Smoke coming from defrost vent?

[500Stroker]

Do you have a volt meter or test light to see if you have power on the brown wire at the Ballast with the ignition key in the run position.

From your 6al where do the heavy red and thin red wires run to?

[tommyg29]

I will try and check with the tester, but it will have to be another day.

The red msd wire runs to a connector, and another red wire runs back from that to the tach adaptor. From the connector it becomes a brown wire which  runs into a bundle and I think connects at the firewall to the brown wire (which burned) from the steering column harness. These two brown wires connect to one end of the ballast, and a blue/white stripe wire connects to the other end of the ballast. My diagram shows this wire going to the alternator and alt regulator, but I cant tell because it runs into the bundle, and because the wires coming from the alt and regulator are solid blue.
The other red wire from the msd box is actually orange, and it goes to the coil.

[dodj]

The red msd wire runs to a connector, and another red wire runs back from that to the tach adaptor. From the connector it becomes a brown wire which  runs into a bundle and I think connects at the firewall to the brown wire (which burned) from the steering column harness. These two brown wires connect to one end of the ballast, and a blue/white stripe wire connects to the other end of the ballast.

To eliminate the resistor, remove the brown and blue wires from it and twist them together. From what you said, they are connected then to the SMALL red MSD wire. With the MSD, the resistor isn't needed to reduce the voltage on the coil, the MSD box controls it.
If you then put your meter (you have another one now, right?) on volts dc scale and turn the ign switch to the run position. Put the black lead from the meter to ground (bare metal) and the red lead to the connector that the small red MSD wire goes into. You should read battery voltage - about 12.5 vdc. Next, lift the yellow wire off of the starter relay. Then have an friend turn and hold the key in the start position. With the meter in the same place, you should again read battery voltage. If you read battery voltage on both tests, replace the starter relay wire and see if it will start.

[tommyg29]

thanks dodj, I'll give that a try when I can get to it, probably tomorrow.
After doing a lot of reading I understand the resistor is to lower the amount of current that reaches the coil to keep it from overheating, but the msd turns the flow on and off, instead of a steady flow, so the coil wont overheat. Removing the resistor may also allow for a hotter spark, though in a street car that probably wont matter.

I'll connect the two wires together first and see if that works. Cant wait to try it.

[tommyg29]

Got it working by connecting the two ballast wires (double brown and the blue/white)together.
At first it didnt work, so I checked my voltage and it read about 2.8v at the brown ballast wire.
Under the dash I checked and it read about 10.8v, so I knew it was a problem in between. All I did was tighten my two connections and it started up.
I wonder if the 10.8v in the brown wire in the steering harness is a problem.
Is that brown ignition wire fed by the red wire adjacent to it when you turn the key?
I know, I know, it could be the b/h connector
Now, msd says I can disconnect the chrysler module?

[brads70]

    glad you got it fired up!!!
Yep you should be able to disconect it. The MSD box does what the stock box did!
Maybe just double check all the wiring to make sure it's wired the way the MSD instructions say?

[tommyg29]

thanks Brad:
yep, I think I will remove the regulator all together to try and clean up the firewall and the engine in general. May run some of the wires in looms, but I dont want to overdo it, because the "stock" look is nice too. My msd is hidden under the battery and  I've been told the battery acid may eventually eat it up, but I keep that area clean as I can, and the tray still looks good. I dont like that box and all the wiring on the firewall.
I wonder what if any effect the connected regulator has on the system?
Anyone?

[dodj]

Excuse me if I interpret your question wrong, but you can't disconnect the module you have in the pic.

I dont like that box and all the wiring on the firewall.
I wonder what if any effect the connected regulator has on the system?
Anyone?

It regulates the alternator output voltage to around 14vdc. You have to keep it.

And  Congrats on getting it running!

[dodj]

Looking at the pic of your new connections and voltage regulator, it looks like a braided ground strap that goes to your passenger side cylinder head. If that's what it is, I'd look into installing a bigger one, or at least two that size in parallel.

At first it didnt work, so I checked my voltage and it read about 2.8v at the brown ballast wire.
Under the dash I checked and it read about 10.8v, so I knew it was a problem in between. All I did was tighten my two connections and it started up.
I wonder if the 10.8v in the brown wire in the steering harness is a problem.
Is that brown ignition wire fed by the red wire adjacent to it when you turn the key?
I know, I know, it could be the b/h connector
Now, msd says I can disconnect the chrysler module?

Yes the brown wire is fed by the red one next to it. It is very possible that the b/h connections are the culprit, the ignition switch is also possible, but less likely.
At 10.8 volts, the MSD is probably close to not working. It needs a nominal 12vdc to enable, and you are giving it 10.8vdc  I don't know at what voltage the MSD enable stops working, but it wouldn't surprise me if it stopped working at 10vdc

[73Chally]

When the wire is reading 10.8, what does your battery read?  Have you drained the battery from the work you have been doing the past couple days?  If not, then you are losing a couple volts somewhere in the wiring, which is definitely not a good thing.  Have you taken a reading on the wire when you turn the key and crank the engine?

[tommyg29]

I did test the battery just before testing the ignition wire and I think it was 12+ volts at the battery.
As for the msd schematic is shows the "Chrysler module" should be disconnected. I thought that meant the regulator, but the diagram isnt clear.
The braided ground wire is larger than it looks in the picture. Its flat shaped and about 1/2" wide, but it cant hurt to double it.
I'm gonna recheck with the meter tomorrow, and next week I'm taking it to an old timer who is acknowledged around here as being THE electrical wiz. I think I will ask him if he can moderately upgrade the alternator too. Not too much....dont want to overload anything, but I could apparently use at least 10 more amps of output.
I'll let you know what he finds and recommends for my situation.

[dodj]

It means the Chrysler Ignition module.If your battery is reading 12vdc and only 10.8 is getting to the ignition, you will have to check/clean all the connections in the circuit. Fuse link, bulkhead, column, and ignition switch. There's a dirty/loose connection somewhere. You're nearing the end of this problem!

[tommyg29]

ok, I got it about the module. I was confused because the two units are usually mounted next to eachother, and they look alike. But I dont have one, so I can be excused for ignorance!
While I'm at it, should I replace the $7 regulator with one of the better Chrysler units? Is this unit possibly causing any problems?
I will pull my b/h connectors apart, but want to know if there is any trick to disconnecting. Can they just be pried off from the engine bay? I dont want to break anything.
I noticed the entire connector is a little yellowed compared to the connector adjacent to it which probably doesnt carry as much current, which is white.
Could just be age, and maybe the prior owner replaced one and not the other, but if I can replace the b/h connector maybe I should.
Is this what I need from year one:

[dodj]

The tabs at either end of the connector need to be squeezed together to disengage the connector from the bulkhead. There is the possibility that the tabs you squeeze could break if they are brittle, hopefully not. Just squeeze the tabs and gently wiggle the connector until it is free.
My car is a '73 so I can't say for sure for you car, but mine has 4 connectors and they are all different. It is a little finicky to remove the blade connectors from the plastic connector but doable if you decide it is necessary. The ones that are the most difficult to clean are the female connectors that stay in the bulkhead connector. I use a contact cleaning file made for relays. Kind of like a really thin nail file, 3/16" wide
As for the regulator, if the system is reading around 13.8-14.4 vdc when the car is running, you're ok.

[tommyg29]

thanks for your help dodj. Ive ordered another connector just in case when I pull it off.
It wont be easy working down there cause the engine is in but I'll give it a shot next week.
Ive heard of the pass thru fix, taking the 12v supply and the ignition wires, which carry most of the juice through that connector, and drilling out the connector and just soldering them together straight thru.
I might try that.