Hello, I need some help with my classic car.
I have a 1977 Ford LTD with 189,000 miles on it. It has a 302 Windsor which was rebuilt about 5 years ago. It probably only has 20k miles on the rebuilt engine. Anyways, I was parking my car at my house when the car just suddenly shut off. I tried to crank it back up, but it would barely stay running when I keep pumping the pedal. I assumed it was out of fuel because I was smelling fumes coming from the tank, and it probably all evaporated. When I tried to crank it again, the starter just stopped and all lights went off. I put the headlight switch in the on position, but the headlights were still off. I tested the battery, and I'm getting over 12v unloaded, and 11.9v loaded.
I don't want to take it to a shop because I want to try and fix this myself, but I am not sure where to start looking. I'm not super experienced, so please try to keep the answers simple.
![RcFlashlight [BANNED]](https://i0.wp.com/i.postimg.cc/fLKMkt8H/ban-user.webp?resize=96%2C96 "RcFlashlight [BANNED]")
Guys, I found the problem. The positive wire is so corroded that it will only work in a certain position. I managed to get the car started so I could move it. I will be replacing the wire really soon. Thank you all for the answers.
Good job and thanks for letting us know.
Great that it was something simple! Sometimes you get lucky. Buy lottery tickets today.
{pear}:wink:
If your electrical system is completely dead check for a burned out fusible link and check all your fuses. If you don't have one already you may want to invest in a factory shop manual for that car with wiring diagrams. (Some libraries have those in their reference sections.)
If you're only getting 11.9 volts at idle, your alternator is on the way out. How old is your battery?
This is with the car off. I think the battery is a 2012.
That battery is well beyond its use-by date.