Let me start at the beginning...drove this truck for about2 1/2 hours did fine...even stopped once for a break. Parked it, about ba week later moved it to the other side of the driveway, still no problem. Ten days later went to start it and it just clicked, which sounded to be coming from the starter relay. Headlights and interior electronics all worked. Took starter relay out, then decided to try to jump it off, so reattached starter relay. tried to jump it and NOTHING and even a click...no headlights seems like no power anywhere. Attached battery to a charger, showed about 70 % so charged to 100%. Still nothing. Replaced starter relay. Still nothing.

The relay is one of the 4 post kind to which only 3 of the posts are used. Truck has several wires that were connected...one appears to be a thick double white(or light gray) wire with a single loop connector(not sure what that one goes to), a green wire(with fuse link) going from relay to alternator, the positive battery wire, a red wire that goes to the starter and the little wire that had the boot connector that goes to the S post of the relay. Boot connector seemed loose so even changed that out to a loop attached with a lock washer and nut. Put the white wires and the red starter wire on the M side and the battery wire and the one with the fuse link on the B side. Did I do something wrong there or is it something else. Was gonna replace the fuse link next in case it was bad...opinions please. What could be wrong that I dont even have headlights and battery still shows 95%...had it tested at Advanced today too. HELP !!

 

Forgot to include that it is a 4.9L 6 cyl

 

Thought for sure I would have some help by now. 45 views and ZERO responses to my dilemma. Can someone at least tell me if I have the starter relay hooked up right...Haynes does not mention all the wires I have to hook to it. All my battery wires and Starter wires look to be in good shape and the connections on all of them are clean. All the fuses in the under-the-hood box are intact. I am at a loss as to where to go with this next. PLEASE HELP !

Changed to a definitely known good battery and changed out the fuse link that goes from the starter relay to the alternator....still no power going anywhere...no headlights nothing...there is probably a real simple answer here just dont know what it is

 

Have you traced out your positive battery cables - do you have power at the other end(s)? Kind of a silly question but I'll start with the basics since nothing jumps to mind for me either.

 

Thank you so much for answering....Tried to trace them...the one was easy goes only to the starter relay it looks good no corrosion or exposed wire...the other is a bit difficult as it goes to the starter ...what I can see looks good.. connections are clean and seem tight.. the middle part is all covered with the corrugated hard plastic so it should be good... may just try replacing that one anyway and see what happens. Even checked the negative cable thinking it may just be a bad ground...as far as I can see that one it looks good too although I do lose it under part of the frame for a bit. There is a spot just inside the passenger wheel well where the negative appears to be grounded okay.. Is there a relay or something in one of the fuse boxes that could kill the power like that? (grasping at straws) or the NSS maybe?

 

If you don't have a test light, you want to invest in one. A cheap one from Walmart or the auto parts store will work fine. It's an inexpensive but invaluable diagnostic tool.

Connect the ground clip of your test light to a good ground point on the truck, then touch the test light probe to the positive battery post. This will let you know whether or not you have a good ground connection from the battery to the truck. If it does not light up, then you've found your problem. On a 4.9, the negative battery cable usually runs to one of the bolts holding the starter to the transmission.

If the light does come on, then you have a ground connection of some type. At that point, take your test light and start checking for battery voltage down the line - at the starter relay, starter, alternator, etc. Since you have no power to anything on the truck, there has to be something fairly far up the line that is causing problems.

 

Thank you Isaac...I do have a test light that has 2 probes on it...but not sure if that will work...although when using it on the starter relay from B post to M post I do get a light...I will try to get up under it for longer tomorrow and see what I can see... I am on worker's comp right now...herniated disc in my back...so time is limited by pain. And help is limited by money...I tried to contact the guy I got my 70 F100 from last year..he lives nearby and maybe he will have pity on me and can help but so far no reply...that one is having issues too...shifting three on the tree and stuck in one of the forward gears....Maybe Fords just hate me...LOL

 

Is your test light the household type - a plastic housing with a light on the end and two short leads coming out? That will work in a pinch but I think you will have much better luck with an automotive circuit tester. It looks like a pointy screwdriver with one lead coming out of the back of the handle; the other end of the lead has a clip to attach to ground. Walmart and O'Reilly sell them for around $5; they work much better for automotive stuff because you can clip the lead to a ground and probe with the other end, leaving you with a free hand to manipulate wiring harnesses and so forth. The lead is also much longer so you can get farther from your grounding point.

If you get a light between the B and M terminals on the starter relay, then you probably do have battery voltage at the B terminal - the other terminal is grounded because the relay is open.

 

Isaac...yes I have a household type will get an automotive one as soon as I get my check late because of Labor Day...but even with this one I was able to get a light when I checked the starter and starter relays...I tried checking the alternator wiring harness and got no light...I touched to ground and placed other probe in each of the three holes on the coupling individually...should I have gotten a response this way? Also my wiring attached to the starter relay is as follows

Two wires light gray (or dirty white) with a fuse link on M side
One small red wire on M side to paddle connection on top of starter
One large red from Battery to B side
and One green wire with fuse link to 2 blk/org and one yellow/white into alternator
plus the little one that is red/ltbl had the loose push connector which i replaced with a loop and nut attached to the small silver post
Nothing attached to the small copper post

Does this sound right? and what does the two grayish wires with the fuse link go to?

Thanks again for your help and patience.

 

I had something similar happen. I'll explain it and maybe it'll help. I had to remove my battery from my truck. Everything was working fine before it, I needed to move it because it was in the way of a bolt I had to get to. Once I put it back in, I had the SAME issue. No lights, no start, NOTHING. I searched, checked everything with a test light a knew I had power running through the cables. It turned out, that the cable that runs from the battery to the starter solenoid broke right below the ring of the connector that slides on over the starter relays bolt. I couldn't tell until I tore everything apart. My suggestion is, you may need a new cable to go from your battery to your starter relay. The break inside the insulation of the wire very commonly. Your lights and everything get their power from that post on your relay. It sounds like the wire is broke and not sending it to that point, OR there could be a hair bit of corrosion causing this. Help this helps, Bud!

And by the way, for the wires to your starter relay, Yes there are the 3 posts. One triggers it to start it (from your ignition switch) and that usually slips over the post. The other goes to the starter. There should be only ONE wire on that post of the relay. Then the other post of the relay will have the cable that comes from the battery, and whatever other wires you had will go to that post as well. So if there is more than one wire on the post that runs to the starter, you must have it wrong

 

Thanks Hoss I'll try moving that wire off the terminal to the starter and put it on the other side. And you may be right maybe the other wire broke when we retightened them...maybe I will steal one off my 70 F100 to see if that is the problem...

 

I stole one off my old tractor and it worked. I just made sure it wasn't connected to that battery anymore so it doesn't spark. I didn't feel like pulling apart everything to completely remove it

 

No problem already stole the battery out of the 70 to make sure my problem in the 92 wasnt the battery...LOL

 

Thank you all for helping me out and all of your suggestions....I knew it had to be something simple and it was ....of course it would have helped had I had the proper diagram to go by...the one that came with the new starter relay had the B and M sides backwards....but it was HossKhaos that told me only the little red starter wire needed to be on the motor side and the rest were on the battery side. Did that and it fired up like brand new. Y'all are awesome..Thanks again

 

Awesome! Glad to hear it!