Car running, key in hand.

[Joop]

Hey folks... got a problem here, but first some history that may help:
1967 289 coupe

Last summer I put AFR heads in the stang, along with an MSD distributor, spark box, and optima red top. A couple months later I noticed the battery was dying. I had it tested and it was fine.

Then the car wouldn't shut off! I would drive it, park it, and turn the key off and the car would still run with the key in my hand. It ended up being the voltage regulator, I replaced the alternator at the same time along with new alt. wires going to the celenoid and ground.

The battery was still draining, so I looked through the wiring and found a short, fixed. Everything seemed fine until yesterday.

Got back from the gym and pulled in my driveway... key in hand, car still running. I was on the phone so I turned the car off with the kill switch and forgot about it until I went to start it this morning... dead battery.

So I'm out of ideas. The only thing I was thinking is that maybe the voltage regulator can't keep up with the rest of the upgraded parts. Should I maybe upgrade the voltage regulator? or maybe even get an alternator with an internal VR?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Joop

 

[ga289stocker]

My car did something similar to this years ago. I recall I would turn key off but motor did not what to shut off. My problem ended up being a easy fix, bad starter
solenoid. Replaced it and it's been fine since..

 

[Joop]

Oh yeah I forgot to say... I actually did replace the starter and solenoid this summer.

 

[65fastbackresto]

Sounds like you have overrun

I`m not sure if overrun will make your battery go dead, but if it would........somebody can correct me I`m sure.

There are instructions with your ignition box telling how to install a diode in the voltage regulators wiring harness, to prevent it from doing that.

I went around this issue by installing a toggle switch under the dash that turns the ignition box off and on.

 

[Joop]

I`m not sure if overrun will make your battery go dead, but if it would........somebody can correct me I`m sure.

There are instructions with your ignition box telling how to install a diode in the voltage regulators wiring harness, to prevent it from doing that.

I went around this issue by installing a toggle switch under the dash that turns the ignition box off and on.

I actually have a kill switch already going to my coil... I'll check out the diode thing. Thanks.

 

[Rusty67]

Charge your battery. After its at a full charge put it in the car. Check the voltage from the battery before you hook it up to the car with a mutlimeter. After you hook it up, test it again with a multimeter. I'm going to guess you have a short somewhere in the system somewhere. Wiring gremlins are a pain in the butt. If you have a short in the system, start pulling fuses out 1 at a time and testing the voltage at the battery after each fuse you pull. This will narrow down what circuit the problem could be in.

You can also do the reverse which is pull all the fuses and then add them 1 at a time until you have a problem.

Edit:
I forgot to address the run on problem.

I would start by checking the ignition switch terminals with a multimeter when the problem occours to see if the ignition switch is going out on you and leaving the car in run even tho the key is not in it anymore. Actually I would start there before anything else.