Here is the starter solenoid. The top post is a post connector, wire coming out is black/orange(red?)

same color black/orange(red?) wire that is coming off of the solenoid. Found this disconnected under the dash

same color black/orange(red?) wire that is coming off of the solenoid. Found this disconnected under the dash

push button switch on the dashboard; pulled it off was not connected. Wired it back up, still nothing.
1988 F150 5speed manual 5.0L - bought this as something to 1) teach my kid how to drive stick, and 2) give us something to work on together. This is the very beginning of our journey.

I just purchased this truck and picked it up yesterday after purchasing site unseen at auction. The good news is that the engine runs great and all the major mechanical pieces seem to be ok.

However, I cannot figure out why the truck will not start (unless I use a screwdriver to connect the positive terminal and the upper post of the starter solenoid). If I use the screwdriver trick it starts right up.

The previous owner (whoever that was) obviously installed a remote starter push button in the cab along with a toggle switch. However, this does not seem to work. I'll be honest, this could be user error and maybe I do not know how to use the remote starter switch correctly?

What should I be looking for in the wiring to see if there are any issues with the remote starter? Is it the likely culprit for my starting issues? I've read in some places online that there would be a fuse somewhere along with the push button system, but I cannot seem to find one (yet). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

You've tried the push-button with the toggle in both positions then? And the key into START with the toggle in both positions?
Remote start is usually under the hood for the purposes of working on the rig. Since this is in the cab, maybe your PO (previous owner) could not find why it did not work with the key so added their own new method. But it could also be just something cool I guess. Lots of people like push-buttons vs keys anyway.

Is the wire on the "S" post of the starter relay/solenoid still the factory Red w/blue wire with it's little 90° connection?
If so, then that's where you should be seeing voltage when you turn the key to START, or push the button. Obviously that's not happening, but curious where they may have spliced in to the stock circuit to add the new button.

I guess we could start with the usual suspects and pretend for the moment that there is no additional switch.
The usual suspects are (in no specific order):

1. The ignition switch itself has failed. (but should not effect the push-button)
2. The Clutch Interlock (similar to a neutral safety switch, but for manuals) switch if it's got one? (are you pushing in the clutch?)
3. The factory wiring for the NSS if they did that in '88.
4. The Red w/blue stripe "S" wire connector coming loose on the starter relay.
5. Pretty much anything in-between!

Not sure about '88, but in many model years when a manual trans was used, there was still the original wiring for the Neutral Safety Switch that would have been used with an auto trans. In those cases the connector had a small loop of wire (a jumper essentially) to connect the S circuit in lieu of having an NSS. But not sure how they did it on yours, as instead of a jumper they may simply have used the Clutch Interlock Switch wiring to the same connector.
But someone here will know.

While we're fumbling about, any chance you can post up some pictures of the under-hood area, specifically around the starter relay and under the dash where the push-button is located?
Thanks

And welcome to Ford-Trucks too! Sorry it's with a problem, but glad you got a truck for you and your son to work on.

Paul

 

Oh, and if you don't already have one, now's a great time to buy a decent volt/ohm meter.
They can be had for literally like $5 bucks at Harbor Freight and other places, or a really decent one can be had for under $30 bucks or so.
If you wanted to go all maniac on it, you can find them for well north of $200 too, but I'm not familiar enough with the fancy ones to know what all they have that might come in handy.
I'm still using old Radio Shack/Micronta meters, random Montgomery Ward and Sears meters, and probably a Fluke or too as well. I've taken to picking up free Harbor Freight meters whenever they're available so I can have them in almost every location and tool box I might need one.

Old trucks make this an almost must-have kind of a tool.

Paul

 

Paul, thanks for the reply! I did add some pictures to my original post

to Answer your questions:
1. It still has the 90 degree connection, but the wire is black with an orange/(red?) stripe. I have not tested with the voltmeter yet, I assume it should be getting in the 12v range? I agree it obviously is not getting any power there, where should I look for a splice?
2. Ignition switch failure. How would I diagnose? I did check that the ignition switch actuator is ok.
3. I need to check the black/orange connection at the starter?

 

Looks like someone did some backyard wiring to fix a broke ignition switch. The switch likely gave the coil power, the push button started the engine. Well, at least sometime in the past.

Agree, if the wire on the solenoid is the "S" wire, then that is the spot you need 12v to get the engine to crank. Use a jumper(or screwdriver) and touch the battery wire(red) to the small connection. Does it crank? Okay, that's good.

With the wire connected to the solenoid, can you put 12v to the connection inside the truck to get the engine to crank? That would confirm that portion of the wiring is okay. From there you need to determine if you want/need the key to work and what is it going to need to function? If not, then wire the button back up. You'll need to then find out what it takes to get power to the coil(that switch?).

 

Here are a couple of initial comments based on your pics.

Replace that main battery-to-switch cable (relay/solenoid/thingy) with a new one. Make it a minimum of 4ga and as short as you can make it. Personally I use 2ga even on the short runs because it's bigger and not much more money.
Replace the switch-to-starter cable with 2ga as well, simply because yours looks to be the original. Sure, it might be working just fine, but just looking at the battery cable makes me suspect that at least some of them have had a hard life. While the outer jacket looks clean and almost new, the rust and heat damage on the end really tells the tale.

It might be just the picture, but the starter relay looks halfway baked too. All the more reason to test it right away by the jumper test mentioned. If the relay is not working, you'll be chasing your tail with the switches, buttons and wires elsewhere. Test that first.
If it works, keep it. Don't fall into the dark pit of Ford starter relay replacements just yet. They're inexpensive, but most of them are absolute crap. To the point that it's almost better to buy them in the junkyard than from the local auto parts store/crapshoot. Too many stories of non-working units right out of the box to be ignored.
Test it to be sure you're not chasing your tail.

And when you're testing all the in-cab stuff, you are pushing the clutch all the way in first, correct? Just thinking still that your '88 might have a Clutch Interlock Switch that won't let the starter relay energize the starter until the clutch is disengaged.
Which means that your Clutch Interlock is still another thing to verify is good.

I may be missing something here, but in your pic it looks more like the original Red w/blue to me. Are we talking about the same wire?
I'm looking at the one at the top of the starter relay, which looks like an old original Red one.

There are probably quick tests, but the usual ohm-meter volt-meter testing seems legit at this point. Looking for 12v in, and 12v out at the various wires when the key and actuator are in particular positions. Primarily the START position for this testing of course, but might as well check 'em all.
I'm not that familiar with the type of switch you have though, and don't have an '88 wiring diagram (I don't think) to verify what color should do what. But basically you're looking for 12v output on the Red w/blue wire from the switch's connector

Can you point out the Black w/orange wire in question?
There would possibly be a large gauge one of that color from the alternator to the battery side stud on the relay, but on older trucks the only small Black w/red wires are either grounds, or part of the brake light circuit. I don't recognize the connector you have under the dash, and don't see the wire at the relay.
I'm not good at computer "paint" programs, but if you can put a circle around the Black w/red wire at the relay under the hood that would be great.
If it's the one at the top of the relay with it's 90 degree connector (sounds like that's the one we're talking about) it looks Red from here.

Thanks

Paul

 

You were here correct on the color of the wires at the starter solenoid (red/blue). I still don’t know what the red/black wire under the dash that is disconnected are (picture above). Here is what I have done since the last post (with no progress)

1. Check bolts at solenoid. Both posts were registering above 12v and so was the 90 degree connector wire. Assume the. There is an issue at the ignition system inside the cab
2. Checked the clutch switch. The red blue wires were jumped with another wire. Removed that jumper wire
3. Replace the clutch switch. Did not fix, and now the truck won’t jump with the screwdriver switch
4. Replace the ignition switch. Did not fix and truck won’t star via screwdriver. Rechecked that the it switch was seated
5. Rechecked the voltage at the solenoid. Now everything is reading 4 volts? Why?
6. Reinstalled jumper wire on clutch switch, truck still won’t start. When I turn the key nothing will come on in the cab (no lights etc)


what should i check next?

 

Haven't looked closely at the pics yet, but wanted to comment on what you've done and what it's acting like now.
The fact that you can't jump start it with the screwdriver can mean only three things (well, four if you want to be picky!) and those are:

1. Not enough voltage to crank the starter
2. Failed starter relay.
3. Failed starter cable.

The "extra" thing noted would be related to the not enough voltage part. That breaks down to either the battery is dead, or the battery cable(s) are dead now too.
When you're reading that 4v at the starter relay, is the battery still showing 12-something? If so you have a bad cable.
If you're getting 12v to the starter relay and it still won't jump with a screwdriver, then the relay has died.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!
If only the negative battery cable has died or come loose, you won't get full voltage readings unless the black lead from your volt meter is always on the battery and not some bit of metal.
So you can see there are still multiple possibilities, but at least some of the symptoms can be narrowed down right to that little corner of the engine compartment where the battery, starter relay and starter work.

Paul

 

Hmm, well hopefully someone knows what that is, so we can either fix it or rule it out.

that's what it would sound like. That or the relay itself has failed. Was this with the key OFF?
When the key is OFF there should never be voltage at any other point than the one large post where the battery cable is. All others should be dead because the relay is open/de-energized.
Once the key is turned just to ON/RUN then you will see power on the other small post marked "I" with a small Brown wire on older vehicles. Pretty sure yours won't have this wire, so with the key ON there should still be voltage at only the one stud.
With the key turned all the way to START however, you should be able to measure full battery voltage at both large studs and the small "S" stud with the Red w/blue wire. That's normal.

As thought, that may be that the PO found the switch bad and instead of just replacing it, bypassed it.
OR, and this was likely common back in the day, the PO hated that he had to push the clutch in to start, so bypassed it as a matter of practice rather than taking care of bad parts.cccccc
The first scenario would indicate the switch was indeed bad. The second would indicate the switch might still be good.

In theory these are two separate problems. The new switch may have fixed that one problem, but now something else has failed. I've been calling these "coincidental failures" and they are the bane of our existence!
But only testing will tell the tale. Check your old switch with a meter to see if it's working or not. Same for the new one.
Test the two Red w/blue contacts to see if they are showing zero resistance when the switch is activated.

Still pointing towards the battery/relay issues described previously. Test, test, test still...

Bad cables, bad battery?

Ahh, missed this last one the first time 'round.
Battery is deadsville. That or your fusible link in the Black w/yellow wire is blown. Or your wires are no longer in their correct positions?

And I'm not up on my connectors. Which connector in your pics is from what and where?

Thanks

Paul

 

Basically one thing is easy. If you have 12v at the battery terminals and only 4v anywhere else right after, then at least one battery cable is bad. Leading back to the previous suggestions to replace them as cheap insurance.

Paul

 

Ok, here is the latest update: I could not ever figure out why the ignition system is not working. My guess is the wire of the solenoid is bad somewhere along the way. I did decided to go ahead and just finish wiring up the push button start from the cab, which works like a charm! I was very happy to get the starting issue solved at least with a work around. I know it isn't the "factory" way of dealing with it, but I'm glad to have fixed it! Thanks for everyone's help.

 

Thanks for the update. Glad it's up and cranking again!

Paul