IML: Starting my 64 Imperial

[Joe Strickland <jwstrick426@xxxxxxxxxx>]

As some others have commented about trying to "jump" a bad battery, I 
also have experienced the problem you are having on various Chrysler 
products over the years.  If you have already tried jumping the existing 
battery with a known good one from another vehicle, and you can turn the 
engine over using a wrench on the harmonic balancer bolt, the next step 
would be to try removing the existing battery from the start circuit 
(disconnect the leads from the battery).  Then cover the old battery 
with some suitable pieces of cardboard or an old quilt folded many times 
to provide a cushion to prevent the battery leads from touching the old 
battery or the car frame or body.  Then place a battery from one of your 
cars on the fender with suitable cushion underneath to prevent 
scratching the finish.  Connect the car's battery leads to the 
substitute battery if they will reach, while MAKING SURE THEY CANNOT 
SHORT TOGETHER.  If they don't reach, use the shortest battery jumper 
cables you have.  MAKE SURE THE JUMPER CABLE ENDS CANNOT SHORT 
TOGETHER!  If the car still will not start and acts exactly as before, 
then troubleshoot the START CIRCUITS, cables and their end connections.  
Don't forget that a bad ground from the engine to the battery negative 
terminal and body can cause a no start condition.  Some cars have a 
large braided cable that grounds the engine block to the firewall and 
others ground the engine back directly to the battery negative 
terminal.  Those cars have a smaller 8-12AWG wire that goes from the 
battery negative terminal to the body close to the battery.

As Paul suggested, try to eliminate items that could be the problem 
without having to buy new parts.  If one of your battery cables is 
measuring 1 ohm instead of 0.1 ohms that could be an indication of 
corrosion inside the crimped cable end/s.  Recheck that cable's 
resistance.  If it still measures 1 ohm after making sure your ohm-meter 
leads are first "zeroed" out, then the cable sounds very suspicious.  
[Short the ohm meter leads together first and adjust the meter's Zero 
knob until the meter reads zero before you touch the meter leads to the 
item under test].  Someone mentioned having a cable that had been 
cleaned and was shiny externally, but green with corrosion on the inside 
of the terminal end/s.

I looked at the electrical diagram for the engine compartment on your 
'64 Imperial. It has a starter relay (usually mounted on the fender well 
near the battery).  It has one large wire connected to a large post (the 
main battery lead going to/from the starter).  It has three other 
terminals on it: one labeled "B"; One labeled "ST"; one labeled "GRD".  
The terminal labeled "ST" gets 12 volts applied when the key is turned 
to the start position and the car is in Park or Neutral.  The "GRD" 
terminal is the ground side of the relay coil and must have a good 
ground connection to the frame ground of the car.  When the key is 
turned to the start position and everything else is working correctly, 
then the starter relay applies +12 volts to the "B" terminal which is 
connected to the + side of the starter solenoid.  You can bypass the 
ignition key start circuit by jumping the large battery terminal at the 
starter relay to the "B" terminal right at the relay.  Either clip leads 
attached to about a no. 12 AWG stranded wire or just use a screwdriver 
tip to jumper the two terminals together.  If the starter can turn the 
engine over it will do so [again provided that the battery ground is 
well grounded to the starter ground].  The only thing left would be bad 
or pitted contacts inside the starter solenoid which is part of the 
starter assembly.  You would have to remove the starter assembly and 
take the solenoid apart to inspect the contacts there.  That is a job 
probably best left to professional starter rebuilding personnel.

Joe

begin:vcard
fn:Joe Strickland
n:Strickland;Joe
adr;dom:;;1021 Vaughan Lane;Tioga;Texas;76271
email;internet:jwstrick426@xxxxxxxxxx
version:2.1
end:vcard