And this is why you shouldn't let them sit

[metallicareload99]

The likelihood that your car will die is directly proportional to the incline of the driveway and the lack of available help to push 4,000 lbs uphill. It is a scientific fact.

[Cooter]

Your lucky yours broke down in the short distance from your garage. The 'ol reliable General let me down going to a show I was late for Saturday. Crusing along and BAM! Shut off like you hit the switch.

Had to get a ride with the State Police to the auto parts store for a coil (MSD). Don;t really know why this thing seems to like to eat a coil about every two years. Shoulda known damn near ALL my buddies woulda crused by bout the time that Crusier was behind my junk with lights on. My phone begins to blow up, didn't even wanna answer. Got to the show and heard all night long how I "musta been clocked at over 100 MPH"....

[Indygenerallee]

 

[Ghoste]

Oh man that sucks.  At least you got a good story out of it?

[Dino]

Mine died this morning while pulling into a parking spot backwards, just like Cooter said it was like someone flipped a switch.  Popped it in neutral, turned the key and it started right up.  I think I'm just going to ignore it happened....

[WINGIN IT]

Man I feel your pain. Was there last year with mine.

Dead as a doornail. Went through everything, and in the end what was it ....

A BAD GROUND at the ECU Module ....
Unfortunately it was mounted face up under the glove box and over time the connection weakened and then nothing...

I've had bad grounds the rad support as well.

Indy is a wise man , start takin' off bolts and start cleaning contacts and reinstall with dilectic grease. 
Want cost you anything but time... 

Good Luck, keep us posted

[LaOtto70Charger]

Did you try starting it in neutral?  Mine every now and than decides it won't even attempt to crank until after 5 or 6 turns of the key in neutral.  Or I guess have you ever replaced the ignition switch?

[Ghoste]

Good suggestions, but you forget that I said a complete electrical failure-no light, no horn, nothing.  That means it had to be limited to areas affacting the entire system.
As it is, it turned out to be a bunch of things.  I cleaned up all the grounds.  I opened the bulkhead connector but it was still in good shape (I cleaned it really well last year and put dielectric greas around all the connections.  I took off the battery terminals and and cleaned everything up there really well.  Tightened the leads on the back of the ammeter(they weren't flopping around back there but I redid them anyway).
All of those things together seemed to do the trick so in the end it was just the buildup from sitting around.  I finish how I started-don't let your Charger sit around.

[bill440rt]

Glad to hear you got it running again, Ghoste. Mine will do that from time to time as well if let to sit. Usually it's a bad ground or just the battery terminals needing a good cleaning from sitting. 

[Dino]

I had some more fun with mine yesterday!  When I left work it cut out on me again just as I turned onto the road....

Quickly popped it in neutral and started it up again, drive home was fine except my small gauges yet again did not work.  When I got home I turned the car off and tried starting it again and nothing, no power at all.  I start playing around with the new battery but everything was fine so I start looking around and see that the wiring around the bulhead connector looks even worse than usual so I start fiddling with it and hear my radio pop on.  Turned out that I must've disturbed the wires when I was wrestling with the carb and intake manifold last week.  I started pushing the connectors and one of them was pretty loose so now everyting's working again, including the gauges.  They still read wrong but at least they move again. 

Fix one thing, break two others...still love driving this beast more than anything else though.

[Ghoste]

I hear ya.   This issue and the reasons for it aside, two fo the best things I ever did for my Charger were new wiring harneses front to back and keeping the bulkhead connector gooped up with dielectric grease.

[Dino]

I hear ya.   This issue and the reasons for it aside, two fo the best things I ever did for my Charger were new wiring harneses front to back and keeping the bulkhead connector gooped up with dielectric grease.

Sometimes I think I should change all the wiring but to be honest it is in really good shape.  Underhood is a bit of a mess as the first owner changed the 318 for a 440 and didn't take the time to tuck the wiring away so it was all loose and all over the place.  Not to mention everything under the hood was spray bombed black, and I mean everything....

When I redo the car the wiring will come out and at that time I'll assess what needs to be done.  If it starts acting up however the order for a new harness will be done in about 10 seconds flat! 

[1969chargerrtse]

Reading your initial post. And this is one reason why I'm thinking of moving on. My 130.00 repo battery cable faulted on me. I was stuck in city traffic in the hot sun. I was looking under the hood when a guy in a pos yelled out to me in passing POS!  If the light was'nt green as he zipped by, with sweat dripping off of me I would of pulled a Rodney King on him. I'd probably still be in jail by now.

[Aero426]

Reading your initial post. And this is one reason why I'm thinking of moving on. My 130.00 repo battery cable faulted on me. I was stuck in city traffic in the hot sun. I was looking under the hood when a guy in a pos yelled out to me in passing POS!  If the light was'nt green as he zipped by, with sweat dripping off of me I would of pulled a Rodney King on him. I'd probably still be in jail by now.

Keep in mind the F-body you are thinking about buying is already over 10 years old with more to go wrong compared to your simple Charger.