[Chrysler300] Electrical Gremlins and Bulkhead Connector Maintenance

["JOHN MC ADAMS" <clafong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

To All:

 

Since I have seen a couple of references lately about electrical gremlins in
our 300's, I would suggest the following:

 

Everyone that owns a Mopar that is over 30 years old should take their
bulkhead connector apart, remove and clean each of the mating contacts and
fill the contact cavities with insulating, waterproof silicone grease before
re-assembling the connector.  Otherwise you might go out to your car one day
and find a melted lump of metal where your car was parked the night before
(with the remains of your garage on top of it).  Or it could happen on one
of those nice Sunday drives or worse yet, on the way to a Club Meet.  The
silicone grease is also a great idea on the electrical contacts on your
brake light and turn signal bulbs.  

 

You all should know that the full current from the generator/alternator
flows through this bulkhead connector (where the wires penetrate the
firewall) to the ammeter (in your dash) and back through the bulkhead
connector on its way back to charge the battery (usually via the connection
at the starter relay).  

 

When there is corrosion present in the bulkhead connector, it causes a high
resistance to the current flow and the contact area heats up.  It is quite
common to find that one or more of the contact areas on the bulkhead
connector have melted from this resistance heating.  

 

I had to get an NOS bulkhead connector for my '62 "Sport" ragtop because one
of the contacts had heated up enough to melt the housing such that it would
not retain the contact in place.  Note - that I had just read this warning
on another internet site and thought I should look at the contacts just to
make sure I didn't have a hidden problem.  Everything was working fine and
there were no hints that a fire might be a possibility but there had been
enough heat present to MELT the bulkhead connector plastic.

 

I hope that no one ever experiences a fire caused by "electrical gremlins"
or lack of maintenance.  

 

Just a word to the wise.  Actually more of a warning to make you wise.

 

John Mc Adams 

(In SoCal)



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