Hey all. I have an 87 F-150 with a newer 300-6(92) motor in it. Well in December of last year i bought a Newer F-150 Nite. I parked my old truck and started it periodicly until about febuary when i took out the battery. The other day i put the battery in hooked up the chager on start mode and turned the key. I had nothin. So i checked and cleaned up all the wiring from the battery to the solenoid and then to the starter. Then I jumped it with my new truck. It took a while of holding the key but the starter finially rolled over and it fired up. But then my girlfriend shut it off after i told her to pull it up to the shop. Now i cant get it started again. I put the charger on it for 10 min hit the key and i herd the starter buzz and then i threw the braker in the garage. What is going on. When i turn the key on everything comes on all right (dome lights Headlights radio etc). But when i hit the key it all dims out and then throws the breaker. Also when i had it running i had no charge whatsoever it was dicharging all tha way over on the guage. I looked at all the wiring to the alternator and there is some corrosion under some repair shrink wrap, but i dont think that it would be enough to do what it is doing. Should I pull of the starter and test that, or do you think that it is the wire, or mabie the battery. do you think that mabie my alternator or voltage regulator is shot.(its brand new) Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

I would suggest that first you clean the terminals on both ends of the cables. I had a problem like yours and it was the ground cable. The factory ground cable went all the way from the battery post to the starter mounting bolt and, it was very light wire. I bought an 18 inch #2 cable and grounded my battery to the alternator bracket and have not had a problem since.

 

I too had the same problem. it was also my ground cable. I did like Manta and bought a heavy piece of wire and grounded it to my altenator bracket.

P.S. on ground cables, the shorter is better.

 

check and clean the ground wire.

 

Having just dealt with something similar, let me also chime in with check the cables! My problem was a LITTLE different, but it all came down to bad grounds and too light wires. (The starter was trying to ground through a 14 guage wire and melted every time it cranked for more than one second!! It's fixed now.) There is a spot (or should be) on the block for your negative cable right below the alternator. Then make sure you have the braided cable from the hood to the firewall and engine to firewall. Outside of that, the only thing I could see doing that would be if you have some wires mixed up on the starter solenoid.

Chris Pollard
Dryden, ON
Don't mind me, I'm crazy.
:-X11

 

the wires are not mixed up i notaced the + battery cable is a little green. The ground looks ok. It is bolted to the frame and to the starter. I cleaned both connections good. I am going to replace that wire on the alternator and buy some new cables and hook ot to the alternator bracket as you all have said. Makes sense less wire makes less resistance. Well i'll get back to ya on how it goes. thanks for the help

 

Hey I got it. I replaced the positive battery cable and it runs and starts fine now. I cut the rubber off the old one in the middle and it was all green. My guage still does not work. I replaced the whole wiring harness from the solenoud to the alternator and it still didnt work. I tested the system and it is charging. I was thinking that mabie the quage is just stuck so im gonna pull out the cluster and see. Any othe suggestions. Thanks