No electrical power..nothing...nada...need troubleshoot help

[cwik1]

During the last few days I did some work on my Ty. Today I went to start her up and nothing. The lights in the cab wouldn't even turn on. Here's a quick review of what I did.

Day 1: I pulled the battery and simple greened/cleaned the engine. Let it dry for the day (battery still out), The next day changed plugs (NGK UR6), wires (Taylor), dist. cap 'n rotor (Conrad) and Ian's vacuum kit. The following day I did the shocks (pulled the ELC unit), took off the door panels (will be changing the window motosr). Today I did the IC pump (Shurflo) and hose reroute. Next I put the battery back it. Opened the door to connect A/B on the ALDL to bleed the IC system, turned the key and ....nothing. NO power. I checked the fuses...all good. So I popped a battery charger and let it go for bout an hour. Came back. Still nothing. Lights won't light everything electrical is dead. I will be leaving the charger on overnight.

My concern is that with the battery charger connected and I open the door I still don't get any power. Wouldn't they still light even if my battery was completely dead because I have the aux power hooked up?

How should I troubleshoot this??? Could I possible have shorted the system somewhere??? Maybe I cut a wire??? What should I buy that could help in diagnosing this???

Thanks,
dcwik

 

[Methuselah]

Buy a multimeter and start poking around, starting with measuring the voltage of your battery. With the battery out test for continuity to ground...after you check all the fuses. Just a matter of finding where the gap is if your voltage is fine on the battery.
________
Starcraft replays

 

[Loeryder]

Check your battery connections for corrosion.
If that is the main place you disturbed.
Even if the terminal is tight it can still not have a solid connection if corrosion and oxidation are present.
Get a battery brush and some baking soda in water and clean the cables and the battery side then hook it back up.

Do you have an "Extra" wires that were connected to your battery that aren't now?
I have just seen extra grounds and such added on with ring terminals and if you didn't realize they were there when it came apart they are easy to miss putting it back together.

And Radio Shack has the coolest digital multimeter.
It is smaller than a pack of cigarettes and all the leads and everything stores inside itself. Get yourself one if you don't have one yet.

 

[cwik1]

Are there any fuses in the engine bay besides the ic pump?? I only checked the ones under the dash. The terminals on the battery are clean. The battery is also near fully charged now and still nothing. I tried to find and check all the packs and make sure they were secure. I also checked any wire attached to the wheel well and firewall. I'll get the multimeter tomorrow and hopefully get somewhere. Thanks for the responses and input.

dcwik

 

[ghettosled]

you probably blew your fusible link. There are two of em I believe that come off the back of the alternator. There is usually a very small plastic box, that will either crack or turn black. Repair it and you should be good to go. Sometimes the wire will also look melted.

They could have popped if you touched the black/reds together for just a sec, or shorted the system somehow.

 

[xcaliber]

I vote for the fuseable link been there done that, this will kill power to vertiually everything, I would check going to the starter also, it is a chunk of plastic about 3/4 inch long and the size of a pencil, if you take your fingernails and pinch on either side of it, you should be able to find the one with no wires in it, I gues it melts.
hope this helps
:lol:
Jamie Sanders
sy 0252
Heber Springs AR

 

[Rick Krupa]

dcwik,

Did you get your ATR exhaust we had shipped?

 

[cwik1]

Rick,
I did get the ATR exhaust and the 160 thermo. Both look great. It's been a b**ch getting the 10 year old rusted bolts off the old exhaust. I've soaked the bolts with penetrating oil and have only gotten one off. It was a great suprise getting the package though. I figured it would be at least another week or so. When I get some cash I need to get brakes and I will be contacting you about floor mats (the complete embroidered ones).

Thanks again Rick,

dcwik

 

[ROSEDOGGYDOG]

I vote for the fuseable link been there done that, this will kill power to vertiually everything...

I'll 3rd that!

Nothing scarier than working on your ride and 9:30 at night and then go to put it back in the garage and nuthin... but your heart stoping cause you know you have to go to work the next day (maybe even pull a American Beauty...maybe) then you trace the wires that are taped real nice and tight together following the wire diagram then you find it, you become relieved and the you replace it with a IN-LINE FUSE (this is what I had used; a 30amp) and the best part is you can use it for a no-start/can't be hot wired switch (if done really well).

 

[cwik1]

A (ty)ny update. (A little laughter in this cuss rage I have been in with myself). The fusible links appear to be good. The one near the pass headlight is hot. The wire before the 2 links behind the alt is dead. Something between the battery and before the fusible links by the alt is shorted/cut. I need to go to work now so I haven't had time to follow down the line. Where do these lines go???When I changed the dist. I retaped the wires going into the firewall right behind the dist. Could I have cut a line here and that be the problem???

Thanks,
dcwik

 

[cwik1]

The electrical problem has been fixed. Just missed a wire connected to the alternator. Yup. A black wire had managed to hide itself between the valve cover and engine. Thanks for the suggestions guys. At least I learned what a fusible link was out of all of this.

dcwik