So I haven't been around in a bit now that summer is over and I am back at school. Drove the ten hours from home to Baltimore in my old for truck no problem which was nice. Now though I have absolutely no power to anything inside the cab. No lights at all, no dash instruments, and no ignition... everything is out. If I bridge the gap on my solenoid the truck turns over. While pretty mechanically inclined I don't have a very good knowledge of wiring. This problem seems so all inclusive that I think it is probably something simple but am unsure.

What should I check and get back to you with so the troubleshooting process can begin?


Appreciate it.
-Dimitri

 

Go back over to the solenoid. Look under the large wire connector that goes to the battery + that is on the solenoid. Underneath the large connection should be a smaller wire connected there. This is the wire that powers the whole truck. It will probably have a rubber looking thing in the wire. This is a fusible link. Pull on it and make sure it's not burnt out. Keep following the this wire and it will branch out and go to the alternator, and also head toward the firewall with several other fusible links that feed the headlights, etc. and it will go through the firewall and feed the ignition switch and the fuse box. This wire most of the time is yellow.

 

I agree with Franklin. I had this problem once, and it was caused by over tightening the nut on the solenoid. I broke the rusty terminal off, and the wire fell down onto the inner fender. I didn't see that happen, so it took me quite a while to figure out what was wrong. I eventually found it, put a new terminal on and got power back.