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patience, final tweaking results in questions

563 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  70sportsroof, 
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Hi all, please be patient with me over the next two days or so. I finally, after 2.5 years, completed the stang, but for bleeding brakes and installing the interior. The coolant leak is gone (thermostat did not slip in the housing this time around) and I am ready to start the car. I tried this evening and nothing happened. First, I have the battery in the trunk with a Morosso cutoff switch. When I flipped the switch, I found power at the solenoid battery post, which is good. I could not find any power downstream of the solenoid, which is not good. I put the hot lead on my volt meter on the solenoid battery post and the ground lead on the mini-post closest to the firewall and read 12 volts - a complete circuit. The first mini-post, the one at the front of the solenoid, had no juice at all. I thought it was supposed to be hot once the key is turned on? With the key on, it is dead.hmmmmm. I remember jumping my 61 falcon by crossing those two little posts on the solenoid wtih a screwdriver. The solenoid is a new autolite from NPD. I do have an old one sitting around that I know works. Should I substitute that one and see if it changes anything? Is there a way to test the new solenoid to determine whether it is defective?

Next, , my entire fuse box is dead!!!! With the key off and battery cutoff switch on, the fuse box is dead in every fuse. When the key is turned to on, I have no panel lights, no warning lights, no courtesy lights - the only lite is the bud in the liquor store down on the corner. Again, every fuse is dead. What could be wrong. I did change the underdash wiring loom to an a/c tach loom purchased from Perogies. Do you suppose I have the fuse box turned around in the engine compartment so that when I plugged it in, I did not line up the pins. Should I unplug the fuse box in the engine compartment and test for juice at the pins? Or, does the engine compartment half of the fuse box only plug in in one alignment (which I recall being the case). It's been about a year since I messed with that part of the job. Perhaps I need to change pin locations in the fuse block now that I have a/c and a tach?

Now the wrinkle, I have a Jacobs pro-street computer ignition system/coil. Perhaps I hooked that up incorrectly. I will call Jacobs tomorrow and learn what I can. I have the Petronix ignitor in the dist. so maybe I did not hook the system up correctly. Still, however, I would think I would have juice in the fuse box.

I am going to post separately the weird steering column deal I am experiencing. Really weird. If someone can solve my problem and I can get out to Anaheim for the Knottsberry farm deal, I'll buy you dinner! HELP please.

I expect I will be posting daily over the next couple of days until I can get the engine running. Please be patient with me. It's been 4 years of working on this car and it is now my daily driver.

Thanks.

sure it's fun, but it's only a car.
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J

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#2 ·
First the one post (S post) only has 12v when the key is in the Start position (thus the "S" label). It should be dead (as you said it is, with key in on position). sounds like the selonoid is wire and functioning correctly so far.

My first guess on the fuse box is you have the power lead hooked up wrong. IIRC, it's a yellow (may have a black tracer, don't have a wiring diagram with me at work), and should hook to the same LARGE post as does your + battery cable. All power to the fuse box and 99% of interior wiring comes from that one singal wire.

What makes you think your coil is hooked up wrong?

Instead of dinner ... just pay for a hotel so I can attend the show /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

If you always do what you've always done,
You'll always get what you've always got
http://www.classic-mustang.net/johnpro
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A

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#3 ·
Make sure you have a jumper on the connector that would be for the automatic neutral safety switch (if you have a manual transmission), easy to forget when you are putting things back together.

69 Sportsroof, 351C, 4spd toploader, Restomod BOSS 429 clone - the one and only (?) 1969 BOSS 351

http://home.swbell.net/boss351/mustang/boss1.jpg
http://stangnet.cardomain.com/user/adamg69
 
7

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Discussion Starter · #4 ·
I bought the T5 reverse light switch pigtail from Windsor-Fox, then bought the 4speed manual backup light harness from NPD. The latter is a 4 position plug which attaches to the same 4 position plug the C4 trans harness plugged into. The 4 spd. harness has a thick covered harness coming from the plug and after about 8 inches or so it skinny's up and eventually two wires come out of the harness, which I have spliced into the pigtail. I presume that the 4spd harness incorporates a splice of the two wires which come out of the plug and would otherwise lead to the neutral safety switch on a C4. Seems like the logical thing for Ford to have done in a stock harness for a 4spd. Of course logic and Ford don't always go together . . . Thanks for the suggestion, if all else fails I'll pull apart the harness cover and make sure there is a splice inside.

sure it's fun, but it's only a car.
 
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A

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#5 ·
I pulled my reverse like pigtail from a parts car and it is like you said, the 4 contact connector has the two neutral safety switch wires coming back out and spliced. I guess that isn't your problem. Sounds like you are missing a ground or grounds somewhere but from the way you know your car I'd doubt you made that mistake, keep tracing...Good luck

69 Sportsroof, 351C, 4spd toploader, Restomod BOSS 429 clone - the one and only (?) 1969 BOSS 351

http://home.swbell.net/boss351/mustang/boss1.jpg
http://stangnet.cardomain.com/user/adamg69
 
7

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Discussion Starter · #6 ·
Hey, good to hear from you. I'll double check the yellow wire and fuse box connection at the firewall. Maybe I don't have the fuse box plugged in all the way or something. Also, Jacobs tells me I need a keyed 12 volt wire added to the connections I made to their product. So, I have to find one of them. I'm thinking of using one of the leads around the a/c lead. Of course I have to get power to the fuse box first to make sure I have a keyed 12 volt source. . . . IF you are serious about the hotel, that should be something I can take care of. I tried calling you, but directory assistance did not have you listed in the Sacramento area. I have a question about timing pointer location and thought you might be able to look under your hood and tell me where your timing pointer is located. Do you have a 351W? 351C? 302? 428? I have a 302 and was hoping you have a 351W as I think the pointer would be in the same location. I think I installed my distributor incorrectly. I"ll check back here in about 2 or 3 hours.

Thanks

sure it's fun, but it's only a car.
 
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Discussion Starter · #7 ·
Thank you for checking. I keep telling myself that when the logical things don't work, try the illogical things. So, your checking has helped me to avoid tearing apart a new (and expensive) wiring harness. Thanks again.

sure it's fun, but it's only a car.
 
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