Working with 90 bronco 5.8 auto

Back story:

Few weeks ago I installed a 170 amp alternator from broncograveyard. I ran a new 4awg wire to the battery and the alternator accepted the factory harness. I wanted the bigger alternator for my stereo system (2000 watt amp) and KC lights.

So yesterday I couldn't start my bronco, acted like dead battery (real slow crank.) Went to kragens and got a battery/alternator test... everything checked out good.... ok. So last night I swapped in a "newer" battery I had from a work truck with more cca. Put the trickle charger on it over night and this morning it was good to go.

Today when I got home from work I installed a new solenoid following the wiring to a "T" (if I messed this up I will take the bus!) Everything installed I ran to 3 different places starting and stopping then at my son's school the problem happened

"The Problem"

I started the bronco and I could hear the stater still engaged....wtf?!?!?! so I turned the key off and the starter continued to crank and crank and crank...damn! I jumped out and popped the hood but by the time I got there the starter was smoking and quit.... Pulled the negative and waited for a tow.

So currently I have the wiring set up with a marine style post/wing nut and on the positive post I have a 4awg to the solenoid, 2awg to my amp, and a 4awg to the alternator. The negative is hooked up stock.

Alright so where do I go from here? Tried to start it just a minute ago and it just "click" and nothing.... Am I wired up wrong? Is my alternator not working right? Side note>>> When I have the bass pumping hard, the lights still flicker and the gauge jumps hard....but I have the same setup in my 79 F250 with stock alternator and kragen battery and cam run the stereo and 150 watt KC lights with not a budge of the gauge or flicker of light.... What is my deal.. please help!!

 

You need to upgrade the ground if you upgrade the power side. cannot take full advantage of positive side without upgrading negative side. If you have at least an 8ga ground, should be ok, but a 4ga would be right.

Dimming lights depend on RPMs and output of everything at that time. I always do a capacitor in-line to help with draw.

Starter might have been damaged and just coincidental. nothing really points to a problem that caused the starter issue.

 

gotcha on the ground issue....just looked back at some past posts.

so why would the starter stay engaged?? Did I get a brand new "bad" solenoid?

 

I am not a starter genius but the last starter that I had that would hang up or continue starting was fixed with a bendix. I think that was an 84F150 5.0. I do not know if you have both in your starter or not. I can tell you that I have had a starter in my bronco go bad but test fine. Replaced it with a lesser working remanufactured one in the parking lot only to return it and try a genuine ford started which worked....I think I now have a recently replaced and broken vss/rear abs sensor. Cant always trust reman parts

 

Take the relay back to AZ. Tell them it's junk, it fried your starter and you want a refund.
Then go to another parts store. Try to get a continuous duty solenoid. They're a little more money. Then you also need a new starter. "What makes them suckers work is smoke.. Once you let the smoke out, they don't work no more"

 

I'm possitive this was a starter solenoid issue, either that or the starter itself was on its way out. What you needed to do was to get under the truck and to hit the starter body to make it disengage. Have it rebuilt or replace it.

 

I'm with Encho on this one. The starter may have been on its way out but the solenoid should have shut off power after the ignition went from start to run. Tho that does in turn also bring the ignition switch into question.

 

UPDATE

Just got done working on the bronco. I did the following:

1. Replaced Battery with new Les Schwab Extreme battery 1000 cranking amps.

2. Installed new terminals and crimped new ends on existing cables after inspecting them.

3. Pulled "new" solenoid and reinstalled the old one.

4. Drilled new point in body near old body ground, scraped paint and installed new 4awg ground to body

Everything all hooked up and just "click" "click" .... So new starter time?? I would assume so at this point... I want to order these wires from this site: Battery cables for F150, Bronco, Mustang and other Ford applications

Any other suggestions?

 

I am not good with the tarter situation but for the sub flickering problem, you need to tie in a capacitor. Something like this:



I'm not sure the capacity of this one but it came with the dual 10" ones i have. I don't use it and i'm not sure if it works or if there is a way to tell but i learned from my brother, not to touch the 2 ends early on. This will gather the power for the sub and store it so when it hits real hard it can make this flicker and not the lights.

 

Those are some expensive cables.

When you turn the key now does it do one click and then nothing or a constant clicking? Also do you have power to everything else (lights, door chime, radio...)

 

one click only

power to everything else. Windows are much faster with new battery

 

With only one click and you still have power to everything else then I would have to agree that the starter is fried. With one click and no power then I'd say it was the cables.

 

I love that statement, but ya, smoke out of electrical items is not good. It is an easy swap and the parts store can test the starter you bring in. Or find a starter repair guy. Good repair guys can make them better than new.

 

Grue... That Cap is one million micro-farads at 20 volts DC......... Lotta juice there...

fish.....Check your wiring and make sure you don't have a connection or short between the two wires on the small front posts of your solenoid. Touching those together is what engages the starter. Also, if you upgraded the ground to the body, you should upgrade the ground to the motor. It won't affect the starter issue, but that new Alt is bolted to the motor for ground even though it has an independent ground terminal. You need the total power flow, return, and ground to be a continuous system. In other words, that 170 amps needs that capacity in every part of the system that is in operation off the Alternator.

Lots of clean power to a weak starter or solenoid will smoke it quick. Keep in mind that when you fix one weak link in your system, the next weakest link will be the one to give trouble. (i.e. Starter)

Jim

 

1 million micro-farads.... I have no idea what that is I somewhat know voltage and amperage but not too well. But from the sounds of it this suck could give you a hell of a shock hehe...