Fried Battery Cables - Starter?
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Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Stanardsville USA
Fried Battery Cables - Starter?
I recently sold my '78 F250 to a relative, but he has yet to get it out of the yard.
The truck has been sitting for quite a while, and I knew the battery was weak. The night before he came to get it, I put a charger on it and charged at 2 amps all night.
It started up pretty well after a little coaxing, and seemed to run fine. About 20 minutes later it just quit, and would not start again. We waited a couple of hours (he had managed to flood it in the process), and it started on the first try. I immediately suspected the ignition module (it left me in traffic a few times, so I replaced it a few years ago), but since it had been replaced, I just could not accept that.... Well, it quit again.
I charged the battery more over night, and it started just fine. When he came to get it the next day, same thing - dead after running 10 minutes or so. After that, the battery would no longer take a charge.
He put in a new battery, but still no start. I sugessted the module, so he got one of those and a solenoid. He still could not get it to start, but it was turning over. I started it the next day and drove it some.
He came to get it again today, and let it run awhile. It cut off, but restarted immediately. It quit again, and when he tried to start it again, it was sluggish, and the wires then melted. I had that happen once before, and after a couple of starters, realized it was the starter ground.
Any ideas on this one? He checked the starter for any looseness, and said it was fine. I have not looked at it today, except for driving it this morning. Could the starter just "go bad" from sitting?
Any help or ideas would be appreciated. My wife will kill me if that truck does not move soon!
The truck has been sitting for quite a while, and I knew the battery was weak. The night before he came to get it, I put a charger on it and charged at 2 amps all night.
It started up pretty well after a little coaxing, and seemed to run fine. About 20 minutes later it just quit, and would not start again. We waited a couple of hours (he had managed to flood it in the process), and it started on the first try. I immediately suspected the ignition module (it left me in traffic a few times, so I replaced it a few years ago), but since it had been replaced, I just could not accept that.... Well, it quit again.
I charged the battery more over night, and it started just fine. When he came to get it the next day, same thing - dead after running 10 minutes or so. After that, the battery would no longer take a charge.
He put in a new battery, but still no start. I sugessted the module, so he got one of those and a solenoid. He still could not get it to start, but it was turning over. I started it the next day and drove it some.
He came to get it again today, and let it run awhile. It cut off, but restarted immediately. It quit again, and when he tried to start it again, it was sluggish, and the wires then melted. I had that happen once before, and after a couple of starters, realized it was the starter ground.
Any ideas on this one? He checked the starter for any looseness, and said it was fine. I have not looked at it today, except for driving it this morning. Could the starter just "go bad" from sitting?
Any help or ideas would be appreciated. My wife will kill me if that truck does not move soon!
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Joined: May 2003
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From: Northern Illinois
Could the starter just "go bad" from sitting?
I am not quite sure on your problem here tho, at 1st I would have said you had a bad alternator or voltage regulator and that is why you kept having a dead battery. Now you are talking about it being hard to start. Check the ground strap from the firewall to the motor on the passenger side of the engine.
dead after running 10 minutes or so After that, the battery would no longer take a charge.
He put in a new battery, but still no start. I sugessted the module, so he got one of those and a solenoid. He still could not get it to start, but it was turning over. I started it the next day and drove it some
it was sluggish, and the wires then melted. I had that happen once before, and after a couple of starters, realized it was the starter ground.
Last edited by ranger429; Dec 13, 2004 at 03:04 PM.
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From: Stanardsville USA
Thanks for the response!
I was just making an assumption on the battery - maybe the wrong one - but I charged it overnight on 2 amp, and it would not turn the starter over then or after another day of charging, whereas that had worked before. Since the battery was maybe 7 to 9 years old, and had died in the past (from just sitting), I assumed its time had come. Either way, I suggested he get a new battery anyway, due to the age of the one that was in there.
I told him to get the module, because the behavior was similar to what I had experienced in the past. That time, I had replaced the coil wire and solenoid with no effect. A mechanic replaced the ignition switch, but still no help. I talked to a few different people, and one suggested the module. After I replaced that, it ran fine. He got the solenoid on his own - someone else suggested it. I really wanted him to replace one part at a time, starting with the module, to see what the problem was, but he is young and impatient....
As for spark, we did not explicilty check for it, but there was what looked like exhaust while it was trying to turn over. Until it quit responding altogether, it would start and run fine after a long enough wait.... I was also taking great care to make sure it was not getting flooded.
I have not looked at it myself this afternoon, but he told me BOTH positive wires melted - POS to solenoid and solenoid to starter.
BTW. the alternator is fairly new - I put it in in 1998 or 1999 after the fan on the old one came apart on the interstate. That was loads of fun
I was just making an assumption on the battery - maybe the wrong one - but I charged it overnight on 2 amp, and it would not turn the starter over then or after another day of charging, whereas that had worked before. Since the battery was maybe 7 to 9 years old, and had died in the past (from just sitting), I assumed its time had come. Either way, I suggested he get a new battery anyway, due to the age of the one that was in there.
I told him to get the module, because the behavior was similar to what I had experienced in the past. That time, I had replaced the coil wire and solenoid with no effect. A mechanic replaced the ignition switch, but still no help. I talked to a few different people, and one suggested the module. After I replaced that, it ran fine. He got the solenoid on his own - someone else suggested it. I really wanted him to replace one part at a time, starting with the module, to see what the problem was, but he is young and impatient....
As for spark, we did not explicilty check for it, but there was what looked like exhaust while it was trying to turn over. Until it quit responding altogether, it would start and run fine after a long enough wait.... I was also taking great care to make sure it was not getting flooded.
I have not looked at it myself this afternoon, but he told me BOTH positive wires melted - POS to solenoid and solenoid to starter.
BTW. the alternator is fairly new - I put it in in 1998 or 1999 after the fan on the old one came apart on the interstate. That was loads of fun
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Joined: Aug 2002
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"I have not looked at it myself this afternoon, but he told me BOTH positive wires melted - POS to solenoid and solenoid to starter."
If your melting the wire from the selonid to the starter your starter is over amping. Either your running too light of a wire, you've got a bad ground, or the starter is shot. How heavy of a wire are you running from the batt to selonid? Is he giving the starter a break while cranking? Or just holding it to the battery goes dead?
When you get it running check the output of the alternator, either using a meter or the fancy cheese grater (battery tester that looks like a cheese grater)
Should be around 14v
When it stalls out go thru the normal process of checking for spark and fuel. Sometimes when the engine is warm and your getting fuel but no spark their is enuf heat to put off "exhaust" just not make the engine run.
If your melting the wire from the selonid to the starter your starter is over amping. Either your running too light of a wire, you've got a bad ground, or the starter is shot. How heavy of a wire are you running from the batt to selonid? Is he giving the starter a break while cranking? Or just holding it to the battery goes dead?
When you get it running check the output of the alternator, either using a meter or the fancy cheese grater (battery tester that looks like a cheese grater)
Should be around 14vWhen it stalls out go thru the normal process of checking for spark and fuel. Sometimes when the engine is warm and your getting fuel but no spark their is enuf heat to put off "exhaust" just not make the engine run.
