I just changed the alternator and battery on my 1966 Chrysler New Yorker and now it won't run?

Question 1
I just changed the alternator and battery on my 1966 Chrysler New Yorker and now it won't run?...  I JUST REPLACED THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR BUT IT WON’T RUN. THE BATTERY DIED ON ME AND IT SEEMED AS THOUGH IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BASED ON HOW OLD IT WAS SO I STARTED THERE. AFTER A FEW DAYS IT STARTED TO REPEAT HAVING A HARD TIME STARTING NEEDING A JUMP TO START SO I MADE THE NEXT MOVE TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR. WITH THE ALTERNATOR REPLACED AND ALL CONNECTIONS TO THE ALTERNATOR CLEANED, CONNECTIONS RESTORED IN CORRECT LOCATIONS AND CORRECT BELT TENSION I CANNOT GET IT TO STAY RUNNING. THE ENGINE TURNS OVER AND SOUNDS LIKE IT WANTS TO RUN BUT DIES WITHIN ABOUT 2 SECONDS. I CHARGED THE BATTERY AND TESTED THE VOLTAGE MAKING SURE IT GOT A FULL CHARGE BUT IT STILL WON’T GO. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE CLAMPS FOR THE BATTERY POSTS ARE A LITTLE COROADED SO THOSE ARE GETTING REPLACED ASAP AS WELL AS REPLACING THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR. ALSO, IT WONT START OFF OF A JUMP START... ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?

Answers
1)   less typing in caps and more buying a newer car. - Dreamland

2)   sorta limited on info but 1966 new yorker im sure still has a points ignition system. these can be very picky to get right. i would take the dist cap off and sand the points or replace them (they're cheap). you will need to set them with a fealer guage.. good luck hope this helps

http://www.uartech.com/ - Tory

3)   gotta reset the alarm system/thats what is now shutting you DOWN/no points in that system - ken k

4)   It might be a bad ground. This might sound crazy but connect one side of your positive jumper cables to the connection on the starter and ground the negative side, then connect the other ends to your battery and try to start it. If it starts then it has to be the battery's ground or the connection to the starter. - Sam

5)   If your '66 still has the original points and condensor distributor you may have a bad condensor and a bad condensor will perform as you have stated, poor running right up to the point of not starting at all. Or it's possible the points have slipped and are closed, gap between .014 - .019 ( I believe were the specs).

Chrysler Corp. replaced the old distributor for just that reason, reliability. - Don't know everything !

6)   Voltage regulator is a possibility, it may not be allowing enough voltage through.

A weak condenser can certainly cause it to not run correctly, as can worn out points. They're usually sold as a set, so replace both at the same time.

Another item that can cause it to start and not keep running is the ignition ballast.

What's a ballast? you might be asking. It's a part of the points type ignition system that reduces the voltage to the coil to about 9 volts. Many had a bypass that allowed the full 12v to the coil during start-up for easier starts, some were temperature controlled where they allowed a full 12v to the coil, then once they started to warm up, the voltage would decrease, and they can get very hot.

The ballast will be mounted to the firewall, on my '65, it was near the center on the driver's side. It will be a ceramic block with a metal bracket to hold it onto the firewall, and a terminal on each side, one from the battery, and one to the coil. It should be easy to follow the wires to see where each one goes. You can test the ballast with a voltmeter to see if it's allowing voltage through, or an ohmmeter to see if it's reading a certain amount of ohms, or an open circuit. An open circuit means it's broken, of course, and needs replacing, if it allows anywhere from about 8v to 12v, it should be okay.

You'll probably need to learn how to set the points yourself since there's not too many technicians who know how to do that anymore (I've known a few who had never even heard of points before). Here's a link to an article explaining how on Allpar.com http://www.allpar.com/fix/points.html - Mark B

7)   Check your points for burning and pitting, better yet, replace them and the condenser. Also could be the ignition ballast resistor. A symptom of a bad resistor is that the engine will start but as soon as you let go of the key, it dies. Check it with an ohmmeter. A bad one will read very high resistance, or infinity. It's mounted on the firewall, about 2-3 inches long, half inch thick, looks like a white crayon with a wire coming off each end. Chrysler products of the this vintage were notorious for burning these resistors out. Lots of owners used to carry a spare in their glovebox. - Rick


___________________________________________________

Question 2
why are people always bashing on pt cuisers?...  i just dont understand my father left me a very nice pt cruiser 01 limited edition when he died he loved this care and before he died wanted to put more power in it i looked around found out it was mopar i have no clue what i can just bolt on to increase the power so i called a few shops to see everytime i called one they just laughed at me and hung up. im just looking for help and maybe a shop that can build up my mopar pt cruiser is that so hard people always make fun of these carse but there really cool.

Answers
1)   Everyone will bash on anything...I really like the turbo pt cruisers.. - Lisa

2)   Good friend is on her second ..... - rick29148

3)   They have a very very low safety rating, their design is...eh... old fashioned, and usually very old people drive them. - Claire

4)   I dunno what's up with people laughing at you. My family had to rent a pt cruiser for a winter trip one-time and it worked just fine! It drove great in ice too as a matter of fact...

I guess if everyone's just laughing at you just look for a shop on-line that specializes in pt cruisers or something... - The Weather Man

5)   There's a lot of web sites out there for PT Cruisers with lots of information, including performance upgrades, repairs, and pretty much anything you can think of. Just do a web search to find some enthusiast sites such as ptcruizer.com, ptdoityourself.net, or any of the other sites for PT enthusiasts.

There's always someone to bash something, they're just haters that feel they have to force their opinion on everyone else. Why don't they like them? Who knows, and who cares. PT's are obviously a good design and well liked by people, otherwise, it wouldn't have lasted this long.

Just ignore them and enjoy your car, it's a nice, versatile vehicle that gets good fuel mileage and hauls lots of cargo inside it. - Mark B

6)   Most of the little cars you see tend to be driven by older people...At least were I live..We have ones that resemble a classic woodie,one with flames and one that a hippie drives that has multiple colors..I have a friend that races his at the dragstrip at a all mopar day...Computer chips,turbos, are just a few hop ups for your ride...Yet I still laugh at these people because it,s not really a mopar as far as mopar standards are...When you think of mopar you think of cuda,s,power wagons and roadrunners...Not a little 4 cylinder car that looks like a mini panel wagon... - Johnny Rotten


___________________________________________________

Question 3
i have just bought a chrysler grand voyager crd 2001 model and the ears are playing up it wont stop in 1st 2nd?...  it wont stop in1st 2nd 4rth or 5th gear please can you help me
it wont stop in gear

Answers
1)   The earbox has worn bearings. Needs a rebuild. - Gil

2)   i'm not exactly sure where are the ears? - Steve

3)   What? - done wrenching

4)   ????????????????????????????????????????? - Dave

5)   First mistake was buying a chrysler voyager. Maybe it has earache? - scott c


___________________________________________________

Question 4
1970 plymouth valiant, too much gas or air?...  I just put a new carburetor on my 1970 Plymouth Valiant and now when I step on the gas it smokes quite a bit especially at high RPMs. I'm sure I don't have the idle speed and fuel/air mix correct if anyone could be any help that would be great.
It's a rebuilt Holley 1920 single barrel carb. The same type that came factory on the car according to the Haynes manual.

Answers
1)   2bbl or 4bbl?
If its 2bbl your jetting, metering or even float settings may be off, and since "new" carbs for that car are not avalible just rebuilds then you have a problem and talk to the rebuilder
IF you have a 4bbl and bought a new "replacement" Holley or Edlelbrock you need to rejet the secondaries or again the metering set up. OR if you installed a bigger CFM carb well now you know what "bigger is not always better" is all about, to much carb for not enough cam or ci.
Idle speed and air fuel mix for off idle has nothing to do with it - rick b

2)   if it,s black smoke then it,s getting too much gas or it could be the choke is closing on you and shutting off the air. adjusting the idle won,t help that and those screws are just idle screws. - bandit_60

3)   More information would be extremely helpful, engine and carburetor size (two/four barrel plus CFM) are necessary to give an accurate answer.

Blue smoke is oil, black smoke is a rich mixture, air/fuel ratio is important, idle speed won't affect mixture at high RPM.

If the engine has not been overhauled and brought back to factory specs, the high RPM smoke is more than likely blue in color (worn rings). If the mixture is too rich (metering or jetting) at high RPMs, excessive gas could be washing the cylinder walls clean of oil film and allow oil past rings as well.

Carburetor problems are difficult to diagnose when you are under the hood and even more difficult to diagnose when you have very little info. - Don't know everything !

4)   Single barrel carb must mean a slant six engine. Sounds like the accelerator pump is set too rich. It's been so long ago I really don't remember how to adjust it. Maybe check on Holley's website? If you bought a rebuilt carb you should have gotten the instructions on how to set and adjust it. - Rick


___________________________________________________

Question 5
Why do Chrysler starter motors sound so different and unique from any other car..?...  V8 Chrysler starter motors sound so unique from any other vehicle-- and have since I can remember back in the earlier '70"s--- what's the reason.....?

Answers
1)   becuase its much more cheaper if you dont know that uniqe sound will kill your car in a few decades - siberianliger

2)   Because they are gear reduction starters like many new cars have, but were gigantic way back then. Now they are half the size. - done wrenching

3)   It had more gears and moving parts. For reduction.
Ford's starter had no magnetic solenoid and had a snap like no other.
It mounted it in the engine compartment and was called a starter relay, the one that clicks when the battery is too weak. - Joseph

4)   Chrysler starters were gear reduction starters, they had a big planetary gearset in them. Fords and GMs were direct drive starters. - Rick


___________________________________________________