1969 Dodge Charger cold starting problems?

Question

My Dodge won't start when it is below 35 degrees outside. I have replaced the coil and battery, I have tried putting a light under the hood, in the interior, and tried jump-starting it. All of these have not seemed to help at all. I was thinking that it could be the ignition switch. If the switch was not passing enough voltage it would cause the car to not even try to spark - which is what it is doing. Is there anything else that could be causing me to have this problem? HELP PLEASE!!! Every hour that passes is one less hour I have to spend with my ride!

I have upgraded the car to transistorized ignition (no points), have put a new Edelbrock 750 cfm carb on it with an electric choke, new balast resistor, and still have the problem. The engine is a 383 ci, so the carb is a little big, but I was able to start the car before just recently. The coil is a new Accel Pro Stock coil.

Distributor turns when the car turns over, I put a new Comp Cams Roller Timing Chain on it last year. I tested to see if the plugs are getting spark by taking the wire off of the coil, putting an old spark plug in it, and touching it to the head while I attempted to start the car. No spark was seen. I tested the voltage at the battery and got a reading of 12.9 volts. On the incoming side of the resistor with the key on I got areading of 10.6 voltz, outgoing side 8.5 voltz. When I turn the engine over, the incoming side reads 8 voltz, and the outgoing side reads 5.4 voltz. I think that this is too low for proper ignition and the only thing in the current path that could have that much resistance is the ignition switch. Water has leaked through the windshield and ran in the general vicinity of the switch which could now be corroded, causing the resistance. Also the car appears to have a vacuum leak because the hide-away headlights will not close and the heater goes out over 45 mph.

Answer 1

yes a high compression engine will not want to start in that weather , 5w 30 oil , a block heater , a battery with a cca rating of 700 amps , a good tune up and methyl hydrate in your premium gas are your minimum start points , also see if your distributor sees 12v in the start position , the ballast resistor should only operate in the run position . good luck , put some weight in the trunk for traction too .ps. if it turns over but won't catch , retard your ignition timing a bit that may help , but get her WARM .

Answer 2

This car has a carburetor instead of the modern fuel injection. A carburetor has a choke (butterfly valve above the primary barrels) which should be closed when the engine is cold. You need to pump the throttle about half way to set the choke.

This choke can be adjusted. Remove the air filter cover. BE VERY CAREFUL RUNNING THE ENGINE WITHOUT AN AIR CLEANER. A BACKFIRE THROUGH THE CARBURETOR CAN SET YOUR CAR ON FIRE. HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER HANDY. USUALLY YOU CAN SMOTHER A CARBURETOR FIRE WITH A WET RAG, HAVE ONE READY. The choke should be completely closed then the engine is closed. When the engine starts, there is a vacuum actuator that should pull the choke open about 1/4" You can bend the linkage from the vacuum actuator to adjust this. As the engine continues to warm up, the choke should fully open.

There is also a linkage that actuates a cam to the throttle linkage. There is a separate idle adjustment screw This controls the cold fast idle. Adjust as needed.

Avoid repeated pumping of the throttle. Each time the throttle is pumped, the accelerator pump sends a shot of fuel into the engine. Repeated pumping of the throttle will flood the engine.

Answer 3

IS IT A POINT SYSTEM DISTRIBUTOR? If it is try checking the points, see if they are burnt or too far out of adjustment.Be sure you have the required voltage to the type of coil you have now.The original may only need 7 or 8 volts via the resistor and the new one may need 12. Some things for you to check good luck

Answer 4

a 69 charger wow,thats a nice car.being a 69,do you have points?i did on my 68 coronet.maybe they are bad.does the choke close.if you got a new battery,then it should turn over pretty good.if it does,then check the fire at the plugs.how about the cap and rotor.maybe you could use thinner oil in the cold weather.check the starter,to see if its dragging.

Answer 5

if its getting spark, and gas in the carb it has to start!, check your ballast resistor, I know you say you put a new one on but it might be defective or better yet check to see if your distriburator is turning when you turn it over, maybe a timing chain problem.

Answer 6

it may be as simple as adjusting your choke,before you start it push the pedal to the floor once,then pull the top off the air cleaner and see if the top choke plate is closed.if not push it closed and try to start car and see if this helps,carburated engines need extra fuel in cold weather
give it a try

Answer 7

if its not getting spark then check for the resistor on the firewall, it is ceramic and you cant miss it, it can be burnt up in which is a common problme on the old chryslers

get a new one

if its not getting spark

good luck

Answer 8

Had a Dakota do that and we ended up changing the alternator, but I'd love to take that car off your hands

Answer 9

How about your automatic choke? Is that working? You didn't say that it wasn't turning over. Try starting fluid if nothing else.

Answer 10

Have you upgraded to a MDS ignition module or equivilent? This would help