On battery hookup truck cranks no key in?

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lance1586

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And I was obviously at the front end of the horse if it had taken off I wouldn’t have gotten trampled neighbors SUVs may have taken a light hit though;)
 

crash68

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until you get this cranking issue resolved, put the transmission in neutral.
 

RamDiver

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Nah, been cold and rainy I work swings drive a Crown Vic as a daily that needs a fuel pump. . I’ll get back when I find something out hopefully tomorrow if the weather cooperates. I get more princess like about what I’m willing to work out in the older I get:)

I understand. The forecast here for today is a mix of rain and freezing rain for the next 11-12 hours, I'm hoping to avoid most of it, if I can.

Rain didn't slow me down much when I was younger either, now, I tend to avoid it, mostly. :cool:

I went through a Crown Vic phase too. Other than the hideous gas mileage, it sure was a comfy ride.

I called mine 'the dive couch' because driving to dive sites was like being parked on a couch.

Good luck with your weather and swing shifts. I'll look forward to hearing your positive results whenever you get back to your truck project. Cheers. :cool:

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Joseph Godvin

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points stuck together in start relay ??? pull relay in power box ?? before hooking up battery !! just a suggestion from an old school mechanic .
 
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lance1586

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K for my Vic running issue done.

So; today finally had a little time and put in a new Magnum starter on advice of a friend was a hell of a lot easier to get back in bc truck has long tube headers on it. BUT, same stinking thing hook up negative and starter goes to engage. This is the wiring situation I inherited;) but I have done nothing with it obviously and truck started and ran 14 months ago when I brought it home.
 

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lance1586

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Obviously one of the wires to the starter is grounding out its just weird that it’s doing that bc the truck hasn’t been driven since I got it? And again, no tinkering with the wiring. At least it’s just two wires to trace and they don’t run far. Still weird to me.
 

RamDiver

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Obviously one of the wires to the starter is grounding out its just weird that it’s doing that bc the truck hasn’t been driven since I got it? And again, no tinkering with the wiring. At least it’s just two wires to trace and they don’t run far. Still weird to me.

What happened to the investigation of the starter solenoid?

It's the starter solenoid that sends power to the starter motor.

Standard troubleshooting is to start at the beginning and work your way to the end. Unplugging the ignition switch (disconnecting the S terminal) is first, and next is the starter solenoid that are notorious for failing.

Usually, the contacts get pitted or damaged from high current arcing, or contacts get coated with carbon deposits. Then you end up with an intermittent click and no cranking.

Another failure mode is the return spring fails and leaves the contacts closed, which sounds like the problem you described.

Well, look at it this way, your starter should now outlive the truck.

Time to shop for a new starter solenoid.

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RamDiver

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Gonna try the Starter relay next hoping and a prayin;)

You can test the solenoid if you like.

Personally, I wouldn't waste my time but this is your truck and your call.

Remove both positive and negative leads from the battery. Keep the positive lead isolated from the chassis.

On the Solenoid relay, measure the resistance across the two large wire binding posts. My guess says you will see a dead short or close to a dead short (low resistance) across those terminals. Basically, the solenoid has failed closed and is permanently bridging the 12-volt signal to the starter motor.

Without energizing the S terminal first, the resistance across the two large terminals should infinite (open circuit).

This is a basic starter schematic. The small 12-volt lead from the ignition switch feeds the S terminal on the solenoid.

Starter circuit.jpg

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Jim BB

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K for my Vic running issue done.

So; today finally had a little time and put in a new Magnum starter on advice of a friend was a hell of a lot easier to get back in bc truck has long tube headers on it. BUT, same stinking thing hook up negative and starter goes to engage. This is the wiring situation I inherited;) but I have done nothing with it obviously and truck started and ran 14 months ago when I brought it home.
WOW you have a wiring mess there ! I would get a Haynes Manual for the wiring harness ! to correct the wiring issues you have ! going by the pic you sent but hey that is me
 
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