Hey guys, im in need of some serious help. I split my ground cable on my 1987 F250 with a 460 last week, and instead of going to Ford and getting the factory cable, I went to the auto parts store and got a new cable and then grounded it to the frame. I took a grinder and cleaned the frame up, so it was a good ground. Truck ran fine, then this morning i got in to leave from work,and it wont start. When you turn the key, everything turns on, then when I go to turn it the rest of the way to start it, everyrthing shuts off. Now sitting here at work trying to figure it out. Anything will help. Thanks guys!

 

How's the ground to the motor? If it is weak, you're starter won't work well.

Try this: turn on headlights, then try to crank and see if lights go dim/out. If dim=battery. If not then you have ignition switch issue.

Got a screwdriver? try jumping the big terminals of the soleniod on the fender and see if starter engages. Could be ignition switch, could be neutral safety switch(if automatic transmission). If automatic, put into N and try key.

 

Check the main connections first. You didn't mention cleaning any of the other connections, so check those and clean if necessary. If that doesn't help, then it's possible that the battery is bad.

Check the voltage when you get a chance. Even the volt gauge should be sufficient to verify if the alternator is working. The voltage should be higher when it is running vs not running.

 

okay, awesome! Thanks for replying so fast! I'll try that as we speak.

 

May be just a lose or corroded battery post connection. Clean the battery posts and
solenoid connections up. Than go from there cleaning until ya find the problem.

 

Okay, so real quick. I haven't cleaned anything yet, but just thought i'd check in. Now, whenever i turn the key, the truck makes a weird buzzing noise in the cab, like a door buzzer isnt getting enough power, and then when i turn it to the "run" position, all the electrical shuts off. Im going to clean everything right now.

 

Battery connections are weak. Has just enough to make certain things work, but not enough to do much else. Remove the cables and clean then thoroughly.

 

Cleaned everything, and that helped, but now my gauges and everything come on, and I go to start it, it'll buzz, then everything shuts off.

 

Than yer missing something. Ya haven't cleaned Everything yet or yer battery is shot or to low.
Have ya tried a boost or a jump start?

What yer describing to me sounds like a typical low voltage thing. A bad
connection or a weak or bad battery.

On Edit: Just a thought but a battery cable with low voltage can heat up
and cause the solder where it goes into the end connecter to melt and do
this as well. That is a hard one to find. After trying to start it than literally
put your had on the batt connections on both ends of the cables and see
if there is any heat there. If there is replace the cable or make a solid
contact anyway ya can to get off the road.

 

could it be a bad ground?

 

Most likely

 

You have a ground to the frame, where is the ground to the motor? Typically the battery ground cable goes directly to the motor, bottom front corner. If you put it to the frame, that is not good enough and the little ground straps are likely burnt up from using it since you put it together.

 

Put the end of that new ground cable on the engine block where it belongs rather than on the frame, frame ground is for trailer lighting only.

Sounds like fried the small bonding ground strap between frame and body first couple start ups after installing that cable, a load the bonding strap was never intended to carry, now no longer provides ground necessary to start it.

 

Right!!! The main ground is supposed to go to the engine block!

 

If you were just connected to the frame by a strap, I too am guessing that may have failed, and so you would not be getting any spark, poor engine ground is just as detrimental as any other out of maintenance condition for performance as well. (Just connected the dots on this one yesterday - whole other thread)