I have been trying to get my 78 F250 going for after 5 years of sitting. I charged and had the battery checked and it's good!! I got the truck running!!! I was excited!!!! There was a lot of clatter and shaking at first then it smoothed out and quieted down REALLY EXCITED!! My house has a detched garage with a "swing gate" going from corner of house to garage that allows me to pull a vehicle into the back yard if I needed and that's where the truck had been sitting in the back yard, so ...... after letting it run for about 10 minutes and turning it off and turning it back on I decide to hop in and back it out of the yard into the driveway in front of the garage to get ready for any other minor work that it will need!! After a few negotiations of back and forth and it dying out a couple times VIOLA !!!! The truck is out of the back yard and where it supposed to be REALLY REALLY EXCITED!!!!!! Call wife out to see what I have done and that the back yard has (Look honey NO TRUCK)!!!!! She is REALLY EXCITED!!!! She then goes over to the truck opens the door and sits in it (truck had been running all this time) and she decides to start checking lights wich I thought was a good idea and started walking around the truck head lights, brake lights, turn signals all working REALLY REALLY REALLY EXCITED now!!! Then something happened????????? The starter just all of a sudden decided to engage itself while the truck was running uhoohhh? What to do ?? Wife is freaking, I'm freaking ...... so I try to turn off truck (seemed like the right thing to do??) wouldn't turn off!!!! Key is in off position, pulled the key out, still running?? Pull the coil wire stops runnig but still wanting to start!!!! By the time I get wrenches to undo the battery it's like drained the battery to a weak slow drag on the starter but I get it un done and finally it comes to a stop!!!! I didnt think maybe to tap the solenoid to see if it would stop untill later so I decide to put another charge on the battery hook it back up to see if tapping the solenoid with a hammer will do the trick ...... hook the ground and go to hook the positive and I get a big spark seems like the solenoid is infact stuck so I tap it and try the positve side again goes on no spark no nothing hmmmm? Tighten everything down and NOTHING!!! No lights,No radio,No horn????? Take battery down have it checked still good??? Buy a new solenoid install it check all the wires for shorts or burns, nothing!!!! Take off ground wire to block clean and scuff to make sure of good ground STILL NOTHING ....... NOT VERY EXCITED ANYMORE !!!!! HELP HELP HELP !!!!!!!!!

 

Is the battery properly charged?
Are battery cables clean?

With a test light or voltage meter, check the red / blue stripe wire at starter relay for power when the key is in the off postion and when the key is in the start position?

Keep us posted of what you find.

 

Did you reverse the connections?

Are you sure you hooked it up correctly?

Connect the positive cable FIRST and remove LAST.

 

update: checked every ground wire and all is ok. However the Altenator belt is gone??That will need to be remedied ....... but all the wire moving and checking did something? Went to check the headlights, they came on! turned the key and she cranked right over like she never was parked?? I dont get it??? Will keep yu guys posted on what I find after I get the new Alt. Belt on??

 

OK: I put on a alternator belt (what a pain in the butt that is) ya have to remove the fan and the pully behind the fan so the altenator belt will go on (clearence issue between pullys for belt to just slip through. Any ways and any how got it all back together and now she wont start, will crank put not start. BIG contrast to yesterday when she was running like she was never parked at all with NO alternator belt. Also seems like my battery drains quicker now trying to start it up? Is it possible I have the belt to tight??? Or even the the Alternator is no good?? Still I would think that it would start up and run???? It did this morning before I did this .... getting very discouraged with this please help! BTW this is a 78 F250 Ranger XLT Camper Special 2WD w/a 460 auto trans C/6 if that helps?

 

So, you'll probably need to do it again. Sounds to me like there's either a bad wire, or a bad connection somewhere.

 

Charge the battery with a battery charger for at least one hour or till fully charged.

Check the battery voltage at the battery posts, with a voltage meter, when the key is in the start position, and trying to start.
Post what the voltage reading when key ins in the Start position.

Pull the coil wire at the coil or distributor, and check for spark during engine cranking.
Post if the you have spark or no spark during engine cranking.

With voltage meter, and the Key in ON position. Check the coil, positive side of coil for positive reading. What is the voltage reading.

 

Getting spark all the electrical seems to be working. The truck does turn over and start "barley" with the gas pedal mashed to the floor and it starts to run the dies out ..... almost if it weren't getting any gas? But the fuel filter says different as it's full of fuel and the carb is getting gas???? PISSED OFF in cali right now

 

Did you flood it, maybe?

My truck does that barely start with the throttle wide open when I've got too much fuel in it. Hold your choke open while someone else turns the key.

 

Could be carburator float is stuck.... or some type of carburator problem.

Pull a couple of spark plugs out, and check if they are carboned up, or wet of fuel and fouled up. If fouled up, replace or if thay are not to fouled, clean and regap and reinstall plugs.

 

Is it blowing black smoke? Also when my points start getting really burned up, it does the same thing. OOPs I just remembered your truck is a78 model-no points to deal with. I wonder if maybe your ignitoin swich and or the linkage that slides the switch back and forth is giving you problems considering all of your intermitten electrical problems. I have seen to plastic slide where to metal linkage hooks into broke in half causing similar problems

 

still wont start!! Don't get it at all it was running so smooth last night and this morning?? I just put a alternator belt on??

 

So keep looking. Did you bump the coil while installing the belt? Any broken or "iffy" looking wires right there?

Time to pull at least one spark plug...look at the plug, and use a screwdriver to check for spark at the plug wire. Carefully...as it WILL get your attention.

 

I know the fan dance when changing the alternator belt on the 460. Check your wiring around the the distributor. Also, how old is the gas in that thing? Have you dribbled a little fresh fuel down the carb and tried. You may have something plugged up in the carb. What fuel filter are you seeing fuel in? It's probably something really basic that you are not thinking of...

 

Had the gas tank cleaned and re-installed whole other rodeo there too LOL. But Hold on........ It just fired up?????? Again running like nothing was ever wrong???????? can we say POSSESSED?? Still tinkering will get back to you guys and update shortly.