So I recently purchased a 66 f250 w/ 352. Its mostly in great condition but has some electrical issues which i'll explain.
When I bought it the dash light, reverse, and brake lights all werent working.
It started up great but sometimes as i was pulling through an intersection it would shut off. it would fire back up first try though. I started letting it warm up longer and it seemed to help.
I was planning to replace fuel filters. havnt made it to that however because of new problems. maybe related?

A few weeks go by and now it wont start up. No click, no sound.
Ive since replaced the starter cable, the starter, the solenoid, the regulator, the ignition switch, cleaned up and replaced wire ends where needed. put on a new gang mount. checked battery, solid 12.8
None of this however has solved the issue.
Any advice for further trouble shooting would be great. Im not a mechanic. more of a carpenter but im very handy, this is my first old truck. Ive learned a lot on this forum already so thanks

 

My 66 F250 had a lot of electrical issues I found a pinched wire under the left front cab mount it was there when the truck was built. I am doing a frame off restore and I am going to rewire the truck

 

I talked to a friend who suggested running a neg terminal directly from bat to a starter mount bolt. I just picked one up that will hopefully fix it. I also might have fried my new solenoid. I had the wires wrong and shorted it out on first install attempt. So i got another. Hopefully tomorrow ill get it figured out.

I was planning on buying a new wiring harness soon. Just want to get all the electrical components replaced.

 

no dice. replaced the solenoid for second time, wired it correctly this time. Hooked it back up to fully charged battery, with new cables. and new starter. The ignition switch is also new. Still no clicks.

I dont have the manual or any diagrams for this truck. Not sure what else it could be.

 

1- Is this truck standard or auto trans?

2- The simplest test of starter circuit, fully charged battery, clean terminals, ground cable hooked to the engine, be it at a starter bolt or its original position near or behind alternator mounting. Positive cable hooked to solenoid stud closest to battery box, cable from starter to opposite heavy stud on solenoid.Make sure the truck is in neutral. With both small wires disconnected from the solenoid take a jumper wire and just hold one end to the Positive battery terminal and touch the other end of the jumper to the S terminal of the solenoid. You will NOT get a shock. Two things will happen. The engine will crank over, if not, you should at least hear the solenoid click. Your trying to find problem by process of elimination, not by just buying new parts until you hit on the right one. Look for a ground cable from back of engine where the accelerator cable bracket bolts on, to the firewall. If its there, make sure it's in OK condition. That it is not corroded or disconnected or broken. Let us know how you make out and we'll continue to help

 

At the risk of being laughed at more than i've been doing, I must admit. I didnt put it in park the last time I pulled in the driveway. Ive certainly learned a hell of a lot troubleshooting this week but the final lesson of course is to always check your in park Before you tear apart your truck chasing down a ghost. Thanks for the info All.

 

Another lesson learned the hard way. I think we all have done something like that before.
So I assume that fixed the problem?

 

..."Ive since replaced the starter cable, the starter, the solenoid, the regulator, the ignition switch, cleaned up and replaced wire ends where needed. put on a new gang mount. checked battery, solid 12.8...

I bet she spools up real good now, though, lol.

(That's the voice of experience, I'm laughing WITH you, not at you ha ha)

 

Yes she's starting up just fine now. However I now seem to have lost dome light. Add that to the already out dash, reverse and brake lights. Still have some tinkering to do.

 

No such thing as reverse (backup) lamps until 1967. The taillamps used on 1961/66's have no provisions for backup light lenses.

 

Glad you solved your starting problem. Been away hunting for a week and first chance to reply.

On the lights that don't work. Sometimes rust will develop on the clips that hold the fuses into the fuse block. A light spraying with WD40 and popping the fuses in and out a few times will get the connection back. Before popping out the fuses, if you have a test light you, check for power on each end of the fuse while in its holder. Make sure you have the switches turned on and sometimes the key must be on for certain circuits. I've never checked mine, but some headlight switches have a fuse on the switch, you might look for that.