So I open up the door to my 85 ford f250 in6 and cab light comes on try to start it it makes a single click sound and cab light goes off I used a multi meter to see if I'm get power to the wire that powers the truck I get power I go down to the starter and nothing I go open the truck door the light comes on then when I go to start it the cab light goes off ik I made this post already and I realized I left out some info I replaced the starter cIllinoid and the starter also replaced the fuseable link I blew and the truck started up no problem fast forward some time I tried trickle charging the battery and I put the cables on the wrong terminals and after that nothing and the battery cables are clean to so idk what's going on anyone got awnsers

 

Got someone to help you? When you go to check for voltage, of course you have voltage because the domelight is working. You need to take your meter and check for voltage when someone else is inside the cab turning the key.

Start at the battery. Not unusual to have a bad battery. Checking the battery terminals and you have power? Of course you do, you have checked this before. But, check the battery terminals WHEN SOMEONE TURNS THE KEY. If you still have voltage, then the battery is ok. Then move down and put your red lead on the large solenoid connection. Put the black lead on the battery neg. Check it again WHILE THEY ARE TURNING THE KEY. If you find the problem you will have voltage when you put the meter on, but not have voltage when they turn the key. That means you are downstream of the problem.

Haven't found the problem yet? Leave your red lead on the large solenoid connection, but move your negative to a clean metal spot on the engine. You will have voltage, but get them to turn the key again. If you lose voltage when they turn the key, your negative battery cable is bad.

 

It's best to stick to one post for the same subject. With more than one post, important little details often get lost. When you add a new post to an old thread, it automatically moves to the top of the main page so we will all see it.

And in the kindest, gentlest manner possible: Please use some punctuation. It's really hard to understand one long sentence. I am old and cranky and don't speak textese.


Important instructions for using a trickle charger: Find a busy road with lots of heavy truck traffic. The test grounds for a steamroller factory would also work. Unplug the trickle charger and neatly wrap up the cords. I don't want you to trip while carrying it. Place the trickle charger in the middle of the road (or in the path of a steamroller) so it gets repeatedly run over and flattened. Walk away and do not look back. Proceed to your nearest auto parts or big box store. Buy an automatic charger with at least a 10 amp output.

A trickle charger is like a spork. A spork in neither a good spoon nor a good fork. It stinks for both uses. A trickle charger is similar. It doesn't have enough oomph to properly recharge a battery. But if it's manual, it will also cook a perfectly good battery, so it makes a lousy battery maintainer. That's why I keep recommending an automatic charger with at least 10 amp output.

Please don't think I'm trying to beat you up, but the answer you need was already given in your other thread. Your truck is showing textbook symptoms of a bad battery or bad cable. This guide, linked in your other thread, was written specifically for your situation:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html


That test takes ten minutes max with a voltmeter, and will pinpoint the cause. It's a hybrid test that makes sure the battery can supply the massive flow of electrons required by the starter. It then makes sure the rest of the starter system (cables, starter relay, and all connections) can deliver that massive flow without undue restrictions. I can't stress strongly enough how this simple test will pinpoint the root cause. You're getting tricked because you're taking voltage readings with the battery at rest. Under load, when things really matter, voltage is dropping off dramatically but you're not seeing it because you only took voltage readings at rest.

Pour yourself some coffee. Connect your new automatic battery charger and turn it on until the happy little green light illuminates. Meanwhile, read the troubleshooting guide linked above. If you'd rather skip how the test works, simply go to the end of post #1 for directions to hook up your meter. Take those three readings and report back.

 

A 10 amp automatic battery charger is a good choice for automotive battery charging. A trickle charger is a good choice for smaller motorcycle or lawnmower batteries. I don't think you can buy a manual battery charger anymore. Those are good but you have to know how to use them. Maintainers, or automatic chargers, are more user forgiving and shut off when the battery is fully charged. I don't recommend tossing trickle chargers out they have their place. You don't borrow grandma's junk drawer 1 ounce picture frame holding brad hammer to drive steel T bar fence posts into hard pasture ground now do ya.

Now Karl hasn't asked yet, but you don't have those clamp on battery terminal ends on an old crusty shortened and fraying battery cable, right?

 

Beat you to it, over 4 years ago.

Post #16 in the guide:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post18917218

 

Of course you've covered that, my bad. But did the OP read your guide? I'm wondering if the OP has a battery terminal cleaner? Even a slightly oxidized battery terminal can impair normal electron flow. I can't count the number of times I've popped the hood on a stranded driver and the terminals were loose and dirty, oxidized. I cleaned the terminals using a terminal cleaner, a wire brush or even a wad of aluminum foil, reattached and tighten the cables and wahlah...engine turns over and fires up.

 

Doubt it. Cuz if he did, he'd have found and fixed the problem. I gotta wonder sometimes why I even bother...

Agreed, but there are lots of other possibilities, too. Cleaning the terminals is a good stab in the dark when stranded somewhere by the side of the road with minimal tools, etc.. But I like to encourage a different mentality when working at home. No Hail Marys, just basic troubleshooting.

Consider this scenario: Let's pretend the root cause is corrosion inside the cable crimp at the positive battery terminal. (This is actually fairly common, as battery chemistry makes the positive connection more prone to corrosion.) Maybe you've even got a little superficial exterior crud built up where the terminal clamps to the battery post, but it wasn't affecting that connection. A-Ha! I'll clean that off and all will be good! You get busy patting yourself on the back and reassemble your shiny battery terminal to the shiny battery post. But what of the root cause, corrosion inside the crimp? It's still there. But in a cruel twist of fate, simply fiddling with the cable was enough to temporarily re-establish a borderline connection inside the crimp. The engine roars to life and you think you're done until a few days later when the corroded connection fails again. What gives? Well, I'd better change something expensive and the difficult part is deciding whether to pointlessly replace the battery or starter.

That's why I wrote that test to check the positive leg end-to-end from the battery post (not the cable terminal) all the way to the input terminal at the starter. The negative leg is checked end-to-end from the starter housing clear back to the negative battery post (once again, not the cable terminal). If both are good, you don't have to disassemble or clean anything. If either leg fails, you can move the meter leads to isolate the exact failure point. Cheap and easy, just like me.

Have you considered hiring a math tutor?

 

My math is usually still pretty good but its my memory that I can't count on.