Good Evening FTE,

Well in the never ending battle of old trucks i got several items repaired and replaced. Changed the oil and filter, radiator hoses and fluid, new battery cables, replaced valve cover gaskets and repainted, touched up some paint spots in the engine bay. Reconnected the battery to the new cables and started the vehicle up, the oil pressure light went out as well as the generator. All good running good. Just like before i started work.

Then went to turn off truck and it wouldn't turn off. Removed the key even and the truck kept running. Eventually removed positive battery cable and truck died. Reconnected without key and the generator light went on. Put in key and restarted truck. All good. Went to turn off and the same issues occurred. I disconnected the battery cable again.

Well FTE any ideas what i did wrong? How to fix? where to look?

Would welcome the help!

Thank you!

Pete

 

Sounds like the starter solenoid. Start the engine then pull the small wire off the solenoid on the right side (side with cable to starter) if it turns off it's the solenoid. If it dosen't something with the feed wire from the key.

 

sorry I realized the picture was sideways. Perhaps this helps. I replaced both battery cables (the negative side and the positive side). The original battery cables were frayed badly. the picture here shows the only battery cable that goes directly into the starter solenoid which I replaced.

Is this the starter solenoid? If so are you referring to left hand side to disconnect? Thank you! Perhaps when I was replacing battery cable I jarred something? Or shorted something? Would the gauge of the battery cable matter? I went with 4 gauge. What would cause starter not to turn off? Is that the purpose to turn on and off starter? Is does turn engine on just not off. Thank you!

 

Is this how yours is wired?

 

Here is a photo before I removed battery bracket and replaced battery cables. Is it possible the painting of the bracket and firewall where the negative side grounded into the firewall is interfering and either shorted out or not getting proper grounding?




this is after I painted the bracket and firewall behind battery and replaced battery cables.

 

It could also be the key switch itself. It's not uncommon for the old contacts inside them to go bad.

 

Thank you! Could it be just coincidence? I am trying to connect what I changed and how it could impact what is happening right now. Everything was running good before I went to update a few things as mentioned before so I am looking at cause and effect as you probably guessed. How would I test the key switch idea as well?

 

If the GEN light illuminates when engine is not running, key off etc, want to be careful and check that out. The voltage regulator has relay cutout points inside, sometimes they will stick closed. Battery voltage will then backfeed into the generator windings and let all the magic smoke out. The GEN light will be lit if this happens.

Edit: the GEN and OIL lights are supposed to illuminate at key position START (to prove that the bulbs are not burned out) and then of course go out at RUN, if everything is copacetic.

 

Yes it could be a coincidence. Don't leave the battery connected until you figure this out though. If you reconnect the battery and the engine isn't running but the ignition is actually still on due to a bad switch, you could end up frying your points and smoking your coil, and worse case a fire. You can test the switch with a volt meter without having the battery connected. That's where I would start. I don't have any experience with generators so be sure to refer to Tedsters post above. A vehicle with an alternator will still run with the battery disconnected but I don't know if it's the same for generators.

 

Thanks FTE for all the help. I thankfully figured out the cause of my issue. I should have recognized that when I was connecting the battery i would see small sparks at the negative side post. That should have given me a clue there was a short somewhere. However being the novice I am i didn't understand that. So i decided to remove battery and actually put back on the old battery cables just to see. In doing so when i was unscrewing the nut on the starter solenoid there was a strand of old wire wrapped around the stem hidden by the nut that you couldn't see. However in removing the nut i felt it. So i pulled it off and put electronic cleaner on the stem and bolt. I then went to start up the engine and sparks flew. I immediately turned off the truck. I then went and thought i had shorted something out. Just for the heck of it i put back on the brand new battery cables, connected the battery this time with no sparks at the negative post and no light GEN light or OIL showing on the dashboard and turned the ignition key again and presto truck started right up. I turned off the truck ignition and presto it turned off. I was in shock and thankful. Tried it about 20 times and each time worked as it should. My final guess is the old wire was not allowing for proper connection or was touching something near that I couldn't see.

So all is good! Thanks again for all the advice. I appreciate everyone's assistance.

Have a blessed Easter weekend FTE!

Pete

 

 

Getting 'er tightened up I see. My slick won't win any appearance awards inside or out, but it is reliable as anything, and I can hop in it and drive anywhere with confidence. Done it many times.

Not to nitpick, don't take offense pliz, but two things I see that could cause issue. One is the radiator cap - the older radiators in those days used a 7 lb pressure cap. Don't exceed this, maybe it isn't, though in the pic it suspiciously looks like one of those 16 lb el-cheapo specials. This is a good way to balloon the radiator or maybe the heater core.

Another is the battery doesn't look to have anything securing it to the tray, very important that a battery doesn't slide or rock, it has to be rigidly anchored, the internal plates and such can get damaged or even short out from potholes or on rough terrain if starts bouncing around. Bad Things can happen when that occurs.

 

Thank you Tedstar9 I really appreciate the suggestion so no worries at all I always welcome any counsel to help me with the truck! The radiator is not original and when I purchased it this what was inside of it so it certainly could be a cheapo radiator cap. So you’re saying I can go to AutoZone or O’Reilly‘s and pick up a 7 pound pressure cap? Any recommendations on brand? And you are correct concerning the battery bracket and holder I will make sure that I pick one of those up! Again thanks so much for the suggestion I appreciate it! Keep em coming!

 

Well if it's a modern radiator, it can handle modern pressures. Though I'm not too sure about the heater core. Or, maybe tired old head gaskets and cooling system gaskets. I use a 195° thermostat, a 7 lb cap and 50/50 green Prestone or Zerex mixed with water. No problems running a 7 lb cap in any case.

I like NOS parts or Autolite/Motorcraft for most things when possible. eBay is actually a pretty good source, and outfits like Green Sales, NOS partsunlimited etc. Way too many of the replacement parts made today are just absolute junk and not worth the trouble.

The key to scrounging parts you'll find, is having the right Ford part number for whatever it is you're looking for. It's like magic plugging it in to the internet. With a radiator cap of course it isn't really an issue because they made them for so many applications. Motorcraft is what you want.

 

Not to step on anybody’s toes, but it appears that he has a Stant radiator cap on his truck. In my opinion they are generally a very good cap and if I am ever in the need of a replacement cap that is usually the brand I pick. I do agree with Tedster9 that you should be careful of the pressure rating of the cap. Yes the new radiator probably can handle the higher pressure ,but as stated the heater core likely won’t. I also agree that Autolite and Motorcraft are a good choice as well. , Doug.