I installed a 200 amp one wire alternator from Bronco Graveyard. I followed instructions from this site on removing the voltage regulator and associated wiring. I do not have any power past the battery side of the solenoid. a schematic shows "LG BLACK/YELLOW WIRE FROM SOLENOID CONSTANT POWER TO FUSE BLOCK AND STARTER SWITCH". I got no power. I suspect I discarded a wire from the battery side if the solenoid to one of the two, now empty, plugs. Any word of wisdom would be appreciated as my teenage daughter is losing confidence in her old man.

 

I’m confused too. You should have power from the batt side of the starter solenoid at all times. But, i think your breakers on upper right fender well should have that. Then it looks like you have an electric fuel pump, which needs power, which you have. But do those unconnected wires go into your wiring harness? The ign gets power from the batt side of the solenoid, as does parts of the truck (lights, horn, etc.). So either one of those two wires needs to be hooked up or? Have you checked that alt fuse? But, I guess that is just alt. I doubt I cleared things up, but maybe I helped.
I have a similar setup in my 79 and an electrical engineer buddy of mine had to help me.

 

The two wires are for the future amp and the future lighting. They are disconnected because the other end of the wire is not connected to anything yet. The first breaker if for the electric fuel pump.
There is no power to the system because there is no wiring from the battery side of the solenoid. I do not know how to replace what ever was there at one time. I am sure it plugs into one of the plugs that were disconnected when the alternator wiring was chucked.

 

Yes, I’m pretty sure at least one of those plugs have to be plugged to 12+ voltage, I just don’t know which, a wiring diagram might help. Sorry I cannot.

 

Couple of things.

Yes, with no Black w/yellow wire from the starter relay to the factory fuse box, you have no power to the rest of the truck. Nothing. Nada.
The Black wire (probably with a red stripe) that originally came from the old alternator's charge post was to be removed and replaced with the large gauge cable and Mega-Fuse that you now have.
But the Black w/yellow wire was to remain intact to feed the needs of the cabin. Including the ignition switch, so it could send the signal to start to the starter relay/switch/solenoid thingy.

So are you saying that you can't start the engine? No clicky, no starty? If so then that's the reason.

Even if you can start it up, try this test.
With just the battery connected but the engine OFF, can you measure battery voltage at the left side of your Mega-Fuse?
What about on the right (alternator) side?

If there is no voltage at the alternator charge cable with the engine off, then that means that either:
1. The large gauge very short cable that I think we can see between the starter relay and the Mega-Fuse is not getting power to the fuse.
2. The fuse is blown and not letting power out to the alternator.
3. Either of those cables is faulty.

So is that the case, that you have no power anywhere? Or can you start the engine and there is just no charging power?

Paul

 

First of all, I think you are just showing off your beautiful truck under the guise of having an issue! J/K.
Looking at your wiring, can you show how the wiring is to the battery side of the solenoid including the battery?
Also, if you have a service manual, look up the wiring schematic and check to see the main wire going into the cab. You may have to do this by working backwards from the cab to the battery. I know the headlights ran off this main wire. Maybe this was disconnected. If so, just run a new wire from the solenoid to wire with a splice or if you are adventurous, you can run the wire straight to the ignition switch and splice into the main on that.

 

True that!
But hey, we like pics so we can drool too.

Is yours originally a '78 or '79 Rufus? I thought they all had that electrical junction post there on the cowl panel right behind the brake booster. But I don't see one on yours.
That was where my main power wire went. Started at the battery side of the starter relay and ran across the firewall/cowl to that post. That's where power was taken off into the cab by one wire, or would have been joined by the aux battery wire if it was so equipped.

So like 84espy was saying, some good pics of the battery, and maybe one of that corner of the cowl area surrounding the brake booster and the corner where all the wires come to roost.

Paul

 

One more item I noticed in your pics. If your wire is going to ground, try to go with 12vdc color code. Black cable for ground(-) and red cable for hot(+). This will make it easier to track unlabeled wires. I know that it's getting harder to find black battery wires at the parts stores, so running a black strip of tape(like a barber pole)along the wire will help.

 

ok, here is the negative side of the battery,I guess I didn't understand what that had to do with my original question.
I built all of my cables from one 10 foot cable. I used black shrink on the negatives.I stripped my tape off the two plugs so you could see the question. you will notice, in the discarded wiring, a fusible link and 28" inches of wire going to the plug in question.I will now cut the wiring mess apart and connect to the positive side of the solenoid and plug it in.

 

I just got done asking about wiring up a three wire alt and ended up rewiring it all because it was all screwed up from someone else. I went to start it and had the same problem you do.
I had no power to the other side. So I tried and jumped the starter relay and it fired up.
I replaced it today and its fine now.
So have you tried to jump the starter relay?

Here is my post that I had . Other posted up on the color and what goes where. Also, I switched out to one wire also and did away the three wire.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...g-3-wires.html

 

Sometimes, I don't see the pic in my head. Being that your pics were outstanding, I was hoping to see the battery hook-up. I believe you're on the right track with running a hot back into the plug. And yes, I think your truck rocks.

 

there's no pic of it, but I'm guessing the RED WIRE on the left of the SOLENOID does go to the Positive Battery terminal, in the pic it appears to just hang straight down and on the right side of the Solenoid the nut isn't tight, that would be enough to give you the problem, also when you installed the Solenoid, did you hold a wrench on the inner nuts on the posts, because if they twist, it can make the Solenoid inoperable.

 

After looking back and forth in your pictures. Yes the last pictures of unused wiring with the plugs need to go back in. Like 1Ton said , you need that to give power to the cab and ign switch so you get power back to starter relay.
The one with the fuse able link came off your alt on battery term and then it splits back off into the main wiring plug.

 

Why isn't this nut tight? As BaltoMoJoe said it could be the source of your problem.
Maybe you have tightened it up and tried it already, maybe not, just checking.

 

From the 1st thread, his issue was on the battery side of the solenoid. He probably has not gotten to this part of the solenoid yet. All of this part looks like new wiring in anticipation of the new alternator.


Rufus, have you made any progress on this?