73 Dodge Charger 400 big block help!!!

[Nacho-RT74]

I have used the Rev-N-Nator for just one year only, before get the car to the body shop. Matched with Chromed Blaster 2 coil and it's ballast ( .8 ohms ). After try several units which maybe were more "sparky" at start up ( Chromed MP and the old FBO A688, both failed ) I can say the Rev-N-Nator beats all. It feels more consistant at all RPMs, smooth and responsive without miss a beat.

But unfortunatelly for some reason I dunno, they have been having stock issues since long time ago now. I got the unit #20 ( they have serial number ) of the first run since I was on their waiting list. Maybe even the first exported outside USA. I think they made a revised version later with some internal upgrades.

Agree with Nacho on the MSD. First I believe they are less reliable than the Mopar boxes. I have had about 6 acquaintances get rid of them because they failed, some away from home.
Second the Mopar box is available just about everywhere so IF you break down on the road, you walk into an Auto Zone or Napa and pick one up. I have one on both my Chargers and only had 1 issue after all these years.
Just my 

Interesting the story about the reliability experience you got. In Venezuela I think just have known about couple of units failing in aaaaall these years. Sure I don't know every MSD user around. However I have lived and known really bad experiences about stock ECU ignitions which makes to most of Mopar owners in Vzla change to MSD if running into Performance world, or GM ign module adaptation if keeping stock dist, or simply change to the HEI dist making the propper shaft mod on stock HEI dist. Ppl around there calls "galleta" or "galletita" ( cookie or little cookie ) to the GM ign modules LOL.

I guess most of the stock modules fails are due the chinessium aleation LOL. Some of them are not even to start up the engine just out of the box! And local part shop dealers tipically don't accept returns on electrical auto parts. So we are at on own risk about that.

[Michaelgt450]

In the future I may try this Rev-N-Nator you speak of.. so yesterday I was out driving the car and 2 times it felt like somebody just pull the plug and there was no power it wouldn't do anything but then all of a sudden it ran okay so I brought it back home and then today in the morning I wanted to go drive it out the car doesn't start now.. I change to a new coil. Didn't fix it I put a new ballast resistor that didn't do it I put a new ignition module that didn't fix it... so now I'm wondering if it's a distributor issue... what is a reliable distributor this distributor Mopar didn't last a long time just 1500 miles... I was looking at the firecore A1 Cardone... which one do you guys recommend??

[70 sublime]

Does it crank over but not start ?

Your ignition switch could be worn enough to not be making good contact any more

Try starting it again ( if it cranks over but not start ) and wiggle the key and switch around when cranking ( push the key in harder and move it around )

[Michaelgt450]

Does it crank over but not start ?

Your ignition switch could be worn enough to not be making good contact any more

Try starting it again ( if it cranks over but not start ) and wiggle the key and switch around when cranking ( push the key in harder and move it around )

It does crank over but does not start I will try that right now

[Michaelgt450]

Dude no freaking way it work.. it's running now so does that mean I need a new ignition switch

[70 sublime]

Yep the next part you should get for your car

[Nacho-RT74]

ign switch check is easy.

test light at coil + lead will give you a dimmed light with key in RUN and bright light while cranking with no turning off on the switching process. That will test the ign switch, ign switch plug down the column ( they are prone to get burnt/melted ), bulkhead connection and ballast OK

If your brake pilot light ( and oil light before the oil reach the sender being standard cluster ) also response smooth but dimming while cranking and full when key in RUN ( so the opposite at the test light ) will tell you same parts OK. EXCEPT with key in RUN doesn't test the bulkhead because the feed for the brake light is before the bulkhead connection

IN MY EXPERIENCE... that kind of weird stuff came off a missed connection on distribuitor plug... you can shake it and try ( It happened more than once to me LOL )... or even disconect the ECU plug and check the Ohms value on the wires running to dist ( anything between 150 and 900 ohms, tipically on 250-350 rate thought ). If no reading it could be the dist plugs ( engine harness or dist pigtail ), the dist pigtail, OR the Pickup coil itself damaged.

[Michaelgt450]

ign switch check is easy.

test light at coil + lead will give you a dimmed light with key in RUN and bright light while cranking with no turning off on the switching process. That will test the ign switch, ign switch plug down the column ( they are prone to get burnt/melted ), bulkhead connection and ballast OK

If your brake pilot light ( and oil light before the oil reach the sender being standard cluster ) also response smooth but dimming while cranking and full when key in RUN ( so the opposite at the test light ) will tell you same parts OK. EXCEPT with key in RUN doesn't test the bulkhead because the feed for the brake light is before the bulkhead connection

IN MY EXPERIENCE... that kind of weird stuff came off a missed connection on distribuitor plug... you can shake it and try ( It happened more than once to me LOL )... or even disconect the ECU plug and check the Ohms value on the wires running to dist ( anything between 150 and 900 ohms, tipically on 250-350 rate thought ). If no reading it could be the dist plugs ( engine harness or dist pigtail ), the dist pigtail, OR the Pickup coil itself damaged.

I will definitely try this and I will check the distributor plug maybe it did come off but it works now... how do you change the ignition switch??

[Nacho-RT74]

need to remove the steering wheel and drop the column along with the bracket removing to alow to the ign switch harness and plug to go throught the column collars

Here you have an idea of how to dissasemble it. Of course you don't need to make ALL that, because thats a full restore job, but you will get the idea

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/mopp-0308-mopar-steering-column-rebuild/

then new replacement ign switches need to be matched with the car setup, since the ones available are made to fit on diff cars and years. But will explain later IF you confirm the ign switch failure

[Michaelgt450]

ign switch check is easy.

test light at coil + lead will give you a dimmed light with key in RUN and bright light while cranking with no turning off on the switching process. That will test the ign switch, ign switch plug down the column ( they are prone to get burnt/melted ), bulkhead connection and ballast OK

If your brake pilot light ( and oil light before the oil reach the sender being standard cluster ) also response smooth but dimming while cranking and full when key in RUN ( so the opposite at the test light ) will tell you same parts OK. EXCEPT with key in RUN doesn't test the bulkhead because the feed for the brake light is before the bulkhead connection

IN MY EXPERIENCE... that kind of weird stuff came off a missed connection on distribuitor plug... you can shake it and try ( It happened more than once to me LOL )... or even disconect the ECU plug and check the Ohms value on the wires running to dist ( anything between 150 and 900 ohms, tipically on 250-350 rate thought ). If no reading it could be the dist plugs ( engine harness or dist pigtail ), the dist pigtail, OR the Pickup coil itself damaged.

The oil light did go off when I was cranking it... it just wouldn't start.. what is the bulkhead??

[Nacho-RT74]

Firewall connector


The oli light can go eventually off if oil reachs the sender depending on how much time you were cranking. What about the brake light on cluster?

[Michaelgt450]

Firewall connector


The oli light can go eventually off if oil reachs the sender depending on how much time you were cranking. What about the brake light on cluster?

It was on.. how do they look like the fire wall connector??
What do I need to do to those connectors just clean them??

[Michaelgt450]

So I clean the bulkhead connectors everything looks pretty good no burning no nothing

[Nacho-RT74]

cool... that's amazin. Tipically the thick black ( alt ) and red ( batt ) wires show marks of overheating melting the bulkhead housing. That tipically affects the wiring and terminals around him, and the blue one, RUN circuit, uses to be affected by the meltdown

more here:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=137482.0

there you will find more info about same kind of failures. Rallye cluster shown but the same for Standard cluster

ign switch plug is another place to check

[Mike DC]

  
Counterfeited ignition boxes are a factor in the failure rates.  You can go online and buy fake MSD boxes all day long.  The other choices have the problem too.    
 

[Michaelgt450]

cool... that's amazin. Tipically the thick black ( alt ) and red ( batt ) wires show marks of overheating melting the bulkhead housing. That tipically affects the wiring and terminals around him, and the blue one, RUN circuit, uses to be affected by the meltdown

more here:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=137482.0

there you will find more info about same kind of failures. Rallye cluster shown but the same for Standard cluster

ign switch plug is another place to check

Yeah mine did not look like that mine was nice just very dirty had green stuff but I cleaned it
I checked the ignition switch connections and they seem pretty good also also the car runs hasn't turned off on me so I guess it's fix I don't know what I did but it's running good...
I cleaned all the grounds everything is okay

[Michaelgt450]

Also I'm running a t t i 2400 torque converter.... are those good torque converters or is my stock when better I have the stock one I never tried it with the stock one??