I have a 77 f150 with a 390. when I try to start it the starter relay will click but no starter engagement. I know the batt is good because I tryed it in my 78 and it started right up. I also know the starter is good because I took it down and had it tested and it tested ok. plese help me with this problem!!!

 

What else in in the system? Just the battery cables and ends I suppose.


Try doing a search of the forum. you can get tons of info that has been posted previously.

 

Does the pos cable get hot if you hold the key in start for a minute ?

 

it's probably the starter solinoid

 

Check all your grounds, and make sure they are making good, clean contact. Also re-check your battery post clamps, make sure the connection is clean, and they are nice and tight. You could try jumping the starter by taking a jumper cable from the positive post on the battery to the starter post of the solenoid. If the starter goes, the starter is good. Take a jumper wire from the positive to the front most small post on the solenoid.... if the starter goes, the solenoid is good. I would start to look for blown fusible links if all else checked out.....

 

I'm having the same problem as of yesterday with a 79 F150. I hooked up the battery to a charger and it was fine. I put in a new solenoid (starter is brand new) and now it won't do anything. Not sure if its a bad solenoid, or not.

I'm begining to suspect my ignition switch though. I'm trying to research it some here. Before at least the door buzzer would come on when I turned the key, now not even that even though the battery is full. I checked the fuses under the dash and they're all fine, and the one off the the pos terminal of the solenoid under the hood. Are there any other ones I should check out?

Someone else mentioned if the starter, battery and solenoid all check out, check the wire that goes to the starter. I need to do that too.

 

Terrmat...Jlein makes good points about the grounds. Doesn't sound like you're proficient with a volt meter,so...you can hear the relay on the fenderwell click, but no starter engagement...replace the starter relay first and see if this does it. About the best I've seen is a Standard Blue Streak. This era ford truck has no starter solenoid. The device on the fenderwell is a relay. A solenoid does physical work in moving what is usually a shaft like a GM or Chrysler.

MHull...I own a 79 F150 and have had it since 82. I have put 3 ignition switches in it.

The dash mounted ignition switches are notorious for intermittent operation. This usually agravated by too many keys on your key ring. The best scenario is to not have Your ignition key on any kind of ring. The more keys you have on the ring the more mass you have swinging back and forth with the load directly on the ignition key and subsequently the ignition switch. A lone key is probably not practical, but limit it to the minimum. A small fob and a light ring with the single key are preferable. This is a little drastic, but it will keep you from changing the ignition switch as often.

It's been a while but there are at least 2, maybe 3 different switched legs out of this switch in the run position. Depending on the wear any or all of them can fail intermittently or permanently. My first switch problem was due to the A/C not working. Truck ran fine, but no voltage at the compressor. That's how odd it can be and I'm sure others have had odder things happen because of this.

Bird.

 

Well, I've now replaced the starter, the solenoid, the ngative battery cable, the starter cable, and checked all the fuses. When I trun the key NOTHING happens. and this is the weird part: with the ignition off and the key out, if I try to jump the solenoid, it clicks. but if the key is on, nothing. I guess the ignition switch is next- good thing its my good ol FORD and its only $25.....

 

What about playing around with your shifter?? If it is an auto, check your park/neutral safety switch, and if it is a manual, I would check the clutch safety switch......

 

I had the same problem last week. I changed the Alternator, starter, starter silanoid, and the voltage regulator and it still was doing the same thing. Then I took the batt to the auto part store and they said it was good but they did not do a load test on it all they did was charge it. I did not figure this out until the next day. before I figured out the batt was dead i put it in the truck and tried to crank it over. It drained the batt of its charge in a heart beat. I then checked the voltage on the batt. it was setting at 11. something volts. I then jumped it and had it running. I checked to see if my new alernator was doing its job and it was. All in all I replaced the battery and now she crancks like a dream.

 

can you tell me how to check my neutral safety switch? I know it has something to do with a rod behind the steering column

 

On a 79 the NSS switch is on the C6 transmission not on the column.

All you have to do is pull the plug apart & loop a wire between the 2 in the connector.


The 80's was when the rod actuator came out

 

I had the same problem when I went to start it, it just clicked I check the terminals and they werent loose but where the cable was bolted to the clamp for the terminal was very corroded so I took the out cleaned it and cleaned the terminals while I was at it. Started right up afterwards.

 

Sorry for the long post here:

OK, this is beginning to irritate me. I'm repeating myself, but I want to make a clear picture of where I'm at. My truck (79 F150 Supercab Ranger) just up and stopped starting a few days ago. I drove to someone’s house, and then it wouldn't start again. When I tried it would just click like a low battery.

I tried charging and jumping, no help. It has a new starter (had it checked again to make sure), I tried a new solenoid, new negative battery cable (old one was a 4 gauge, I guess this is supposed to be 1 gauge), new cable from solenoid to starter, different battery adding an extra ground, and it still either does nothing when I try to crank it, or it may click once. If I hold it sometimes it will start clicking a little faster after a few seconds, but I haven't held it long because I don't want to burn up anything. I’m pretty sure its not a problem with corrosion, because of all the new cables, and the old ones weren’t corroded anyway.

What I haven't tried is the ignition switch, positive battery cable or the neutral safety switch (this is an auto). I’m going to go ahead and try a new positive cable. The one that’s one there looks fine, but who knows, maybe its corroded in the middle or something. I have a new ignition switch, but I can’t get the old one out! I got the actual lock tumbler out just fine, then my book failed. No matter what I tried, I never got it out. I searched here and found that someone said to unscrew the chrome ring. Is that all I need to do?

I can’t find the neutral safety switch either. I looked on the tranny by the actual shifter, and there are 3 or 4 wires that connect to the inside of the shifter area, but I don’t think they are removable. There is a wiring harness over by the frame and there is a two wire plug that is just sitting there not connected to anything. I tried jumping it with a paper clip, but it didn’t do anything. Not sure if that’s the neutral safety switch or something else. So where is it?

Last thing I tried was to use jumper cables from the positive battery terminal to the cable going to the starter. All it did was click. Shouldn’t doing that bypass everything except the starter and neutral safety switch? Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

Hey- could it be the ignition module?

 

OK...take deep breaths, apply large amounts of your favorite cold beverage and put away all the large heavy things that you could beat the truck with...these things can happen to a brand new vehicle, let alone one that is 30 years old...

Definitely try the short positive cable between the battery and the relay.

Think of anything that uses electricity as a circle. If you break any part of the circle, it's no longer continuous. Applying this to elcectrical flow, if you break any part of the electrical path the device(s) will not work.

A new ignition switch never hurt anything. If the lock cylinder in the switch is in good shape, re-use it so you don't have to get new keys made

What I haven't tried is the ignition switch, positive battery cable or the neutral safety switch (this is an auto). I’m going to go ahead and try a new positive cable. The one that’s one there looks fine, but who knows, maybe its corroded in the middle or something. I have a new ignition switch, but I can’t get the old one out! I got the actual lock tumbler out just fine, then my book failed. No matter what I tried, I never got it out. I searched here and found that someone said to unscrew the chrome ring. Is that all I need to do?

Yes...the chrome ring with the notches holds it in the dash. Unscrew it and the switch and lock cylinder will pull out from the back. To get the lock cylinder out, BATTERY DISCONNECTED, put the key in the switch and turn it to the Accessory position, then take a paper clip, bend it out and stick the end in that little round hole in the lock cylinder. It's to the right of the key, on top, about 1/8" from the key. The lock cylinder will now seperate from the ignition switch. Put your old cylinder in the new switch and re-install.

Sometimes the starter relay clicks and sometimes it doesn't...

If the new short positive cable doesn't cure this, check the fuseable links at the starter relay on the fenderwell. They'll be on the side that the battery attaches to. If they are factory, they will have tags on them that sy "Fuseable Link". They will look like a regualr piece of wire, but are special animals designed to burn in two when there's too much load (current draw). Tug on them and see if one of them "stretches". If so, the wire itself is burned in two and you will need to replace it. If so, be sure to use the same guage link that you are replaceing. Fuseable link wire only, NOT regular copper wire. Available at any auto parts.

Don't go ape on em and try to pull the relay off the fender, just a good steady tug.

If the above doesn't do it, private message me and I'll give you my phone number. If you call you'll need a digital voltmeter and enough cash to pay for the call

Haint skeered.

Bird