Problem at shop

[VillaTA]

while at the shop, my mechanic said he began having issues getting the car started. Said that he changed the ignition box and coil and ballast resistor before chasing this issue to the fuse block. The blue and white wire if I recall correctly. He said he had to replace the connectors in it. I notice now that when I turn my key on to start, the discharge gauge goes all the way to the D side while the gauge is making a weird noise. Just for a second then it goes back to center of gauge.
Any thoughts!?

 

[Challenger RTA]

I would undo what was done. see if suspected problem is still there. reconnect one thing at a time going down stream. could be a bad new component. Blue with white wire is for brake circuit? check for ground short.

 

[moparleo]

JMO but your mechanic changes parts before doing a proper diagnosis. All of those items could be tested before replacing. Electrical parts especially are not generally returnable once installed. Have him show you the replaced parts.
What was it at the shop for ? Why would it start to have an "issue" starting? What does that mean ? It had no spark ? It would start and then die ? Was the battery fully charged or did it drain down ? What does it mean that he chased it down to the fuse block ?Replaced what exact connectors ? Was this a real shop or just a friend ?

 

[VillaTA]

Real shop that Ive used a lot. They are reputable. I asked all of the same questions. I have all the parts that they replaced. They were diagnosing a noise in the steering column. That’s when the issue began. But the car had been randomly stalling on me for no reason. They reported no spark. I suspect they shorted something when they were taking the Column apart. They did not charge me for any of the work. I just want to be sure that the car isn’t going to catch fire Or cause damage. The car starts fine now. I believe he changed the terminal on the block and the wire connectors. The noise started this afternoon after a 30 mile cruise.

 

[moparlee]

Sounds like the same "mechanic" that did your alignment in your other post .
Sorry, I couldn't help it. But sure hope you get these issues sorted out.

 

[70chall440]

Like you I do not like strange noises coming from electrical components. I would be exploring this issue and carrying a fire extinguisher. I am not saying it will burst into flames but it sounds like the gauge is perhaps failing or possibly its the regulator on the instrument cluster.

 

[Challenger RTA]

TAKE THIS SERIOUS! I hope you are removing a battery terminal when not in driving. If what you hear is a high frequency pitch sound. it's more then likely a an electronic component going bad and shorting out. voltage regulator,electronic ign,radio ect. crackling or frying is more than likely a connection or wire over heating. or it's just too late.I'm surmising that it a is standard dash cluster and may be you don't know have a meager or a multi meter or proficient in use. pull all fuses from fuse box.unbolt fuse able link,place a inline fuse with low amps start at 5 amp. connect a test light down steam to see when fuse blows. Also you can remove black alt wire from bulkhead. possible bad alt. first test turn ing sw on see if fuse blows. turn steering column and move harness. install 1 fuse at a time. keep in mind different loads different fuse. Always install a low amp fuse than needed. A 5 or 10 amp may suffice for the test Fusses are cheaper than a replacing the car. You mention The blue and white wire. that goes to the barking brake? set you parking brake see if fuse blows. Just observing what you said. WAIT 1 more thing is you radio tuned to WKRP? you might be getting feedback,your to close.

 

[VillaTA]

I spoke to the tech who worked on my car. He advised that he worked in the ignition wire to the coil which fed the ballast resistor. He stated that the connector at the engine side of the firewall panel was the problem. His thoughts are that this sounds like an alternator issue, as something is placing a draw when the ignition is turned on.
He advised to disconnect ignition wire to alternator to see if the same symptom persists. Dash is standard rallye. Your summation is correct, I’m no electrician. I have a multi meter but no clue what to do with it besides testing home outlets for voltage.

 

[Rons340]

Here is a simple schematic of the charging and ignition systems to go along with the one Challenger RTA provided. It might be helpful to show the interactions between the two systems.

 

[marks ebody]

i’m not sure if you found your problem?
Most the time when there is a problem with the alternator it’s the fan assembly coming loose from the rotor and touching the positive Blue wire through the brush assembly. Most time it won’t blow the fusible link it does a slow burn on the wire all the way up to loom.
I really would look at your ignition switch. I believe that it’s coming apart inside the column. Sometimes the crimp On the metal housing that holds the wiring in, simply becomes loose. Specially if somebody’s replace ignition switch before with a aftermarket. if it’s a factory ignition switch it’ll have a factory part number on it. Both Fail,but the aftermarket is much more prone to fail.

 

[Challenger RTA]

With out apply a whole lot of rocket science.A melting or burning of a wire. 1 to much of load and not protected.2 dead short not protected.

 

[VillaTA]

I have not had time to search it out. Plus I am not an electrician…. I appreciate the continued suggestions and support. I plan to summarize all comments and send to shop who did the work. Again, I believe that this all started when they took the column apart to investigate a click in the column.

 

[Mopar Nut]

They were diagnosing a noise in the steering column.

Loose nut behind the wheel?

 

[VillaTA]

I pulled green, blue and black wires from the alternator and the gauge still goes to full “d” when the key hits ignition 2. I wish I could post a video to show the forum the noise. It sounds like a rattle mixed with static. Without taking the cluster out, I’m fairly sure the noise is coming directly from the amp gauge.

 

[marks ebody]

if you carefully pull your ignition switch (White plastic terminal) see picture 1
Picture 2 is a main harness pull apart ,plug in A new switch see if it makes any noise. That’s the easy way.
Since we know that the alternator gauge isn’t going to discharge until you turn the key on, that means it’s going through the firewall through the Amateur gauge To the ing. Switch.
Another way that you can do this is disassemble the column and look at the ignition switch. That means pull the steering wheel,pull the can off,pull the C clip off the Shaft, Loosen the
2 ( 1/4 x 20 nuts take a 7/16 socket)get them fairly loose. Loosen the 4 (5/16x18 take a 1/2 socket )bolts and hopefully you’ll be able to pull the switch and upper housing off the shaft. once that’s off you’ll be looking at the locking mechanism for the steering wheel when you turn the key off. Take a flashlight and see if you can see the ignition switch it’ll be on the driver side of the car inside column
The third picture is the switch that’s inside to The steering column, between the black plastic and pot metal Should not be a gap. Good luck with that

 

[Challenger RTA]

Unplug bulkhead connector with black alt wire.remove from plug,plug back in and try. Black alt wire my be melted and grounding out. If sound persist,remove all fuses try.If sound stops replace one fuse at a time.this diagram may be easier to see wiring path.Alt side of amp meter Black wire (load side of amp gauge) feeds splice one,headlight sw,battery side of fuse box and steering column.

 

[VillaTA]

Just curious if the barracuda diagram is same as challenger

 

[VillaTA]

I also noticed that I only have a single ballast on my car. Should it be dual!?

 

[72RoadRunnerGTX]

What am I missing here, the high load/short condition is only present with the key on? All these comments are about the alternator or alternator output wire possibly being shorted? All of that has un-switched access to the battery. Start by disconnecting the engine harness from the bulkhead connector, see if the condition remains with the key on. If not, the issue is in the engine compartment, ignition 1 circuit (blue/tracer). If the condition remains with the engine harness disconnected, the problem is on the dash side, again, blue/trace wire in the bulkhead connector running to the ignition switch Molex connector, or on up to the ignition switch.

If the problem started with work performed to the steering column, likely the blue/trace ign. 1 wire is pinched under the column mounting bracket, or otherwise shorted to the column within the column. Another test, disconnect the ignition switch Molex, jump the red and blue/trace pins on the dash harness side of the Molex, if the high discharge/short indication does not register, the problem is for sure in the column, wire pinched, or short at the switch. Or as marks ebody suggested, if you have access to another ign switch, plug it into the dash harness without mounting it and see if the problem goes away.

 

[VillaTA]

What am I missing here, the high load/short condition is only present with the key on? All these comments are about the alternator or alternator output wire possibly being shorted? All of that has un-switched access to the battery. Start by disconnecting the engine harness from the bulkhead connector, see if the condition remains with the key on. If not, the issue is in the engine compartment, ignition 1 circuit (blue/tracer). If the condition remains with the engine harness disconnected, the problem is on the dash side, again, blue/trace wire in the bulkhead connector running to the ignition switch Molex connector, or on up to the ignition switch.

If the problem started with work performed to the steering column, likely the blue/trace ign. 1 wire is pinched under the column mounting bracket, or otherwise shorted to the column within the column. Another test, disconnect the ignition switch Molex, jump the red and blue/trace pins on the dash harness side of the Molex, if the high discharge/short indication does not register, the problem is for sure in the column, wire pinched, or short at the switch. Or as marks ebody suggested, if you have access to another ign switch, plug it into the dash harness without mounting it and see if the problem goes away.

@72RoadRunnerGTX - So I pulled the bulkhead connectors one by one. The noise persists until I pull the center large connector which connects battery power. So that means the problem is inside, right?