batteries wont keep its charge and...

[seb and sandy]

hi all i new here hopefully u can help me ... my car's (valiant 68) batteries wont stay charged...? i dont know what it is ... and recently it stalled twice totally stopped and wont start for a while, i opened the hood and gaz was leaking out of my carb??? it flooded itself, what can it be? help plz

[Weapon_R]

A leaking carb won't drain your battery, so pay attention to two things.

First, check to see that the battery is not old and worn out. If it is, a new battery is a relatively cheap fix (around 60-70 dollars).

Otherwise, if the battery is good, it's your alternator. Generally more expensive (unless you can find parts for your car at a wreckers), it will cost you anywhere from 100-300 depending on availability and cost of parts for your vehicle.

[moose_8]

it might have a external regulator instead of inside the alt, this happened to me in my 66 galaxie so alls i had to do was replace the regulator

[Ducati]

Ah yes, the legendary old Slant 6. I love them. I have owned three of them. (65 Valiant Custom 100 coupe, 68 Dart coupe anda 73 Scamp coupe)

If the battery is not old and shot (you can have that tested with a battery load test at a shop) or just spring for a new battery, which can be found for as little as $50. The next thing to check will be the voltage regulator.

The Slant 6 is one of the all time great legendary engines.
It is a Slant 6, right?
Even if it is a 318, thats also an excellent engine that has evolved over time and is still used by Chrysler.

But the Slant 6 is perhaps the easiest engine I have ever worked on, runs forever, withstands abuse well....and ticks like a clock due to hydraulic lifters pumping up with air, but they tick for up to 300,000 Miles if you maintain them properly. Second only to the diesel Mercedes, they are the most durable engine I know of; better even than the also legendary Volvo B18 4 cyl.

I am not sure that they will outlast a modern Japanese 4 cyl., due to the close tolerances of today's manufacturing techniques, but then again, we are talking Beaters and Classics here, not the soul-less new stuff people drive now. You also didn't pay five figures for it, either.

[buzzbomber85gt]

so does the car have an electronic ignition or does it have a points distributor?? if it has the electronic ignition you will have several things possibly holding up a charge from the battery:
alternator
loose belts
voltage regulator
any wiring
ignition box
bad cells in the battery

where do you live?? if it gets super cold your battery may have too low rating on cca(cold cranking amps) and the water that goes in the cells under the cover that you pry up will dry up and fry the cell or they can also freeze.
just check it out and if all else fails....take the classic to a shop and let them look at it. I know it costs a few(exaggeration) bucks but on the plus side it would probably be fixed:thumbsup:
gotta love classics;)

[Tak]

If the battery won't stay charged while it's parked, try a couple of things first. Turn it off, and wait a couple of minutes before starting it up again. This will showcase a bad battery if it fails to fire after a few minutes.

The other thing I'd look for is a current drain (open circuit). To test this, disconnect the cable from the negative terminal and let it sit overnight. In the morning, reconnect the battery and see if you've got juice. If no juice, the battery is definately kaput. If it starts fine, then you could have an electrical gremlin to find (and eliminate ;) )

Good luck,

[Ducati]

In 1968, the Plymouth Valiant used single point ignition in all non high-performance models. The 340 used dual points.

The 1967 Hemi GTX I had used dual points - but I ditched it for one of the very first Mallory Electronic systems.
Dual point systems were fiddly and failure prone.

Still, load test the battery then check the voltage regulator. Then check the alternator drawing current. The Valiant is far more simple and easier top diagnose than the newer stuff.