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Hi, I'm new here my name's Jake. My friend has a 1986 F-150 with a few shorts. none of them have been a PITA till today. the major problem we just need to fix is in the ignition. the starter doesn't get any juice from the ignition switch. i replaced the ignition switch that sits on top of the steering column today. and it still seems like no juice is being moved anywhere(had the radio on to see if it was drawing any power). ignition wiring is not one of my strong points on old Fords. if anyone can help me i would be much happier than i am now. i know its not my Old Ford but i still love it. thanks in advance for any and all help, Jake
If the radio and everything else is dead, I would pull the plug out of the ignition switch again, and check for voltage on the yellow wire. If you have voltage on the yellow wire, and all your fuses are good, I would try actuating the ignition switch by hand. If everything starts to work, then you must have a mechanical problem in the column, not moving the rod enough that actuates the switch.
If you find the yellow wire is dead, then go out to the starter relay mounted on the passenger inner fender and look for smaller wires leaving the big lug that comes from the battery. These smaller wires will have fusible links, which are made to burn open like a fuse. Check these fusible links. One of them feeds the yellow wire going to the ignition switch.
thanks for the help Franklin. the radio and all accesories are getting juice. i have also tried working the switch by hand with no luck at all. the battery was replaced just last year, so it should still be good for a while. is the yellow wire hot for accesories and the starter also? another friend also mentioned just rigging up a push button start. which wires would i have to tap into for that? thanks for the help, Jake
Your yellow wire is ok because the accessories are working. Looking at the diagram above, MAKE SURE THE TRUCK IS IN NEUTRAL OR PARK and then take a short piece of wire and jump #3 to #5. If it cranks, then your battery/starter/cables/starter relay are good. If it doesn't crank, then there is something wrong with one of the above.
If it cranks in the above test, then more than likely your clutch interlock switch is bad(manual tranny), or the neutral safety switch on the side of the auto tranny is bad.
it ended up being the Rod had too much slack in it. but i still couldn't get it to started at the switch. so i rigged up a push button start. now my question is am i going to have to buy a new column? or is there a way to pull the guts out of the column to get it all hooked back together and fixed? oh and you still need the key to fire it up because the computer and all.