i work for a auto transport company, we move cars, trucks, plans haha you name it, we move it...

im trying to find a local flat bed to move it for cheaper than $95 haha

 

wanna move my ex wife further away?

 

Don't be callin' yourself names, dude, that doesn't help anything.

Sure, I wear a bra in my avatar, but if you look around here long enough, you'll maybe
look through the Mug Shots thread stuck to the top in which I have a bit of an
explanation.

Crossing the + and - can be bad and can kill your charging system but shouldn't keep
it from starting so long as the fusible links are OK.

So, it still doesn't start... Did you un-ground that white wire or no? What are the exact
symptoms at this point?

 

yep ground is unbolted from the bumper.

when key is turned with clutch in, trans in N, foot on break the turn signal lights on the dash light up (this was happening prior to truck not starting) the truck makes no noise other than the electric choke on the carb activating.

the 2 bolts on the fender mounted solenoid relay are warm, i can keep my hand on the relay for about a min b4 I let go.

thanks for helping, i was wondering about the activity on this forum

 

Maybe this will help you Florida. http://arrc.epnet.com/autoapp/8828/8828.htm#8828R01.htm

There is a section on fusible links, and solving your starting problem. I think I'd change out your solenoid for starters.

 

that links not working right now

 

works for me.

 

Alright, I just re-scanned the thread... the truck was running before you replaced that
plastic bezel, correct? You yourself pointed out a possibility of pinched wires under the
shroud, that's a more likely possibility (more so than a lamp wire in the back).

Remove that bezel and the shroud and see if you can find anything where wires are
being shorted to ground (or to each other) as that's where the most recent change was
and this problem then occurred (correct?).

I'm not worried about the lights right now, that can be fixed once it's running.

But, then again, there is no telling what a previous owner may have done to the electrical
system...

I'm not aware of any noises made by any electric chokes, you're hearing something
else...

You don't hear a loud "clunk" when you turn the key to START, this could be only a few
things... the column-mounted switch, the wiring from the switch to the Neutral Safety
Switch (if equipped) to the solenoid, the solenoid itself AND the wiring & grounds
connecting them all together.

OK, look at this picture:


With the trans in Neutral (or Park if auto) and the parking brake set and the key OFF, use
a small jumper wire or maybe two screwdrivers or something metal, connect numbers 3
& 5 together; this will bypass all that wiring and send current directly to the solenoid
which should then connect the battery directly to the starter motor. If the battery <->
solenoid <-> starter motor <-> ground wiring is good and the starter motor is at all
capable of turning, crossing those two will make it turn.

If crossing those two results in the starter motor turning, go turn your key switch to ON
and then cross those two wires and see what happens.

But, you say the solenoid heats up, that concerns me....

 

I think he's smoked his solenoid relay CT. I think he needs to replace it before he does anything else.

 

that loud clunk must be the starter and the sound is happening at the same time as the carb is operating.

tomorrow im going to remove the dash piece, sterring shroud and take some cell phone pics for the thread. i feel they maybe more helpful in identifying the problem before i get run thru the cleaners...

i wish i could find someone local to help me

 

There is really nothing special about those solenoids, they're just electromagnets that close the connection between the battery and the starter:







The coil gets electricity, the plunger in the center gets drawn in, this results in the copper washer-looking piece connecting the battery to the starter motor; some will also send 12V to a small screw terminal that gets connected to the ignition (the one in the pic above doesn't have that feature).

These things DO go bad! The electrical contacts get worn & pitted and not enough current can then flow to the starter.

If THAT is the problem, one can use a jumper cable to connect the two high-amperage connections together, thereby sending full battery voltage to the starter motor directly (it will spark pretty fiercely, starter motors draw a lot of current).

OK, I see a description of a loud clunk, I'll bet that's the starter solenoid... If the starter motor itself isn't turning, could be a bad ground at the starter, could be the solenoid has worn/burned out, could be the starter motor itself, could be the engine is seized and isn't capable of turning.

BTW it is worth mentioning the starter motor itself should be continually engaged for no more than 45 seconds before letting it cool down for a few minutes.

Because the most recent change was at the steering column, I would begin there.

Jump #3 & #5 at the solenoid, see if the solenoid clunks and makes noise; if it does and the starter motor doesn't turn, eliminate the solenoid as a potential cause by jumping the two fat terminals with a single jumper cable.

Sometimes sharply banging on the solenoid will jostle that round, washer-type piece enough to cause it to move into a position where enough current can flow (this is temporary, still need a new solenoid (Chinese ones are junk, get a Motorcraft for about $30 at a Ford dealer)).

If the starter still doesn't turn, could be the battery doesn't have enough power, the cable from the solenoid to the starter is bad, the starter itself has a problem, or the engine isn't capable of turning over.

 

RE: solenoids, unfortunately, all the ones you can find except Motorcraft, are now made in China. The metal is inferior and will frequently weld itself together. If you have to buy a starter, the later trucks use a solenoid engaged starter called a Permanent Magnet Gear Reduction starter. They are available for most engines, Small block or 300 six, tell them you want one for a 1990 Lincoln Town Car 5.0L. Big block, I think it is a 1993 or so 460, Archion can tell you exactly, that's one of the items he sells.

ctubutis et al, you were correct, the white wire was the trailer package ground, there is also a small black one for the clearance lights. The main light, fule pump, fuel gauge ground is inside the cab on a 1986. I was thinking of the later harness I am using when I install the "new" bed and EFI conversion. It does have two white ground wires, one for the tow package and one for the taillights. Both go to the rear crossmember.

 

To the original poster...

Do the diagnostics that CTUBUTIS described. This will narrow down the starting system to one specific area. I agree, worry about the lights after the truck starts.

If one of the Fuse links blew because of the reversed polarity issue earlier, I need to know if the truck has oil and ammeter gauges, or if it has oil and charge warning lights in the instrument cluster. Let's hope that reversing the polarity on the battery did not do any major damage to the electrical system.

 

hey guys, i had it droped off at a shop, had to pay about 12.50 a mile.

ill keep everything i learned on this thread in hopes to not be an ignorant retard when the shop guy calls me with pricing. I will deff be posting there quote in here with the parts there talking about...

hopfully a couple of you will be around when they call so I can get your opinion.

I will remember the start from a lincoln if its recommended over the stock or what they have available.

 

heard back from the shop today, new starter, new starter relay, new plugs, new batt terminals, re wired the re tail lights, corrected turn signal problem.

damage = $450