This may sound dumb, but I have been having trouble with my charging system on my 1980 f150. Have replaced voltage regulator, alternator, battery, and starter. Ha d a glitch last week when it still wouldn't charge and I attached the "Stator" wire from the truck to the "field" terminal on the alternator, and the "field" wire from the truck onto the "neg." terminal on the alternator. Got smokey. Unhooked everything, switched it back to good, charged the battery today (week later) to take it into a shop and I have absolutely no power to the truck. No ding ding ding, no dome light, no ignition, will not even click when i turn the key. The battery is putting out 12.9V with a charger on it and after i took the charger off it was still 12V +. I checked about 3 fusible links, all the fuses are intact and not burnt. I just need to get this guy rolling to get him to the shop. I am above my paygrade as a small time "shadetree" mechanic. Help please. Thanks all!

 

I don't consider myself an idiot, but just to clarify, i switched the wires unintentionally but it was cold and getting dark and the terminals were hard to see and i just screwed them up and put the wrong wires on there. Just didn't want someone to think i was just switching wires ***** nilly.

 

Check the smaller wires that attach to the battery side of the starter solenoid. They have fuse-links in them, designed to burn out before the rest of the wiring goes up in flames.
Since you mentioned smoke, I'd bet that's where it came from....

 

Those are the wires I checked...one was a spade fuse...one was a small cylinder with metal caps...both intact...could it be the solenoid itself?

 

Check the wire that bolts to the battery side of the starter solenoid. It should be in a ring terminal slipped over the post, and then the positive cable from the battery bolts to that. This is a main power wire, and if something is up with it, goodbye goes your power. I managed to break the connector one time while playing with the wiring, and it took removing the solenoid to figure out what had happened. Look at the wire for a broken connector, or burnt/heated copper.

 

To check fusible links, grab both ends of the wire and pull firmly, you can't merely look at
'em.

 

How do i bypass basically everything and just get this thing started to get to the shop. I tried jumping the solenoid with a screwdriver and got no spark or anything. I need to take it 4 blocks.

 

Try jumping #3 to #5 in the above diagram with a small wire. If you get nothing, put a meter on the battery and jump 3 and 5 while watching the meter on the battery.

 

If you're jumping the solenoid, and nothing is happening, then you have a bad connection on one end (at least) of the battery cables themselves.

 

After stumbling accross another article I will try one more time with the fusable links. I was pulling, but gingerly, and looking at the fuses. I guess I need to pull on them sons o beaches and see if they break/are fried. I really need to get this thing to a shop...we have had over a foot of snow and I have been driving my 2011 camaro and the 1980 ford truck sits buried.....sadness

 

CUT THESE THREE CRAPPY WIRES FROM THE SOLENOID. aLL 3 HAVE SOME SORT OF FUSE ATTACHED. THE BIG RED ONE WITH THE BROKEN RING HAS ONLY A 5A FUSE IN IT.....Bad? Could these be my problem?

 

Replied to your other thread...

 

So i got some new fusable links and cut the old ones out down to fresh wire. I also had the main battery supply to the solenoid with a broken/coroded ring terminal so i replaced that. I have one new link with a 30A spade fuse in it, a new link with a 15A cylinder fuse in it, and a new wire that just looked burnt. Put all the connecters on, soldered them, taped them up, etc. I also put on a new solenoid since I didn't do that when i put the starter on (duh!). I still get nothing when I hook the battery back up. I have 12V at the battery, still no light or power in the truck. I tried jumping the solenoid like Franklin2 told me to do (thank you!), and it turned over like it was starting but it never fired and just killed my battery. Still no lights or power, but it did turn over. The starter works, and it turns over, so it is a small victory, but I don't think it is getting fuel because there is no power in the truck, so it wont start. Where the heck do I go from here?

 

Sounds like the main power wire still has issues. Trace it down away from the solenoid, and look for any further burned places. IIRC, somewhere between the solenoid and alt, the wire reaches a factory splice, 1 side goes to alt, other goes into the cab.

 

Would this affect starting? Fuel pump? I'm just afraid I fried a main electrical component down the line like a wiring harness or an ecu or the grey motorolla control box.