So a couple days ago I was driving home from somewhere and I turned the truck off. Then 10 mins later I went to start the truck up and after I let go of the starter button the truck continued to try and start. So I removed the key and it remained trying to start untill it just stopped. Now when I go to start the truck I have no power to anything (radio, lights, even cab light when opening door) so I went ahead and replaced the starter silliniod and still no power. I have the battery tested and checked amps and it came out good. What do you guys suggest I do next? What do you think the problem is? Thanks

 

Sounds like you have a stuck starter solonoid. That caused the starter to crank till it caused the main line fuse or a connection to open from excessive current long term. You may have also fried the battery.

 

So what do you recall I do? I replaced solenoid. Check fuses? It's weird cause I have no power to anything I'n the cab.

 

You need at least a test light or meter to find why you don't have power at the starter.

Check across the battery look for 12 volts 12.5 is good
less than 12 volts is potentially bad (if low charge the battery to see if voltage goes up.
check for battery voltage to ground at the starter solonoid.

check if you get voltage at the starter when the solonoid is engaged

if you have voltage to ground after step 3 test the starter on the bench

 

He's saying he doesn't have power to anything. If that's the case, there will be nothing to trip the solenoid, by way of the ignition sw.

Is your truck's wiring stock, or has it been re-wired? Either way, you'll have to trace the wire that 'powers' the ign. switch. You can start but pulling out the ign. switch and find the wire on the 'batt' terminal and following it backward. If stock, you my find this goes through the headlight switch and then onto the battery. A stop at the horn relay may be in there too. Use a test light and keep probeing the wire on it's way back to the battery from the ignition sw. till you find power.

This may be a stupid question, but in the events of changing the starter solenoid, did you put all the right terminals on the correct posts? Your main power to the cab draws fromo the solenoid, if it's on the wrong post this could be your issue.

 

Marty, his last entry said no power in the cab. He may now have two problems. The original of solonoid and/or starter. I don't think I would try to start it again and have the same first problem without solving the cab problem. He may have a circuit breaker/fuse still blown or may have fried some wiring. If he has a meter I would remove the coil wire on the solonoid and check for 12VDC when he tries to start. This will not apply power to the starter solonoid or the starter. Once this is corrected I woiuld pull the starter and have it checked at the local parts place. Shorted starters or stuck on the flywheel can do damage. What do you think? chuck

 

That's why I said to start at the battery. The wiring systems are really simple in that old truck. I am not sure if there is a main line fuse in the path to the cab (actually I suspect not) I would not be too surprised to see that the power or ground strap has been burned off or burned to the point that there is no path for current to flow to the chassis. The Key is the starter cranking with no signal from the key. It does not matter if the key supplies voltage or pulls the solonoid with a ground to close the main contact. The key is the starter kept cranking (probably the contact points in the starter solonoid fused together). The starter draws about 175 to 250 amps depending on lots of things. That amount of current over a long period 45 seconds and more will cause a heat build up in any connection that is marginal. Any corrosion no matter how small will contribute to heat build up and that in turn will cause more corrosion and more resistance etc. The heat can and will start a fire if not stopped by a fuse link or connection break down. - - - -
Just being lazy not explaining why I suggested to do something a certain way. A few simple checks and the problem will be self evident.
Marty

 

I saw no mention as to how stock the truck is. If it's still 6v positive ground, the starter button is live all the time, regardless of the ignition switch, and goes from the solenoid to starter button, to ground to crank the starter. It's entirely possible his starter button is shorted, or the wire from solenoid to starter button shorted to ground. This wire is direct from solenoid to starter button NOT going thru a breaker on the back of the instrument cluster. If it continued to crank until it killed the battery, that would account for the no power in the cab at all. check your starter button for proper function, and the starter wire for shorts. Then being ready to pull the positive cable from the battery PDQ if it keeps trying to crank, put your meter on the battery and watch the voltage when you try turning on the lights, or hit the starter button. If the voltage drops more than a couple volts (from 6 to 4, or 12 to 8 or 9) your battery needs a charge. Just because a battery shows 6 oe 12 volts are rest doesn't mean it has a proper charge. Add any load it it will drop to almost nothing. Chase after the faulty starter button or wire from the solenoid to the starter button first. The 3 terminal solenoid gives power to the truck from the battery side terminal of the solenoid, not the start (small middle) terminal according to the wiring diagrams.

 

Okay tomorrow I will go ahead and check my fuses and my ground wires. Is it best to do this with a volt meter?

 

I had no clue there was a breaker on the back of the instrument panel?
QUOTE=DumbLuck;10824940]I saw no mention as to how stock the truck is. If it's still 6v positive ground, the starter button is live all the time, regardless of the ignition switch, and goes from the solenoid to starter button, to ground to crank the starter. It's entirely possible his starter button is shorted, or the wire from solenoid to starter button shorted to ground. This wire is direct from solenoid to starter button NOT going thru a breaker on the back of the instrument cluster. If it continued to crank until it killed the battery, that would account for the no power in the cab at all. check your starter button for proper function, and the starter wire for shorts. Then being ready to pull the positive cable from the battery PDQ if it keeps trying to crank, put your meter on the battery and watch the voltage when you try turning on the lights, or hit the starter button. If the voltage drops more than a couple volts (from 6 to 4, or 12 to 8 or 9) your battery needs a charge. Chase after the faulty starter button or wire from the solenoid to the starter button first. The 3 terminal solenoid gives power to the truck from the battery side terminal of the solenoid, not the start (small middle) terminal according to the wiring diagrams.[/QUOTE]

 

they look like 2 metal cubes with terminals if they're the same as my '53. and Yes, a meter should work fine for testing

 

If the wiring is stock, all the power is in a 10ga Yellow wire to the headlight switch. That is the main hot wire to the entire truck. Every circuit runs off that wire, including the starter button. The ignition hot lead is a 14ga yellow wire, from the headlight switch to the ignition switch. The buttons sometimes stick, allowing the starter to continue engagement. The solenoid could stick too, but that won't keep power from entering the rest of the system, since the power lead shares the same solenoid terminal as the battery lead. This all assumes the system is stock, which has not been verified. If it's not stock, then anything goes. If it's stock, there is only one fuse, and that is at the headlight switch, and it's only for the dome light. If If it's stock, use a voltmeter (not test light, unless it's six volt, since it will barely light and may be hard to see), test volts at the solenoid post in from battery, if good, continue. The next point to test, is the back of the headlight switch. Test for power at the large yellow wire. If no power, then you lost that wire. If there is power, check the terminals out. If nothing, you lost the headlight switch, since it contains a circuit breaker, and I do not know if it's a self resetting, or if it's more like a fuse. If you need a headlight switch, they are readily available, and I think I may even have laying around. Check out "Earls World." I know he sold his truck, but the pages that are still up contain the wring diagram for a stock truck. '55 and '56 are the same, with the exception of wire size, voltage, and '56 saw the introduction of all PVC covered wiring, instead of cloth covered. Again, this info is only useful for a stock truck, and is the correct routing, and steps to determine a "power in" failure, and will be of little to no use for anything other than stock.

 

The '53, and '54 have the breakers on the back of the instrument panels, the '55 does not. It is completely different.

 

Okay thanks guys. I'm pretty positive the wiring isn't stock. It has like 3 fuses but they all seem to lead to the ac and radio.

 

Without my key I'n the truck I could push the starter button and it would crank the engine but not start it untill my key was In. So what I
think might have happend was the starter button was
stuck and it blew a fuse or a wire went bad from the consistent amps. But then the truck had no power after that, that's why I am confused. I even took the battery to get checked for amps and volts and they said it was good. So then I replaced the solonoid and still no power