Hye. That is the problem I had. THe EXACT same one. Check your battery connections again. Turn on 4x4 and turn the key into ignition position. Is 4x4 lamp bright? If it is not-it is your connections or a bad battery ground. Check the voltage on the yellow wire which comes to the ignition switch(pull the thing off, then connect the battery and measure the V to the ground). If it is 12V, then there is a loss between IS and solenoid. BUt, as you said, connecting the small wire from the + terminal of the battery to the solenoid doesn't help, then the problem is not in the red wire. Try connecting the small wire to the solenoid but from the + terminal of the other, working, healthy car.
Klim

 

Ok I have seen this before, have you even checked the amp output of the battery? Try getting someone to jump start you. Have you tried to put another battery in there and seeing if it will start. The last time I saw this the guys battery had 2 of the 6 cells fused together and the only way I could get anything to even come on was to hook up the jumper cables.

 

also I have been noticing everyone looking at voltage and not checking amperage. The two go hand in hand but you need amps to make something work.

 

Mulik, thats some XLNT advice. The reason I suggested charging the battery is because he sez it fires right up after a fresh charge, but dies after a few minutes.

Makes me wonder if the alternator is charging.

It will be interesting to see what he finds.

 

Very true, volts without amps doesnt cut it.

He did say that the alt bench tests good.

If this thing isnt charging it might be missing excitor voltage to the regulator.

 

i still say throw another battery in it and see if it starts

 

Ill post more after testing the voltage at the Ignition switch.. battery is new tho just put new one in about 4-5 weeks ago. alternator checked out okay, new solenoid, havent checked the voltage regulator, not even sure where that is on this beast. Ill run thru the posts and check them all out today and post an update.

really interesting that once it fires up and runs smooth it only runs about 5 minutes then dies, that just really puzzles me. Doesnt matter if your in the driveway or riding down the road, just cuts off and wont restart...

 

the guy i was helping just put a new battery in his car like 5 days before his cells fused. What i am trying to say to you is put another battery in it and see if it starts. I'm sure your battery is new but there is a possibility your voltage regulator is bad and it can fuse cells together.

 

Got it, will try another batter then, and check the voltage regulator

 

Your voltage regulator is on the left fender in the engine bay. There are two types, and they are no interchangeble(I think didgital and mechanical?). So, when I was getting VR for my car, first I bought one for 15$. It didn't work. Then I bought one for 45$ and it worked. So, don't go cheap on it...
If you take one wire off the battery, the car will die. So, this makes me think about wiring even more...
Did you check the ground on the battery?
Klim

 

Well that isn't entirely true. If your alternator isn't working then it will do that. See your battery is in a sense is a capacitor it only supplies electricity when it is needed, like for example when you put your window down or turn on the radio. So all power to run the ignition comes off the alternator. So that is why you can run a car without a battery.

 

Yeah, I know that. But I thought that if you disconnect the battery, you disrup the circuit.

Klim

 

was reading thru my haynes manual trying to locate the voltage regulator, it mentions that some models have it actually attached to the alternator and you have to remove the alternator to get to it, anybody actually run into that?? sounds like a pain in the ....

 

Some alternators do have internal regulators, but have you looked for it on the "left fender in the engine bay" like Klim said?

Have you charged the battery, started it & checked for 14 volts going to the battery?

 

I have looked think i found it, didnt have a lot of time to work on it today... havent been able to get it started to check the voltage on the battery while running. will keep all posted