerating in second or third gear than first gear..

Tomorrow I´ll increase my initial advance back to 15 BTDC because that misfiring didn´t cause by that, I think. Or then I´ll have to decrease it even more, but I don´t think that this engine should start pinging with 10 BTDC, because max ignition advance is 30 degrees now..  And that is odd that when I have floored it few times it stops doing that misfiring 

Do you guys have any tips or ideas? 

[Charger´69]

Yesterday I increased initial spark advance to 13 BTDC, it didn´t start misfiring or pinging, maybe I increase it bit more soon.. That misfiring is mystery, it sometimes comes and goes away without reason, don´t know what is wrong or is nothing 

Today we cruised few hours and when we came back, I took this one poor vid from it  And I started taking beer myself 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpTs-mtoqaU

Quality is poor, I´m sorry, I´ll take better videos in future 

[Charger´69]

Damn, yesterday it started that ignition misfiring badly  Now it misfired all gears through +2000 rpm 

So, I thought that if those spark plug wires that I have (some High Performance 7.5mm), strike through because those were so close each other. I spend 1.5 hours when I routed those again that way, that those are not close each other. Went cruising and it still ignition didn´t work properly.

So I took that MSD Blaster 2 coil off and assembled there that rusty and ugly old original coil, started engine and go cruising and now it works better than in weeks!!!  So, something odd there is when that MSD is installed with Charger´s original ballast resistor, don´t know what 

I also increased that ignition advance to 15 BTDC (max advance now 35 degrees) and it works and moves better than ever before 

I´ll have to buy that MSD 0.8ohm ballast resistor and try that coil with that resistor, but I think my MSD might have gone bad because it worked so poorly yesterday  Well it isn´t expensive but still...

Maybe I shouldn´t do anything to it than just drive, because with original coil etc. it works so good, so why put high performance parts to it if it doesn´t work properly 

Today I bought new Chrysler ignition module (4pin) and another new electronic voltage regulator just in case, if those parts fail when I´m on the road with Charger..  I have new VR on it now, but that ignition module is old rusty one (5pin), so I´ll swap that new one there that it looks better and keep that old one in glove compartment just in case. Only difference with that 4pin and 5pin is extra grounding in that 5pin I assume? So I can swap that 4pin ignition module without modifications to Charger? Of course I have good ground cable from intake manifold to ignition module´s chassis, so maybe that extra grounding isn´t so important, don´t know, just a thought