1948 Chrysler Windsor problems

[53 New Yorker]

Hello All,

 I'm new at posting in here, but have been watching other discussions for a long time.  I've finally made the move to ask questions.

I have had my 1948 Chrysler Windsor for about 2 years now.  I keep working "bugs" out of it as I find them.

 I have the transmission shifting well, after someone told me how to take out the solenoid and clean the  silver contacts.

 I've had the generator rebuilt, and it is charging wonderfully again.

 I replaced the vacuum advance (Old one was totally shot) after i discovered the previous owner took it "off line" and plugged up the port on the carb... go figure !

Now I'm working up the courage to discover why the # 6 Cylinder is making a "popping" noise back through the intake manifold.  Under load or up a hill, the car sounds more like a stream locomotive ! LOL

 I Will check the valve clearance, as someone has mentioned it as a possible cause.  There is also only about 42#'s of compression in this cylinder.

Wiring is also an issue, with many splices over the years and things that do not function correctly.  Oh, and sometimes the tail lights do not work, unle3ss I reach under the dash and jiggle some of the wires.

  Blinkers do not cancel even when the leaver is back in the "neutral" position, and the left courtesy light under the dash will blink with the turn signals ...  Kinda funny.. but NOT REALLY !  LOL 

  Brake light will not light up.

  Sometimes the car will just shut off (stall) for no reason... and if you hit the starter button, it will fire up again.  There is a funny clicking sound that happens when the car is about to shut itself off... almost like the click you hear when you first turn on the key, and "energize" the system, before hitting the starter button...  Click, Clicky, Click... then stall...

 Dimmer switch sometimes will have all the lights go out when switching from low to hi or hi to low beam.

 The gas gauge will read 1/2 a tank when I fill it to the top... and then sometimes it will ready 3/4 of a tank when I'm driving along for awhile.. it can't be trusted!

 Radio and Clock do not work... but that is pretty typical in a car as old as this.  Right?!?!  ?

 

 I always disconnect the battery when the car is "resting"....  If I do not... after about a week, I have a dead battery.  I have no idea where the short is, and I do not get a spark at the terminal when I reattach the cable at the terminal...  so the drain on the battery must be very low.  I'm not taking chances.. I pull the cable when I park the car.

 

 I love the styling of the 46-48 Chryslers, and have come so close to owning one of them many times through the years, and finally have one.  Now I wish I could enjoy it on a longer trip or drive it more often in the summer... like to work from time to time.  But, I do not trust it to get me there or home.

 

 How difficult is it to install a new wiring harness for a "novice"  on a car that is not going though a remodeling ?

 

 Cheers All and Thank you in advance for any advice or leads on how to do some of the repairs

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Nice looking car.  I'm sure you will get much pleasure out of it as soon as you have the niggily things fixed.

[hchris]

The clicking noise just prior to stalling could well be the generator control relay dropping in and out as the revs fall off, from memory this is mounted on the engine bay bulkhead which acts as a sound board.

 

 

Popping through the manifold and lack of compression in #6 would probably be a burnt valve, you could get lucky with adjustment.

 

Sounds like you need a copy of the wiring system for the electrical stuff, cars of this era aren't all that complicated,  get a copy and blow it up and trace the various circuits. 

 

Some of your symptoms sound like poor earthing, the dip switch probably has some crusty or loose connections.

 

Gas guage coulld just be bad earth on the sender unit at the tank, or pull it and clean the wiper arm.

Edited September 19, 2018 by hchris
Reword (see edit history)

[Spinneyhill]

I see there is an 1946 Chrysler owners manual on line at https://www.ledlight.com/55-miniature-bulb-ba9s-base-6-volt-smd.aspx

Unfortunately I doesn't contain a wiring diagram.

 

I have found a wiring diagram in the National Service Data manual (which is 4" thick). I'll photograph it in the morning with the good camera. It is bed time now for me.

Edited September 19, 2018 by Spinneyhill (see edit history)

[Spinneyhill]

Here you are. It seems to be 46-48 Chry 6. Click on the image and when open in a separate box, right click on it and Save Image As. Then you can view it and enlarge it as you wish.

[Walt G]

Invest in the time and cost it will take to buy and install a new wiring harness, the one in your car is  70 years old.

30 years ago I helped work on a Pierce Arrow touring that a friend owned, car ran rough etc. I said shut the lights off in the garage and start the car and look under the dashboard - it looked like the 4th of July with all the arching and zapping going on due to the dried out insulation on the wires that was not insulating. The car had been restored well but the wiring "looked good" so it was never touched - was brittle etc. After the rewire it ran as well as it looked. there are several excellent harness manufacturers in the USA , talk to them . You have a grand looking car! I love everything about it.

[R Walling]

53 New Yorker ,

 I love the pic's of your 48 chrysler.

I am looking at one now that is a 7 passenger. 

My friends are trying to talk me out of it as the cost of restoring exceeds the finished value by 2X.

 Please give me some encouragement to buy it!

[c49er]

Buy one done as cost of restoring one will run your bank account dry.  ^^^^^^^^^^

Edited September 20, 2018 by c49er (see edit history)

[gene bryson]

49r bob

Part of your electrical problem may be  that model is Positve ground battery connection.

Also throw away the carbon fibre spark plug and coil wire, buy some stranded copper wires, even if you have to fabricate them.

Thats a start before you start throwing money at the problem.

[Rusty_OToole]

As to how hard it is to install a new wiring harness. You don't have to be a genius or a master mechanic but you do need patience and a certain amount of mechanical and electrical savvy. Get a ready made harness from a reputable supplier, a wiring diagram and follow the directions. It will be easier if you can remove the instrument cluster a few inches out of the dash for access to the back side. Or if you are agile enough to work under the dash.

 

It helps to break it down into sub systems like lights, ignition, charging etc and deal with a few wires at a time, checking and rechecking everything you do. The individual wires are not very challenging but there are a lot of them.

 

As to how smart you are, and how good at following instructions and not getting ideas of your own, how much patience and mechanical ability you have, only you can judge. The good part is you do not have to have it done on a time schedule. You could work on it an hour or 2 each evening and quit when you get tired or frustrated.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, gene bryson said:

Part of your electrical problem may be  that model is Positve ground battery connection.

Electrons don't care positive or negative ground.     Why does the letters "pos grnd" throw people into panic mode.

The only possible problem with a positive ground vehicle today is the lack of accessories.

There are many thousands of Ford Model A's and tens of thousands of Chrysler products reliably running every day with a positive grounded system.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Guest (see edit history)

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again, Chrysler always made a beautiful gray paint. I love the looks of your car!

[JACK M]

15 hours ago, Tinindian said:

Electrons don't care positive or negative ground.

 

Mostly true but one would want to at least swap the wires on the coil.