66-300 440 engine fails to start or even turn over.

1966 300

New Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2013
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
Location
Brentwood, TN.
I tried to start my 66-300 440 TNT engine. The engine has not been run in six months. Never had a problem with it starting before.
About 3 months ago , I put a Genius 2 battery tender on it. The battery shows to be fully charged with 13.5 Volts. I checked the oil
before trying to start it, dip stick shows full. I turned the key to start, the red oil pressure light came on, totally quiet, not a sound from
anything in the engine bay.

I would appreciate all suggestions on finding what the problem might be and then how to fix it,
 
I tried to start my 66-300 440 TNT engine. The engine has not been run in six months. Never had a problem with it starting before.
About 3 months ago , I put a Genius 2 battery tender on it. The battery shows to be fully charged with 13.5 Volts. I checked the oil
before trying to start it, dip stick shows full. I turned the key to start, the red oil pressure light came on, totally quiet, not a sound from
anything in the engine bay.

I would appreciate all suggestions on finding what the problem might be and then how to fix it,

Try moving the gear shift lever thru the gear positions ending in neutral, again attempt to start. If no start, Remove and clean the battery cables and try to start. If you still have nothing, Mopars are famous for having the starter relay stick from sitting, rap the relay with the handle of a screwdriver and see if that helps, be sure the terminals to the relay are clean, they are also famous for corroding.

Dave
 
remove and clean the ground cable where it attaches to the head/intake/block.
 
I like to short across the relay first. If it cranks it eliminates the battery,starter and starter connections without taking anything apart.
From there you can put yor test light on the relay to confirm it is recieving voltage when the key is turned to start position. With this process you can nail down what portion of the system the fault is in within one minute.
 
Do you have full battery power at the power input for the starter relay?
Do you have voltage from ignition wire connector at starter relay when key is turned to start position?
Do you have full battery power voltage at the starter relay output wire to starter with the key in start position?
 
This just happened to me today on Mr. Blue our 66 Newport. I jumped the relay and it sparked but no turn over. Power to everything else. Did the original poster ever find the fault? Running the cables. Could it be the neutral safety switch? Parked for about a week on a slight down hill grade, nose down. I will report back if I find the fault. Happy motoring! Retroman
 
This just happened to me today on Mr. Blue our 66 Newport. I jumped the relay and it sparked but no turn over. Power to everything else. Did the original poster ever find the fault? Running the cables. Could it be the neutral safety switch? Parked for about a week on a slight down hill grade, nose down. I will report back if I find the fault. Happy motoring! Retroman
He has not been onsite since April 2022. You might want to PM him.
 
Follow-up report: It was the starter relay. All points on the old one showed signs of corrosion. I just placed a new one on a few minutes ago and Mr. Blue fired right up. I am noticing that across the fleet the old original electronic components are giving up this past year. Had a coil crack on the 66 sport fury, voltage regulator on the 69 D200 and now this. I know, usual stuff, but maybe these components are hitting the end of their useful life. 50 plus years on is a pretty good value to get out of a part. I wonder if these replacement parts will last the decade or even into next year. All the best, Retroman
 
Follow-up report: It was the starter relay. All points on the old one showed signs of corrosion. I just placed a new one on a few minutes ago and Mr. Blue fired right up. I am noticing that across the fleet the old original electronic components are giving up this past year. Had a coil crack on the 66 sport fury, voltage regulator on the 69 D200 and now this. I know, usual stuff, but maybe these components are hitting the end of their useful life. 50 plus years on is a pretty good value to get out of a part. I wonder if these replacement parts will last the decade or even into next year. All the best, Retroman
They will not last as long, but they are better than nothing.
Glad you found the problem and fixed it. Congrats!
 
Back
Top