Um...ok... Never heard of it. So, does it charge the battery? Don't think that is causing the problem I am having since the general consensus is it has enough volts to turn the engine over. So, I guess I will bypass the solenoid tomorrow, and see what happens.

Jim

 

A lot of trailers that have brakes also have a small motorcycle size battery on the trailer. In order to keep it charged, there is a system from the truck to do this. Some charge all the time while others are only active when the lights are on. It should have nothing to do with your truck battery but could have some interference with the alt. output if there is a problem. If it blows a new fuse, I would look into the wiring.

It should not have any effect on your issue as it is now without a fuse in it.....unless it is wired different than all the other Fords I have dealt with.

I just dealt with a '90 Bronco that had an issue of no starting. Seems his would not start after stopping at a friends house. Key turned, lights worked, no start and no solenoid clicking. After jumping the solenoid, he drove it to me and we found the rod that connects the keyed switch to the actual electrical part of the ign. switch had broken the attachment bracket at the end near the key.

This rod can be found on top of the column after you remove the lower covers from the column. It should slide both directions as the key is turned.

You can see the system in the top right circled area in the attached pic/thread. An older Bronco but it works. There is a difference in removing the column covers but an easy job to figure out.
Ignition Actuator Replacement on an '85 w/tilt - FSB Forums

Forgot to add....if the rod fails to move both directions with the key action, you can turn the key to run and operate the rod with some pliers until the fix is done. Repair requires pulling the steering wheel and column covers.

 

Thanks for the info. Pulling the steering column covers should be something I can do, so I will check that rod.

Jim

 

A simple test:

Pull off the small wire that goes into the starter relay, it has a 90 degree connector on it and just pulls off of a small diameter threaded stud.
Then take a wire, and jump 12 volts from the battery's positive post to the small stud. An alligator clip lead works great, as you can clip it onto the stud and press the other clip onto the battery post.
This action applies 12 volts directly to the starter relay's coil connection (the relay's coil, has nothing to do with ignition coil).
If the starter cranks, then the problem is up the red wire that was disconnected, like fuse, ignition switch, trans range switch, clutch jumper for no clutch, or wiring between any of it, including connectors.

If the starter cranks, then at least you can use it till you troubleshoot the problem. Just put trans in Park, park brake ON, key to ON, then go temporarily jumper that relay like above. The engine will start right up.

If jumpering the starter relay's coil with 12 volts does NOT crank the starter, then check the relay's ground connection. If well grounded and still no-go, THEN I would try jumpering the two big studs on the relay with a big screwdriver. Expect a big spark, and don't touch the fender with the screwdriver shaft!! This method can bum up the threads on the stud(s) due to the arc. I leave high-current sparking as the last resort.

If the problem is upstream from the small red wire to the relay coil, then really need a wiring diagram to troubleshoot, can use a 12 volt bulb with wires soldered on it as a cheap and easy to see test lamp. Start upstream and work downstream towards the red wire to find where 12 volts with current disappears. For tests like this, I prefer a test light that draws current, rather than a voltmeter.
A voltmeter in series with a high-resistance connection will show 12 volts, due to the extremely high internal impedance of the DVM, but the voltage drop that occurs when you try to pull any reasonable current through a high-resistance connection will not allow the current-operated device (the starter relay) to work. This is a simple electrical concept, but many non-electrical people can't grasp it. Since I think you said you have done some electrical work in the past, you should understand it.

AzPete - the steering column ignition switch actuator rod failure was very common on 80's (late 80's?) through 1991 or so Broncos and F-Series. But they changed the ignition switch method sometime early 90's, maybe in the 1992 redesign? It was definitely gone by 1994. Prior to that, they tended to break in the lot outside of convenience stores, etc., anywhere but home

 

Glad to know that....it was a '90 I was working on.....

 

I have a test light I can use to do any troubleshooting, and I have two cables with alligator clamps on both ends. (Just need to find them) When I connect the positive terminal to the starter relay coil, is it going to try and start or do I still need to turn the key? I was not planning on using the screwdriver to jump the two big posts, I was going to use it from the small post with the 90 degree connector and the big post to the right of it, same as hooking up a remote starter switch.

Jim

 

With the key OFF, jumping 12 volts to the starter relay's little coil stud will only crank the starter (if the relay is good, and the wiring to the starter and the starter itself). It will not start the engine.

With key ON, the computer will be powered up, the fuel pump will prime, and the computer will be waiting for the starter to turn the distributor, and when it sees that via the distributor pickup, it will turn on the fuel pump again, turn on the injectors, and fire spark, and the engine will start.

To jumper 12 volts to the relay's coil stud, just about any wire will do. You could even unfold a paper clip and jump the relay's coil stud from the big stud that has the cable coming from the battery on it! Sounds like something they would do in Cuba... maybe you could have the first-ever FTE Bronco Cuban Connection

That might be a bad idea... the feds would come and take your paper clip away

 

Well, I could not find the two wires I have with the alligator clamps on both ends, even though I know I saw them last week, I just can't remember where I put them. Anyway, I used the 12v test light to connect the positive battery post to the starter relay and got nothing. I tried both with the key off, and the key on. The light in the tester came on, but no starter action. Also, I connected the volt/ohm meter to the battery posts, and this time I got 10.8v compared to 11.8v last time. I will see if anyone has a remote start switch I can use to test the solenoid. Not a big fan of sparks.

Jim

 

Jim, if you indeed put one wire of the test light on the positive battery post, and the other wire of the test light onto the small stud on the starter relay, then that accomplished nothing. The test light would have been in series with the starter relay's coil, dropping the voltage (and therefore current) to too low of a value for the relay to have any hope of energizing.

You need to use a wire to jumper 12 volts over to that small stud. Or a paper clip. It has to be a reasonably low resistance, otherwise there will be no hope of energizing the starter relay.
Keep the key out of the ignition for now, unplug that little 90 degree connector, and just try energizing the starter relay via powering its coil stud with a wire. There won't be any big sparks.

The big sparks potential is only if you mechanically jumper the TWO BIG starter relay studs TOGETHER via a screwdriver or other implement.

 

Okay, I will need to find those two wires with the alligator clips on them, as a paper clip will not reach between the battery positive post and the solenoid lug. or do you mean from the solenoid lug to the big terminal below and to the right of it? There is a small (6") wire I can use to touch those two together, but I was thinking you meant from the battery positive post to the top (small) lug on the solenoid.

Jim

 

I think he does mean from the bat tor the small post, I have done this with mine and bought a "remote starter" for this... Feels more like the trigger for a slot car race track but it still worked. If you have any speaker wiring or really any kind of wire laying around it should work. Or duct tape a bunch of spoons together to reach the battery

 

Come on we're Professionals here, this isn't a Chevy Forum. Gosh You have to use Electrical tape to tape the spoons together, but make sure they're tight to get a good connection.

 

OH SHOOT >.< I have been working around the GM shop at my work too long

 

I will look for those wires with the clamps, tomorrow. It is beginning to **** me off that I can't remember where I put them. Also, I will pick up some battery cable ends tomorrow at Pep Boys (only because they are closer, and I have no transportation) and the 30 amp fuses. I got an email from Hank (the person who gave me the Bronco), and he told me Joe said the battery was dead, but all Hank did was jiggle the battery cables to get it to start. So, if that is true, the new cable ends should fix the problem.

Jim

 

Ya that could explain some things but i don't know if that would keep it from starting if the radio and lights still come on. So on the fuse box, does it say what the fuse is on the lid? From the picture you posted it looked like a diagram on there