wiring problem
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Joined: Jan 2007
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From: TEXAS, Bahrain
wiring problem
I got my 66 Ford F-100 4x4 last year havent had much time to work on it. I did replace the alternator and here is where the problem starts. My son replaced the alternator he wired it backwards without my knowledge, it started, i drove it less than a mile and the wiring caught fire, i know sounds funny, ok got the truck back to the yard, rewired the alternator correctly this time, and made sure the truck started again which it did, the alternator guage in the cab was almost black so I decided to replace it, As i was removing the terminal on the back of the guage one of the wires touched the metal dash and sparked, now the truck is dead no power to anything. I have been searching this site for maybe answer but havent found one and this is my first posting. So I am thinking with all the vast knowledge this site has, someone may have some suggestion I can try.
Bill
Bill
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Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Coal country
The ammeter wiring is a direct link between the battery side of the solenoid post, and an insulated post. It is a pair of heavy duty wires. One wire runs from the solenoid to the gauge, and the other runs from the gauge to an insulated post. This insulated post is going to be somewhere near the solenoid or the alternator, usually on the inner fender. The alternator and body harness wires bolt to the insulated stud with the second wire.
It sounds like the ammeter circuit is messing up the electrical. Either the ammeter wiring or the ammeter itself are not allowing juice to pass through from the battery connection at the solenoid to the rest of the body harness and the alternator.
All current flows though these two ammeter wires, so if the connection is broken, there will be no juice to the truck. There is no fusible link in these trucks, so the problem will probably be a broken or corroded connector, or a bad ammeter.
Do this test behind the dash. By the way, I am assuming you have a fully charged batttery, and have tested it to make sure!
1. Disconnect the battery clamp, to prevent another short like before.
2. Expose the ammeter wires behind the dash, and remove them from the gauge. Be sure to allow only the upper nuts to turn.
3. Set the ammeter wires to the side, so that they are not touching a ground when you do step 4. Make sure nothing else is grounded, either - nothing that isn't supposed to be, that is.
4. Reconnect the battery clamp.
5. Connect the the ammeter wires together; you can hold them between thumb and forefinger. If they get hot really fast, or make a very hot spark when they touch, then you have a bad short. DON'T continue to hold them if they get hot fast! This means HOT, not warm. Comfortably warm is OK, and they may get warm if the headlights are on.
6. Now see if you have power to the truck. Headights, turn signals, all should work.
If this works, then you have a bad ammeter. You can temporarily get the truck to work (without the ammeter) by bolting both of the "eye" connectors together, to one stud on the back of the ammeter.
If this doesn't work, then the wiring has a break in it somewhere.
Do this test under the hood.
1. Remove the battery clamp.
2. Remove the alternator and body harness wires from the insulated stud. They will have a large round "eye" for an electrical connector. (Leave the thick ammeter wire, it should be a blue or black color, and will be thicker than the others, about as thick as the one large wire coming off the alternator. It will be match the other ammeter wire coming off the battery side of the solenoid.)
3. Remove the thick blue or black ammeter wire from the battery side of the solenoid (this takes the ammeter wiring completely out of the circuit.)
4. Now, attach the alternator wires and the body harness wires to the battery side of the solenoid. Make sure all this is done on the battery side of the solenoid, not the starter side. Ensure the battery cable is attached, the body harness wires and the alternator harness from the insulated stud are attached, and the nut is securely tightened.
5. Reattach the battery clamp.
This should restore power to the truck. If it does, then you need to track down the break in the ammeter wires. Once you find that and fix it, re-attach everything as it was originally to test the ammeter with repaired wiring.
Of course, you can reverse the tests, to quickly see if the truck will run again, and do the analytical tests when you have more time - or it is warmer!
Good luck!
It sounds like the ammeter circuit is messing up the electrical. Either the ammeter wiring or the ammeter itself are not allowing juice to pass through from the battery connection at the solenoid to the rest of the body harness and the alternator.
All current flows though these two ammeter wires, so if the connection is broken, there will be no juice to the truck. There is no fusible link in these trucks, so the problem will probably be a broken or corroded connector, or a bad ammeter.
Do this test behind the dash. By the way, I am assuming you have a fully charged batttery, and have tested it to make sure!
1. Disconnect the battery clamp, to prevent another short like before.
2. Expose the ammeter wires behind the dash, and remove them from the gauge. Be sure to allow only the upper nuts to turn.
3. Set the ammeter wires to the side, so that they are not touching a ground when you do step 4. Make sure nothing else is grounded, either - nothing that isn't supposed to be, that is.
4. Reconnect the battery clamp.
5. Connect the the ammeter wires together; you can hold them between thumb and forefinger. If they get hot really fast, or make a very hot spark when they touch, then you have a bad short. DON'T continue to hold them if they get hot fast! This means HOT, not warm. Comfortably warm is OK, and they may get warm if the headlights are on.
6. Now see if you have power to the truck. Headights, turn signals, all should work.
If this works, then you have a bad ammeter. You can temporarily get the truck to work (without the ammeter) by bolting both of the "eye" connectors together, to one stud on the back of the ammeter.
If this doesn't work, then the wiring has a break in it somewhere.
Do this test under the hood.
1. Remove the battery clamp.
2. Remove the alternator and body harness wires from the insulated stud. They will have a large round "eye" for an electrical connector. (Leave the thick ammeter wire, it should be a blue or black color, and will be thicker than the others, about as thick as the one large wire coming off the alternator. It will be match the other ammeter wire coming off the battery side of the solenoid.)
3. Remove the thick blue or black ammeter wire from the battery side of the solenoid (this takes the ammeter wiring completely out of the circuit.)
4. Now, attach the alternator wires and the body harness wires to the battery side of the solenoid. Make sure all this is done on the battery side of the solenoid, not the starter side. Ensure the battery cable is attached, the body harness wires and the alternator harness from the insulated stud are attached, and the nut is securely tightened.
5. Reattach the battery clamp.
This should restore power to the truck. If it does, then you need to track down the break in the ammeter wires. Once you find that and fix it, re-attach everything as it was originally to test the ammeter with repaired wiring.
Of course, you can reverse the tests, to quickly see if the truck will run again, and do the analytical tests when you have more time - or it is warmer!
Good luck!
Last edited by banjopicker66; Jan 22, 2007 at 02:07 AM.
Thread Starter
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New User
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: TEXAS, Bahrain
thanx
thanx for the speedy information i did buy a universal wiring harness but havent put it in since i am overseas at this moment but again thanx for the information i have printed it out so i can refer to it when i get back to the states in may.
bill
bill
