1975 Charger Keeps Dying

[Dawn1975]

I am posting this for my brother as i know a bit more about cars than him and i was in the car during her "issue". I will start off by saying 2 things first:

1. I like to think that my grammar is pretty good but sometimes i do mess up, sorry if that happens.

2. I am a NOVICE mechanic, i am self-taught so i might not know exactly what you are talking about but i will try to figure it out on here or on google. I am still learning.

Now onto the issue.

We recently gave her a tune-up because she had what sounded to be a lifter tick (turned out to be a spark plug wire). We asked the guy at AutoZone for the best parts he could get us for her and we did everything he gave us including: plugs, plug wires, distributor cap & rotor, PCV valve, air filter, ignition coil, and oil and filter change. We had bought her a re-manufactured alternator a while before as we had her previous 1 tested and it was dead. After the tune-up she fired right up and ran great, then the next morning she was dead. We jumped her later on and she started up and ran for a couple of days (my brother takes her to work about 20 miles from our house). I rode home with him one day and that is when the problem started.

We went about 10 miles and when we got off the highway to drop off his co-worker things happened in this order:

1.Directionals died
2.Dash lights dimmed
3.Starting sputtering
4.Radio died (it is a somewhat newer aftermarket one)
5.Power steering cut-off
6.Literally a second before she died she lost power brakes
7.She died.
8.Hazards blinked really fast and the interior lights went to the beat of the hazards.

All of this happened within 2 minutes. After she sat for a bit without headlights or trying to start her, her interior lights and dash lights went back to normal. After she died and we tried to start her her engine turned a little bit and then nothing, after we let her sit for a bit and tried to start her she just clicked repeatedly while the key was turned to start her.

After the first jump she made it about 30 feet and died again. Hazards did not work anymore.

After the second jump we did make it a good distance but there were some issues:

1.We had to keep her RPM's high so we had to neutral drop her (was not happy about that)
2.I had to keep my eyes on the radio as that was the first, most noticeable thing to die.
3.Had to drive with no headlights, only hazards which were working after the second jump.

We were doing good until her radio died, my brother dropped her into neutral and revved her and it came back on (this only happened once). Her taillights were really dim (had to turn the headlights on at times to see). Then she started to die again, we were going up a hill so he accelerated her but she started to run REALLY rough (rough enough to the point where i had to tell him to pull over because it sounded like something broke, nothing from what i could see though). After she died this time she once again had no hazards but she did still have power steering and brakes. So we jumped her a third time.

After that we did not let her die again, we went through a toll and pulled off to the side to charge her again and that charge made it home. She hasn't been attempted to be started again.

One more thing to note, when she died the day after the tune-up i took the battery to Advanced Auto and it was drained, 180 out of 650 CCA, so they charged it.

I really do not want to take her to Advanced to have her tested because i don't want to have to neutral drop her anymore as she already had a transmission problem before this (but that is beside the point) If you need anymore information let me know and i will try to answer to the best of my abilities.

[Pete in NH]

Hi,

My bet would be the charging system is not working and  keeping the battery charged. Do you have a simple voltmeter test set. If you can buy one for $5 to $10 at Autozone or a good local hardware store. You need to measure the voltage across the battery with the engine running at about 1500RPM. It should be at least 13.8 volts and as high as 14.7 volts. If not the battery will not be charged. It could be anything from a bad alternator, voltage regulator or a wiring issue.

[comet_666]

Check the grounds as well.

[Kern Dog]

Maybe SHE is pissed for being forced to sit too long...

Kidding...I just find it funny that you keep referring to the car as being a female, then you wonder why you have problems with it.   

OKAY! joke time over for now.  I seem to recall that the car had sat for quite a while until you got it? Over time, electrical connections can often get corroded like the white crud that forms on battery terminals. ANY corrosion found at electrical connections will reduce the amount of flow of electricity through that connection. Check connections at every electrical component: Voltage regulator, alternator, ballast resistor and of course...The bulkhead connectors!
You might have luck and discover that your problem is simply some dirty parts. It happens. Sometimes a voltage regulator just conks out without warning, sometimes the alternator dies too. Many auto parts stores will test an alternator for free.