On battery hookup truck cranks no key in?

[lance1586]

looking at your pic's and reading all of the post I know you have replaced the starter and solenoid ! and it is still doing the same thing ! Have you put your hand on solenoid and feel it click or hear it click when you connect the battery ? and Normally starters have Three (3) wires going to it the big thick battery wire and Two (2) smaller wires is the norm I have done lots of starters and have forgotten or Missed one of the smaller wires and it touch something with same results or the smaller wire touching one of the other wires on the starter ! also on the solenoid is it possible that the connector the wires are touching or some debris making contact seen that before as well ! Not saying that's what it is But just a thought !! could you also tell us the year and model and engine size of the truck plz

The truck is an 85 W150 with a 318 4 speed. I R & R’d the starter and didn’t forget to attach a wire. I too have done a bunch of starters in my life but the truck did start and run before it sat for a year?

 

[lance1586]

I went on such a rant in that previous post, I wanted to leave it isolated from our mission.

I refer you back to the schematic drawing, there should be 3 wires minimum on the starter solenoid relay.

1) The small gauge ignition switch wire connected to the S or Sol terminal.

2) A large wire connected directly to 12 volts from the battery

3) A second large wire connected to the starter.

Please confirm you have these 3 connections and that you don't see anything bridging or shorting them together.

Leave the ignition wire disconnected from the S terminal and protected from shorting against the chassis.

I wonder if the previous owner rewired this area. That black plug looks a bit irregular and I don't see two distinctly large wires for the battery and starter connections.

If you can post the make and model of the starter solenoid, we can discuss the specific connections and where they should be connected.

I tried to find the starter solenoid in your pic using both text and image search, I had no luck.

We should be 100% certain of all of the connections on the solenoid before proceeding. I've included the next steps to pursue once we're done with the solenoid connections.

If a visual inspection of the large wire from the solenoid to the starter is not productive, move to the next step below.

Identify and remove the large wire that connects from the solenoid to the starter. Insulate this wire from shorting to the chassis. You might as well try the battery test again because it's quick and easy. If it still cranks, leave the large wire feeding the starter disconnected from the solenoid and well-insulated. See the next step.

With the battery disconnected, connect an ohm meter using alligator clips, between the large wire feeding the starter and chassis ground. Adjust the ohm meter scale setting so that you have a large deflection of the meter (for an analog meter) or a larger number for a digital meter.

Prop the meter in a position that you can manipulate or wiggle the large wire while being careful to not move the connected alligator clip. More often than not, this is a two-handed task where one hand prevents the alligator clip or that end of the wire from moving while the other hand works on moving the rest of the wire.

When you find a particular area that causes a significant change in the resistance, this may help you to isolate a smaller area of the large wire for visual scrutiny.



I know you're at work or traveling for work. Respond whenever you're next available.

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Thanks for all the info. I pulled the old starter which only had two wires a fat one and a skinny one. I had to pry out the old starter and so replaced it, per advice of a friend, with a Magnum starter out of a Dakota. Bolted up fine and, again, I swear there were only two wires attached to the old starter?

I’ll do more investigating when I return home next week. Thanks again for all the information. The only “mod” I had to make was to crimp on (temp) a bigger ring terminal as that smaller post on new starter was too big for old ring terminal

 

[RamDiver]

You're most welcome.

You will notice that I'm pretty regimented with my troubleshooting. My mind is open to jump ahead where indicated but otherwise, start at the beginning and go step by step to the end.

The beginning being the battery/ ignition wire and the end is the starter. Technically speaking, we haven't truly proven the starter solenoid by testing but willing to gamble that it's in good working order because it is new and the fault is the same as before.

The 3 wires I was referring to were on the solenoid which I commonly refer to as the starter solenoid only to be precise. I may have a wee bit of OCD.

In the next step, we isolate the starter by removing the connection to the solenoid.

If it still cranks with the battery connected, the only remaining items are the 2 wires on the starter.

Verify that both wires are connected correctly by tracing them out to the other end and then confirm there's not a bad section of insulation where the 12 volts could be transferred from elsewhere.

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[lance1586]

I’m tracking ya. In my pea brain I still think there is a dead short in the feed - fat wire someplace. It has to be there? Hoping on better weather upon my return Queen Vic made it to Tulsa no problem and turned back 22mpg. Funny thing is there aren’t many of those on the road now so it’s almost, kinda, sorta cool on it’s own homely taxicab kinda way - a pinkish one at that

 

[RamDiver]

There could very well be a dead short to another 12 volt source but if you don't follow a regimented process while troubleshooting, you will end up spending more money replacing parts that are not contributing to the fault.

I've worked all of my entire career in electronics, from 18 years old until retirement in 2014. Systems have different degrees of complexity but the troubleshooting process is still systematic, power source to final load.

Using the part swapping method of troubleshooting is common with the less experienced and usually only when someone else is paying for the parts.

.

 

[lance1586]

I get it and may come across as a parts replacer kinda guy. . Maybe so. That said I don’t regret replacing either of those basic consumable items on my truck, but will have to do some real trouble shooting when I get home.

 

[RamDiver]

If you plan to keep the truck for a while, those parts weren't too expensive and should keep you covered for a long time into the future.

Think of it as an investment to sustain your truck.

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[Dodge trucker]

No , skip the Haynes manual, they're good for ripping apart for fire starter for your grill, not much more. Get a factory service manual. I got my last couple in CD via eBay pretty cheap.

 

[Dodge trucker]

The starter relay is on the driver fender, the solenoid is built into the starter in these.

 

[Dodge trucker]

Have you removed the wire from terminal S on the solenoid yet and then reconnect the battery?

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No such terminal. These are dodges not Chevys