1976 Highboy
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
1976 Highboy
Hello everyone, new to the group. I've wanted a highboy all my life and finally pulled the trigger and bought one. It's been awhile since I've wrenched on one of these, had a 78 bronco which was similar. So here's the deal...
76 true highboy
390. 4 speed NP 205 case
True dual out in front of rear tires
Aluminum radiator
Riding on 37s
Picked up last night and drove it 3 hours in 70 degree weather and strong as hell on the high way. And good lord she's loud!! So she clearly needs some work.. I have to start it with a screwdriver on sylinoid .. Doesn't matter if key is on or off and to kill the motor I have to disconnect battery?? You would think that would not kill motor as the alternator is used after the battery starts it. Battery is brand new. Sylinoid is brand new also. Coil and wiring attached is a mess. So what are the thoughts out there? Need new coil? New ignition switch at the key? What would cause it to die just because battery cable was removed??
Thank in advance, many more silly questions to come.
Chris
76 true highboy
390. 4 speed NP 205 case
True dual out in front of rear tires
Aluminum radiator
Riding on 37s
Picked up last night and drove it 3 hours in 70 degree weather and strong as hell on the high way. And good lord she's loud!! So she clearly needs some work.. I have to start it with a screwdriver on sylinoid .. Doesn't matter if key is on or off and to kill the motor I have to disconnect battery?? You would think that would not kill motor as the alternator is used after the battery starts it. Battery is brand new. Sylinoid is brand new also. Coil and wiring attached is a mess. So what are the thoughts out there? Need new coil? New ignition switch at the key? What would cause it to die just because battery cable was removed??
Thank in advance, many more silly questions to come.
Chris
Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,325
Likes: 14
From: Island Southeast Alaska
I would bet the Alt is not working if all is wired
right. But that sounds kinda iffy in this case.
First make sure the alt is putting out and she is
not just running off the battery. Do you own a
multimeter or something like it?
right. But that sounds kinda iffy in this case.
First make sure the alt is putting out and she is
not just running off the battery. Do you own a
multimeter or something like it?
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
Hey arctic, my dad does when I get back from a trip next week we are gonna check with the multimeter. I thought the same thing but driving it 3 hours yesterday in the heat the battery would have for sure died if Alternotor was dead. This morning she started right up... ?
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 388
Likes: 2
From: Sandy Eggo
Trending Topics
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 351
Likes: 7
From: Plumas Lake, CA
Small wire to the Solenoid
The trigger wire may be to blame. It's the small wire to the front of the solenoid. Some universal solenoids may have 2 large posts and two small posts. One of the small posts has an "I" on it. Check that and solenoids are cheap. If the battery is charging (you will know after you test it) and the solenoid clicks, then, I'd suspect the ignition switch. Those are cheap as well.
I ran into my share of electrical problems in my 77. Don't get frustrated, just trouble shoot it as best you can. Remember if you go switching a bunch of stuff at once, it makes the troubleshooting more difficult. One thing at a time, then move to the next.
Pictures help the guys out here. A pic is worth a thousand posts sometimes.
I ran into my share of electrical problems in my 77. Don't get frustrated, just trouble shoot it as best you can. Remember if you go switching a bunch of stuff at once, it makes the troubleshooting more difficult. One thing at a time, then move to the next.
Pictures help the guys out here. A pic is worth a thousand posts sometimes.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals
Joe Kucinski
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,761
Likes: 8
From: Knoxville, TN
The trigger wire may be to blame. It's the small wire to the front of the solenoid. Some universal solenoids may have 2 large posts and two small posts. One of the small posts has an "I" on it. Check that and solenoids are cheap. If the battery is charging (you will know after you test it) and the solenoid clicks, then, I'd suspect the ignition switch. Those are cheap as well.
Is the starter constantly cranking too? If so, a stuck solenoid backfeeding the ignition system from the I terminal even if the switch is off makes sense.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 13,147
Likes: 348
From: THIS IS SPARTA!, ...Mo.
If it doesn't start with the switch, start at the beginning. Go buy a test light. Verify you have a starter signal coming out of the ignition switch. Probe around the back of the switch. The signal wire will only have power in the "start" position. If you have battery there, go out and probe the wire going to the solenoid. If you have power there, the solenoid is bad. If you don't have power out there, then you need to trace the wire back and find out where it's broken.
Troubleshoot, diagnose, verify the problem, THEN replace the bad component. There's no way to kill motivation faster than throw money at something and hope something wonderful happens. Find the problem, then fix it.
Troubleshoot, diagnose, verify the problem, THEN replace the bad component. There's no way to kill motivation faster than throw money at something and hope something wonderful happens. Find the problem, then fix it.
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
You guys are amazing. Didn't have time to get out there after work I have a flight to Vegas in an hour.. I'm back Sunday and wil be digging into everything. I litterally picked her up last night drove 3 hours home went to work and then flying out. KILLING ME, right now I just wanna start wrenching on her. Umm how do you load pics on here. I loaded one on my profile but couldn't add it on the thread..
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,761
Likes: 8
From: Knoxville, TN
I agree with Alan's general approach, though I'd suggest a digital multimeter rather than a test light - far more useful, and these days pretty inexpensive.
As for posting pics, if the yellow square icon with mountains on it isn't letting you upload pictures directly yet (there's some minimum post count, it seems, though I don't know what), you can host them externally (Photobucket, OneDrive, Facebook, etc.) and embed them here using the IMG tag.
As for posting pics, if the yellow square icon with mountains on it isn't letting you upload pictures directly yet (there's some minimum post count, it seems, though I don't know what), you can host them externally (Photobucket, OneDrive, Facebook, etc.) and embed them here using the IMG tag.