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Need some battery electrical help

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77crewcab

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Feb 9, 2004
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Lubbock, Texas
Driving home from work this morning and all of a sudden the entire truck shut down, engine, lights, wipers, everything. So I pull over to the side of the road (in construction no less) and try to restart. Nothing no power at all. Tried jumping but still no power. So once the tow truck arrives I'll be changing the battery and cables for sure (was already on the to do list) What else should I be looking for? The alt. guage has been reading a steady 13 with no real fluctuations. The alt. belt is old but no slipping or anything (yep it's getting replaced too) Truck has been starting a little slow and lights a little dim etc. I think it is probably just the crappy battery and cables that are in it but want to know what else to look for if that doesn't do the trick.
Thanks,
Monty
 
Do you have power to anything? Lights? I would check for voltage at the battery terminals, also check the terminals for corrosion. It sounds like you might have a broken cable or the terminal broke loose inside the battery.
 
No power at all. I was already planning on replacing the battery today, guess it decided not to wait another 3 miles for me to get home. Just wondering if there is anything else fusible links, fuses etc. to check.
 
After you replace the battery, cables and alt belt make sure and check your alt voltage with a volt meter /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
check the simplest solution first. It sounds to me that your battery wire to the solenoid broke at the starter. Either that or the terminals on the battery are corroded. Get new battery cables and never use those terminal ends that kinda clamp onto the wire...those were made for emergency use and are not for normal everyday use. Also a tip to keep your battery terminals from corroding is after hooking up the cables coat the terminals with vaseline.
 
Well I found the problem. The ignition switch wire on the starter has had all the insulation wear off and is bare and came in contact with the frame and shorted out. Now how doe I go about replacing this wire? Can I buy a replacement in the part store or what?
 
I would say just get some wire of the same gauge and splice in a new piece using waterproof crimp on connectors or solder them together and cover with heat shrink tube. Make sure to secure the new wire so it is not rubbing on any sharp edges.
 
I'll have to look at mine, but I think it's just 14 or 12 gauge wire. You can get it at any hardware store (Lowes, Menards, Home Depot). Just buy stranded wire, not solid.
 
Really, the one on mine is about the thickness of a pencil. Maybe it has been rewired before with the wrong size wiring. Please let me know what size yours seems to be.
 
Where does the wire go to? The ignition switch? Battery?

Is the bare conductor the size of a pencil, or the conductor with insulation?
 
The actual bare wire is a strand sire about the size of a pencil and I just took a brief glance but is not the battery cable it is the other wire that connects to the starter and should go to the ignition switch.
 
Let me make a correction here. I am a moron as far as the sizing goes I went to take another look and the wire is about a 12ga. It turns out I need to replace both the smaller wires going to the starter. If I meassured right they are 12 and 14ga. does this sound about right? Seems that the ring terminal on one of the wires broke and shorted out burning the insulation off and the second wire seems to have been burned too. The ign. fuse was also blown. One odd thing though is that I traced the wires up by the distributor and there is what seems to be a flexible joint in both wires. Something like two rings with a rivet holding them together. Never seen anything like this just wondering if for some odd reason I need to leave this in or just cut it out with the damaged wire and make the splice?
Thanks for the help.
Monty
 
Sounds like you found the fusible link. Its probably shot as the wire shorted out. Just ask for a replacement "fusible link" for your truck at the parts store and they should hook you up. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif
 
I've never seen a fusible link like this before the ones on my Olds and Fiero are like little plastice tubes the wire runs through. This on the truck reminds me more of a hinge with two rings and a connecting pin.

---[____]---- fusible link style on my other cars


---(I)
(I)------- style of joint in the wire on the truck

Maybe this helps explain better. The thing in the truck doesn't look like a fusible link I've seen unless this is the 70's style of fusible links. Where are the fusible links supposed to be on the ignition wires? These are located in the wire harness on the firewall just as it passes behind the ditributor.
 
GM has used a fusible link that looks like just a wire, although that doesn't sound like what you're describing. You know, a picture is worth a thousand words. I'll have to think about what you're describing a bit more....I don't have a clue right now... /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif
 
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