'87 Bronco II - no power to wiring harness at all.

Battery is fully charged.

Battery is well grounded and terminals are clean.

Zero power anywhere!

If I "hot wire" the fuseable links directly from the + side of the battery, I can get individual components to com online - lights, ignition (radio), etc., when and ONLY WHEN the ignition key is in the "on" position.

When I turn the key to "start," the starter does not engage. The starter solonoid is new (is it possible that i can have the polarity reversed on this?)

Not likely...I suspect the ignition switch itself. Does anyone know how to remove this? My manual says nothing.

Thanks,

QED

 

You say that the battery terminals are clean, but is there corrosion inside the cables? Measure the voltage drop across the battery cables and make sure the cables are good.
Can you get the starter to go by "jumpering" the posts on the starter solenoid?

 

Yes, I can get the starter to turn over by connecting the hot leg directly to the cable that runs to the starter motor.

 

Here's some more news - I removed the cable that runs from the solenoid to the starter and connected the hot lead from the battery directly to the lead to the fuable link terminal, connecting both via a single post on the solenoid. When I turned the ignition key to the "on" position, I got battery, lights, horn, radio, etc. The harness was on line, but , of course, no starter!

I then tried jumping the cable from the starter to my "hot" solenoid post - no go, i nearly melted the brass terminals!

Next, I disconnected the battery from the post on the solenoid and touched it to the lead to the starter. The started turned over, and when I disconnected the hot lead...the car kept running! On the alternator! With no battery attached at all!

Weird, or what?

 

I'm having the exact same problem - any idea what caused it ? Have you figured it out ?

 

I THOROUGHLY CLEANED the battery terminals and cables, then reconnected everything, and it turned over.Is it possible that there's and intermittant problem with the ignition switch that will one day come back? Yes, but for now I'm satisfied.

 

> Next, I disconnected the battery from the post on the
> solenoid and touched it to the lead to the starter.

imo, Your experiments are going to lead to a major melt down or a battery explosion.

Replace the relay, I would not trust it now.

On the driver's side their is a harness wrapped in tape and a few connections. In my experience, this is where most wiring problems start because the connectors are exposed to blow back/up from the fan and road. The connectors rot away or are pulled out. I usually replace them with sealed trailer connectors and shrink wrap everything.

If you unwrap the harness, you will find a fusible link. I do not have a BII to double check this on, I believe this one is called splice from S208 and goes to 37Y (yellow). This should be the one for the ignition switch going by my 87 BII CD.

If memory serves me right, there is another set of connectors inside the fender behind the battery sitting near the radiator support. One sets runs to the driver's side and the other set runs back and feeds the passenger door for power. Check these too.

 

Hmmm, sounds like your playing with fire. You should have your hot battery lead hooked to one side of the solenoid along with a couple of fused linked wires. This is where you get the power for your accessories. If you have a tester test for voltage at the solenoid, hot side touching the stud on the solonoid that gets the hot wire from the battery, ground either the body, negative battery post... anything really. If you don't have voltage here you could just have a bad cable. If you have voltage there, and power to the accessories, but no start... try engaging the solenoid from the small connector coming from the ign. switch to the hot side of the solenoid (NOT ACROSS THE MAIN POSTS OF THE SOLENOID) If you have voltage, and the solenoid does not engage the starter then the solenoid is just bad, since you've been doing all this experimenting anyway it probably wouldn't hurt to relplace it... I think they're still under $10. Sometimes if the wires connected with the hott cable at the solenoid get loose, or if the nut there isn't very snug, they will arc and corrode and you will get the problems you mentioned there, just clean them up, be sure the connectors are turned so that they all lay good and flat against each other, and make sure to get the nut very snug on the solenoid. Check you ground cable at the frame or engine also... there could be some rust or corrosion causing problems there also.