mysterious stalling

jasperjacko

jasperjacko

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So here's the deal. Charging the a/c in Modoba. Afterwards, idling in drive, car shuts off just like the ignition is turned off. Started right back up and then shuts off when I release the ignition switch from start to on. Any Ideas? Next question is heater/a/c control related. I can't change blower outlet from heat to vent to defrost. It stays mixed between defrost and heat. Also, the vacuum operated water valve doesn't opererate with the heater controls. The diaphragm works with hand vac pump but I get no vac. from the gray vac line that goes to it, reguardless of where the temp is set to. Thanks for your input.
 
Bad ballast resistor and your vacuum line running into the interior is either broken/leaking or disconnected somewhere. Both the water valve and the blend-air door operate from that vacuum line. It should be hard plastic with rubber boots, and I'd suggest looking first behind the heater controls and next in the area of the blend-air door's vacuum motor.
 
Of course, make sure there's one running from the engine to the firewall first. :icon_biggrin:
 
I've never lost a ballast, a voltage regulator, or an ECU other than the Mopar Gold box I tried on the street... "Ooooh, it's all melty!" :eusa_doh:
 
Could a ballast resistor not working be intermittent ?
 
I'm no guru but I'd say no.
The ballast resistor is just that....a resistor
So I'm thinking when they pop.....they pop.
Is it running now?
 
Did your car get wet at all?
If it's working now with the old one that sounds more like a short or something....temporary makes me think moisture??
 
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On my 85 Ramcharger I have had longer than two wife's, the voltage regulator drove me nuts for two years (truck is not a daily driver). It would work fine and then let the battery get low enough to make weak spark and then work ok after a restart. The truck would skip under load, loose power, cut off. It would seem like the battery was not getting charged at times and just going dead for no apparent reason, when the truck was sitting. But every thing would check out ok voltage right, current out put of alternator ok. I blamed the ignition box, coil, grounds, fuel pump even the carb. The fuel pump and carb had issues I fixed and that got me off track on the main problem. It finally failed enough to reveal itself as I was driving around with a DVM hooked up. Looking on the back you could see the melty hole in the potting compound. Sometimes troubleshooting is like peeling an onion, layers. Including the crying.
:crybaby2:
 
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Set your DVM for continuity tone and test the ballast while wiggling the terminals. They can go intermittent, especially the old ones that weren't sealed in the back (you can see the wirewound part of the resistor). Sometimes the wire breaks and will make contact intermittently. It's more common with the open-back style but not unheard of with the sealed units.
 
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