first problems power steering - hope i didnt buy a 64 galaxie lemon

absolutely b-body, only prob is i dont know anyone!! so that leaves me and forums lol. there are tons of wires hooked to the regulator which seems very odd to me since he had an internally regulated alternator. i may go back to napa and go back to the 3 wire alt, get a new regulator and start from there. 9i dont mind replacing the bits to know they are all new and in working order. i know thats not real mechanic-ing but to me its worth the 20$ to know the part is good.

 

Stop farting around checking voltage across the battery terminals, all that tells you is the battery condition. Having the old generator-based voltage regulator... is it hooked up to anything? That will not play at all with an alternator.

Do you have a chassis schematic for the car? That will be a big help, check your local library. I have a set of manuals for your car, PM me if you need anything scanned to a PDF file. I'd think of comparing the '64 and '65 Ford schematics since the '65 came with an alternator and voltage regulator.

Bob

 

With a schematic in hand, verify that the generator wiring is all there, the easiest thing may to go back to the generator system. I see this running into some serious change if you need to take it anywhere.

I just googled this, "1964 ford galaxie charging schematic" and came up with a shitload of good information. Everything you need to know is there.

Bob

 

thanks Bob. i have been poring over all of those images. the problem is 2-fold. 1 i am not very good with wiring and 2- i have NO idea if what the PO did ever worked and what he did to do the alt conversion. from what i have been reading there is no reason to have the int regulator and an external yet he did and he has many wires going to the ext reg. on top of that the wires to the ext reg are all the same color and are def not stock items. so essentially trying to decipher what he did to then see if he did it right and if he did then determine what the issue is. i really am trying to sort it on my own but at some point i may need to throw in the towel and send it off.

 

the way that wiring mess looks,i think its best to get the file from Bobss and start from there.if you have the wiring diagram theres no guessing as to whats going on and what goes where.any boneyard up there with old stuff ,might be able to find an engine harness .the diagram will confirm your ign wiring too.take it to a mecanic could empty your wallet quick ,specialy if hes not an older guy that knows his way around an old ford.myself ,i would order a harness from a vendor here and rewire the whole car,and its no
t that dificult,just time consuming.after all, you are keeping the car right?
where about in boston are you at?

 

Whoa! that wiring looks like a nightmare! i suspect ther rest of the car is similar because if the previous owner did that, no telling what he did to the rest of the car. The wiring on a car like yours is not vastly complicated but, can be confusing if you are unfamiliar with all that stuff. That is a voltage regulator in your pic. If you have an alternator the wiring attached to the regulator probably feeds other circuits. My advice? Start over. Re-wire the start and charging circuits. Buy a book on how to wire your car or, find someone to help you. Find a REAL auto electric shop to test your starter and alternator not Autoclown.Those machines they hook up to are not really doing all that much. Electrical gremlins can be hard to chase down even by pros when someone has done a botched wiring job. Good luck, hope you get it all sorted out.

 

You have experienced people here trying to tell you what to do.
If your mechanic is worth his salt and honest , he will do what's been said here.

Electrical problems are more similar to fishing or hunting vs going to the grocery store - there's no telling where it is or how long it will take to find it, but you can quickly determine what system or circuit is causing trouble. That narrows your focus to productive and effective elimination.

 

I would blow up the schematic(s) as big as possible. Assign "tag" numbers to all the wire ends on the schematic. Make up some neat masking tape numbered tags and physically tag every connection under the hood. Note the colors, which may be a help... or not depending on what you have there.

There's not that many wires involved, you can do it!

Bob

 

Surely there has to be some Hamb members in Boston that could give you a hand. At least try to find a shop that works on older cars. You admit you are in over your head,but just changing parts is throwing money away and crossing your fingers. Hope doesn't fix the problem.

 

Something else to consider is that you do not have to wire the start/charge circuits back to stock. There are better ways. Some vehicles route the charge circuit through an ammeter or , use an ammeter to feed the headlight switch and ignition switch.
That works, but is not ideal. It is also a good idea to add relays for the headlights to keep all that current from flowing through the switch. As for an alternator- a one wire will not charge at idle, it is easy to install, but a 3 wire is not hard to wire and will charge at idle.
Use good, automotive grade wire, not that cheap-ass vinyl covered crap you get at the local parts store Here is one source.

http://www.wiringproducts.com/?gclid=CJ_1lNuDybECFeSMTAodx1gAQA

 

thank you again all. i do trust my mechanic and i am actually working with a cool hot rod shop doing their website. i think id like to rewire the car. the guy had a big subwoofer in the trunk and used cheap home wires to et that rigged. all the bulbs etc are sorta dangling behind the dash. i found a US made 14 circuit setup for 230. i think this may be the best solution. it really is a mess in there.

 

There are engine feed harnesses available. I dug around and came up with a part number, C4AZ-14289-A. Of course verify it with someone like Dennis Carpenter or Dearborn Classics first. You might want to join a Galaxie forum and ask around there.

If your mechanic knows his $hit... he should be able to adapt it over to an alternator.

Bob

 

a sixties era Ford is one of the simplest damn cars in the world to run. there's not a system on that type car that can't be mastered with a little time and logic.

 

Let an experienced guy/shop handle this wiring issue, all you do is drive your self crazy trying to figure it out with out a very good understanding of the systems.
First thing that jumped out at me is at 12.2 volts your battery needs a charge... 12.6 volts is the standard voltage spec for a fully charged 12v lead acid battery at rest. I got the 12.2 volts from your post. Trying to trouble shoot with a low battery can really mess with you!!

 

Most of mine chack 13+ volts. In my experience if it checks 12v or just below it's no good.

Good luck on the car. Wish I had my old '64 Galaxie back!

 

12.2 volts is not that horrible, yes it should be a bit higher but he has a huge systemic problem, so keeping the battery 100% up there isn't happening. Especially with the unknown heavy amperage draw he's experiencing.

Bob

 

thanks again all. looks like i am going to do a barter with the local hot rod shop. they need a website. i need the car rewired. pretty much the same costs on both ends and we both make good with no cash out of pocket. i am just tired of chasing things i am just not good at. ill try again a bit today - left the battery on a tender all night to make sure it gets a good even charge. spoke to the guy who sold it to me who said he knew the alt was good and that he forgot to say that a dome light stayed on and would draw the batt down. so i have that alt back and a new 3 wire 1 from with a new ext voltage regulator. ill do my best but if i cant sort it today it goes to the hot rod shop. i ant to drive something before its winter here lol.

 

Its kind of hard , well nearly impossible to miss the dome light stuck on - no ?

 

heh its not the dome light. i was typing while my 9month old was running around at 6am lol. i meant an interior bulb somewhere behind the dash - i dont even think i HAVE a dome light lol. but yes it would be pretty difficult to miss it if it was on lol!

 

After seeing the picture of the wiring near the old regulator, I'd bet my 401K that the previous owner had the same issues, and couldn't figure it out, so his only alternative was to put a good charge on the battery and sell the car, knowing that it would run for a while on a fully charged battery. Kudos to you for your persistence in trying to figure it out, and even though you didn't get it repaired, you probably learned some stuff, right? That's how we all learn. Post the link to the hot rod shop you're doing a web site for, we'd like to see some of your work.

 

oh my goodness i am going to lose my mind. so before when i got the car to start it wouldnt shut off until i pushed the shifter into the PARK position and sorta tapped it just a little. I'd guess something to do with the neutral safety switch - tho the car will not start in anything BUT Park and Nuetral so i assumed the switch was still good.

Now i go to start it and it does right away, idles good. went to move it out of the driveway and it dies instantly in Reverse AND drive. But it shuts off the way it seems like it should - as soon as the trans feels like its in Park. It will still start in Park and Nutral only though. this is driving (no bad pun intended) me nuts. oof.

 

good thing it is going to be worked on, run a wire right from the battery positive to the positive terminal on the coil and drive it to them quick. you will have to pull the wire to shut it off.

 

yeah this is insane
i am at a complete loss. The ONLY thing i changed now is the key switch because the one in there broke. the same wires go the same terminals, etc. i give up. i'm done. the stress and hassle isnt worth it. chasing ghosts. i am not the most patient person and i have tried to be with this thing but right now i am about to lose it. it frigging ran and drove when i got it. all that changed was the damn key broke and i replaced it with an OEM one.

 

)_______

 

well i didnt look over all the wiring too thoroughly - my fault - as i was able to take the car o n a 20 minute test drive inc thru town and on the highway. brake lights worked, headlights, etc. literally i think i and my driveway are cursed lol. my bet is either the whole thing shat itself or there is a very simple fix that someone with more knowledge - ok ANY - than i would be able to sort out. i paid 4k for it.

 

I still think you got a great car and now know you got a good deal. All of your current problems fall into the "very minor and cheap" category in my book.

I think you are looking at too many things at once.

And remember that you did drive the car 20 trouble free miles before purchase. Many of us did not have that luxury.

 

Every old Ford I've ever had (all trucks) had the red wire going to ground and the black going to positive at the battery when I purchased it. This is probably due to the lengths of wire available at Autozone. Is it possible that you have the same situation? I don't think you would ever get it started with the battery hooked up backwards but if you did, that would kill the battery quick.

Trace your negative wire off the battery and make sure it goes to a ground (usually on the block).

 

One wire alternators will certainly charge at idle. Depending on the internal regulator used, when the engine is started, you might have to rev it up a little to get it to charge but once it starts charging, it will charge at idle speeds. The OEM external voltage regulator won't work well with an alternator because the generator current output was 1/2 or less than what the alternator output will be and that current will overheat the regulator.

With a one wire alternator, all you need to do is connect that one wire to a battery positive connection with a large wire. I also like to put fuses or circuit breakers in the circuit in case the alternator shorts out internally.

If your battery voltage is dropping below 10.5 when trying to start the engine, something is drawing a huge amount of current or the battery is bad. since the battery has been tested and you were able to start it using a second battery, I suspect the starter.

 

in cases like this, it's almost preferable to take EVERYTHING back to as close to factory as possible and work your way forward. first, you need a repair manual that has wiring diagrams in it. NOT a god damn Haynes or Chilton manual.. a real Ford repair manual. then establish the working condition of every dumbass thing the PO did to it. these were dead reliable cars from new; very little if ANY reason to add the latest fads from Hot Rod magazine just to "have them". my '60 Starliner had a 390 and ran a generator with NO issues... likewise my '63 sportsroof and several Falcons. trying to ditch these problems by throwing money into an aftermarket wiring harness is not likely to eliminate them. first; clear up the starting circuit issues. then clear up the charging circuit, which is PROBABLY the constant vltage regulator dying behind the instrument panel. by then, your lighting issues will go away, more than likely, as you'll have been through the harness twice by then.
troubleshooting is a process of eliminating faults one by one.

 

Posts #118 & 119 are dead on. The starter does sound like its dragging and is a cheap fix that will help other issues, like keeping the battery up. I like the idea of sorting out what is there first. You CAN do an aftermarket harness, but virtually every circuit will have to be traced and matched up, wire-for-wire and expect more than a few comprimises.

Bob