First of all, sorry for the long read but I'm trying to be thorough. Ive about had it with this truck so any help is great
I took the truck out for its first drive yesterday after the cab swap, and am having issues getting it to start. Ive started it probably 50 times since the swap, and the only issue was the starter relay, which was replaced. I had to shut it down on the trip yesterday to mess with the brakes, and now I don't get anything when I turn the key. The glow plugs will cycle, but when I turn it to start, nothing. So here's what I have figured out so far.
- Because the ignition cylinder will turn on the glow plugs, I'm kinda sure I can rule out any issue with that or the switch on the steering column that has the large connector going to it.
-I can jump the starter on both the starter itself and at the starter relay. I replaced the relay with a new NAPA one again yesterday to eliminate that.
- What I'm left with is the wire that goes to relay from the key switch. I don't get any readings from that, ever, in any key position. What should be going on with that wire, voltage wise and when should it be hot? I haven't traced it all the way back inside the cab yet.
-Also, when I turn the key on and cycle the glow plugs, the large black/orange wire coming off of the starter relay get very hot, hotter than Ive felt wires get before. Whats this wire for, why is it hot?
Anything else I should check? All the grounds are good and connected, and I don't see any broken wires, anything unconnected. Maybe related, I'm having an issue getting the batteries to charge. The started is a new 100amp, and the batteries have been load tested, separately. I don't know if that help in the diagnosis at all. Its kinda weird that this would happen when I took the truck out for its first real drive, more than just up and down the street

 

I had the idea to go connect the small terminal on the relay directly to the battery, bypassing the ignition switch and it turned over. So its defiantly something between that connector and the ignition tumbler. Any advice on how to tackle this, or where to start? I know that the wire from the between the bulkhead and the relay is the red with blue stripe, but what about in the cab? My haynes manual doesnt help much with that

 

navigate to the following:
user cp>Settings & Options>Edit Signature
and insert the trucks info,such as year,engine,trans etc.
this will help you get help easier,and take the guess work out of what we're talking about.
the idi engines where in 3 generations of ford trucks.

 

Good suggestion. I played around with the actuator rod connection on the steering column, and that seems to have fixed the issue. It wasn't loose, so I'm not sure how it got out of adjustment, but for now I'll just leave it and if it happens again I'll know where to look

 

cool custom built truck!!
got any pics?

 

if this is the truck in your signature, what steering column are you using?
if you are using the 89 column, i will venture to say the ignition actuator under the steering wheel is going bad, and ready to break.

 

It is the truck in the signature, and its the 89's column. If it acts up any more I'm just going to replace it, any idea how much $$$ they run? Heres a couple pics

 

sweet looking truck. i was going to do the same thing with my 88 until i found a mint 87 to use as a sheet metal donor.

the ignition actuator is only about $13, and can be bought at the dealer.
i have heard that some auto parts houses now can get it too, but i just get mine from ford. it is a bit of a pain to put in, but with instruction it is not really that bad.
use the search function, and look for ignition actuator.