12v.....Was 6v couple weeks ago......I know how to get around the problem. Want to figure out why it's happened all the sudden and fix it. My assumption is that ballast wires don't just go bad one day.... Plus why can I start it without "I" terminal connected

 

You'll just have to suss out the wiring with a test light. Nobody can really do that for you over the intertubes. Remember anything could have been done to the truck wiring by a previous owner and probably has.

The I terminal on the solenoid sends a full 12 volts (bypass) during start, so it should start (unhooked) afaik, just maybe not as well, esp. in cold weather.

 

I was able check voltage and resistance today and the ignition switch. Turns out the truck will start with the "i" terminal disconnected. Voltage will still go to the coil through the pink wire etc. The only thing the "I" terminal does is supply extra voltage to the coil, basically overlapping the ever present ignition voltage to the coil.

That said, I don't have this mysterious ballast resistor wire that is supposed to be there. I cannot find any connectors where one would be. The pink wire that I have, in the previous pics, isn't a resistor wire. It has no resistance and it has 11.5 volts going from the switch the plug "D" and on out to the coil. So, really the fact that I have 12v coming in from the solenoid on start up is irrelevant at this point. It has it anyway and thats the part that makes no sense to me. For all I know, this isn't even the correct wiring harness to the truck. Whatever.
So, I'm going to have to get some bullet connectors and a proper ballast wire and splice it in. Don't know what else to do or why it is that way but it isn't right and that part irritates me too, and the results of it. or why I thought I had 6v when I checked it before, unless I checked the wrong side of the coil before. Either way, it isn't right at this point. What the hell

 

PS, I realize no one can hash it all out for me over the internet, and I can figure it out myself just the same. Guess I just thought it was nice to get on here at discuss it also, why not. Maybe you had a similar problem and know just what it is, No big deal. Thanks for the help

 

Keep at it, your information is appreciated.

 

The thing to remember, these posts will be archived when somebody does an internet search, even years and years from now. So others will benefit down the road. I hope my post didn't come off as rude, it wasn't meant that way.

A lot of folks will suggest installing a Pertronix and be done with it. They had some issues and said the hell with it. You're taking the time to learn the fine .. points (heh) er, details on a system that was obsolete almost 50 years ago. As time goes by less people are around who can even speak the language. Their eyes just glaze over. The guy behind the counter at the parts store usually can't help anymore.

One thing to keep in mind, if the distributor itself is worn out, points will not give good service as they are a mechanical system. It will be impossible to get a steady dwell. That's one thing to check for.

The bushings need to be tight, absolutely no sideplay or endplay, the breaker plate needs to move smoothly when vacuum advance pulls in and out, not sticky or erratic, or change the dwell when vacuum is applied to the advance diaphragm. The tuneups in the manual would have the mechanics using a spring scale to check the breaker arm tension, high output high revving engines needed more tension to prevent points "float" at high RPM.

 

In your post #113, you hit part of the problem right on the head. No one knows what the PO's have done to your truck. On the F350 that I had, I called my PO and he couldn't answer my questions about what he might have done under the dash either. I ended up finding the "Pink wire" had been cut and spliced back together in 3 places. Well that screwed up the resistance. So I ran another (regular) wire and installed a stand alone resistor (looked light a ceramic block with a screw terminal on each end) and mounted it on the rear of the engine by the throttle linkage. Then ran the wire from it to ? the solenoid I think- can't remember now, that was last year and it's still running.

 

Hey thanks Glens67, Tedster and Gary.

Yeah I think this endeavor will learn me to not take things on the truck as rule of thumb anymore or that something "should" be a certain way because it very well could not be. So anyway, on we go.

Tedster, I don't think you were being rude. I guess I just don't want to be a source of irritation either. Anyway no problem. LOL you are right though, I wanted to make sure I knew what was going on and take the time to learn how to make it correct. I am not one to just say the hell with it and make something else "work" because it's easier. I've also learned before that when you change stuff like that you can create other needless problems. I just want it to work the way it's supposed to and forget about it. I also like to post the stuff because like you said, internet searches can be golden and I use years old threads that pop up myself for stuff too.

But you're right also, the guy at the parts counter has no clue anymore. Any question you ask them they reply with "year, make and model?" then go to the computer. I asked one guy the other day if they had a dwell meter for sale. "a what meter?" he said, and so I told him and then he didn't know what points were. So whatever.

On the distributor, It is a new distributor and seemed pretty tight so I don't see much dwell variation. Plus it has new motorcraft points and condenser now but I'm not going to drive it until I get the right voltage at the coil. This apparently has been a problem since I bought the thing and burnt points and hard starts is the only way I would have figured it out! Glad I did though. Thanks again

Dan

 

Yes, those points look excessively burned. With connector D disconnected which you show in the 4th and 5th picture of your post # 41, you should have something significantly less than 12 volts at the point where the pink (salmon?) and brown wires come together with the key in the run position.This will be on the left half of the connector in your picture. If I understand you correctly you say you're getting system voltage here. There is no possibility other than someone has tapped into this circuit to add some stupid accessory or to power the stereo. I suppose one other remote possibility is that the pink (salmon?) wire being folded back upon itself could have melted together effectively bypassing part of itself and the resistance function of it.

 

Yes auto parts stores are a joke these days. They put some housewife or teenaged idiot behind the counter and show them how to operate the computer which is designed to idiot proof the process. Then they always try and sell you some Lucas crap additive or some other miracle potion. I try and eliminate most of the frustration by looking up my own part #'s online beforehand.

 

Exactly. I unplugged connector D and checked voltage there where the brown and pink wire come together and I had system voltage. I even unplugged the "I" terminal on the solenoid and checked just to make sure the relay didn't stick and give me constant voltage from there. It was the same, so like you said someone could have tapped into the brown wire (262) providing some overriding voltage but I'm going to go double check and make sure this isn't the case.

THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF THAT HAS HAPPENED RECENTLY is that in the process of troubleshooting and repairing my backup lights a couple weeks ago, one of the wires for the left side backup light socket got grounded out and it blew the 14amp fuse for this system. I replaced the fuse, the light socket and the backup switch and all is good with those lights now. Surely that didn't melt that pink wire before it blew the fuse or something did it? I'm thinking that circuit goes off a different way from the pink wire anyway. I don't know, I'm going to double double check and then just put a new ballast wire in if I don't find some other funky voltage coming in from somewhere else. Thanks

Dan

 

I'm like you, I want to solve the mystery, not just wire around it. These electrical systems are as simple as they come so it should be able to be logically deduced. Of course that is easy to say!

 

You're right it actually is pretty simple, once I started looking into it. So, I went out just now and checked everything again, and I can't find anything that looks weird or hacked or anything. It just is what it is. I started by removing the jenk-tastic *** radio that was in it, and all the crappy wiring stuffed up under the dash because it was getting on my nerves So then I had a clean slate. 11.5 volts at that wire connector "D". I looked everywhere to see if there was something that could have been added in, or supplying the extra voltage. didn't find anything. I ordered a new ballast wire and will splice it in. I think that will take car of it. Since we've gone this far, I'll include pictures and stuff and report back with the end results. After that, I believe there is a nice OEM looking bluetooth radio on deck

 

He wasn't talking about pitting from an outside source Ted. He was talking about the pitting that is created when too much voltage is at the coil and some of the metal on one point will transfer to the other point. The spark from when the points 1st open is so hot it transfers the metal.
And OP, I too commend you on sticking to your "original" guns.

 

Well thanks Jeffafa, and you're right the metal on the points in the picture had transferred on the points contact and they wouldn't even close all the way.

So, I just went out for one final round of troubleshooting and trying to figure out what is going on and maybe I'm just a freakin idiot or something. I don't know. Maybe I don't actually have a problem other than previous bad condensers. I am actually at a loss because I was getting ready to buy a resistor wire and install that etc. BUT the pink resistor wire that I have is there and it has 1.6 ohms resistance like it should (I got a new meter recently and didn't have the thing set right the other day when I checked it) The system voltage coming into the key switch is 12.6 and after the pink wire with key on it is 11.5 which seems correct for that amount of resistance. So then I checked the coil again and WITH THE POINTS CLOSED and KOEO I have 6 volts on the positive side of the coil, but it is actually the 11.5 volts that is coming from the pink wire. THIS MAY BE WHERE I WAS GETTING CONFUSED, IDK.
With the engine running I have about 10.5 volts on the positive side of the coil. I also have 14.5 volts and the battery terminals which seems right to me also in regards to the voltage regulator and charging system.
Anyway, Hoping it was just crappy points and condenser before and me being retarded. Which I can completely be at times.

I guess I just wanted to double check and recheck to make sure all is good before something really bad happened because of something I missed.

Thanks