i recently put in a new engine in my 78 f-100. i got everything hooked up and ready to crank it over but i realized that i didn't have any power at all. i rechecked my grounds and checked to see if the battery had a current which it did. i tried to jump it but it still had no power. what could be a possible problem that i'm having. the fuses weren't blown, everything was connected. the only thing was my grounds to the battery and back of the engine were cracked and old. but i wouldn't think that that would be the problem. my radio works by the way. any suggestions or solutions. thanks for your time.

 

Check the hot wire coming to the coil.

John

jowilker
[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker|Club FTE since 01 01] My FTE Page

[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker/NCFTE.html|NC Truck Owners] NC Ford Truck owners group

66F100s Rule
In the cool still quiet of night you can hear chevies rusting away.

 

Make sure you have a ground cable to the body as well as the engine. The engine will most likely be insulated from the frame due to the rubber in engine/trans. mounts.

Wayne 60 F-350
e-mail
https://www.ford-trucks.com/users/whomrig

 

Recheck all your connections. Just because they look good, doesn't mean they are. Take them all off and wire brush the hootie hoo out of them. And that old cable, change it. Nothing good can ever come of it. Besides, their cheep.

RubberDuck

 

When you say no power do you mean no headlights, horn, emergency flashers etc etc???
Does the radio work with the key off?? Is the radio hooked directly to the battery???
The radio doesn't draw a whole lot of current so maybe the grounds are really corroded and whenever you try to draw a big load, like a starter or the headlights, all the current is dropped at the corrosion.
Replace the old grounds, clean up there connection points really good and let us know what happens.

Sparky

 

the radio is connected to the battery
nothing else works or turns on
all replace the wires and do all the checks and report tomorrow
thanks for your help

 

Ok. This means there is no power on the truck. Could be bad grounds or blown fusible links.
If you have a voltmeter check for 12 volts at the large post on the forward side of the starter relay. This is also where the fusible links are. No voltage means a bad positive wire.
Did you get the wires back on in the same place. There should be 1 large wire from the battery positive and several smaller wires on the forward large post of the starter relay, and only one large wire on the rear large post.
If you dont have a voltmeter, lets cheat Make sure the truck is in park or neutral then take a piece of wire connect one end to the battery positive and touch the other end to the "s" terminal of the starter relay. The starter should turn. If it does it is a power problem, if it doesnt it is a ground problem.
If it is a ground problem try hooking a jumper cable to the battery negative and the other end to the engine block. If you get power on the truck now replace the battery negative wire.
If it is a power problem, and the wires are hooked up as I mentioned before, you will have to get a 12volt test light or a voltmeter to really diagnose any farther. But I would be really surprised if all the fuseible links were blown, unless of course a wire bundle got pinched by the engine.
Good luck and keep us posted on the results.

Sparky

 

did all the checks and found a burned out fusible link from the starter solenoid. put a new one on and everything came one and the engine started right up. thanks for all your help.

 

Knock em out SPARKY.

John

jowilker
[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker|Club FTE since 01 01] My FTE Page

[link:www.ford-trucks.net/users/jowilker/NCFTE.html|NC Truck Owners] NC Ford Truck owners group

66F100s Rule
In the cool still quiet of night you can hear chevies rusting away.