Need Help

[AustinTom]

So far I've replaced my whole wiring harness, the starter, starter soleniod, battery and starter circuit (twice on that one) and still can't get my engine to turn over. Battery is fully charged, it turns over freely by hand but can't get it to turn over electrically.

[ToughOldFord]

On the starter relay run a jumper from the large terminal on one side to the large terminal on the other. Use jumper cables or a very large gauge wire. If it turns over then it's the relay, ignition switch, or the wiring between the two.
Then use a jumper between the hot side of the battery to the small terminal in the front of the relay, the terminal closest to the front of the truck. If it then turns over then the relay is okay and it's either the ignition switch or the wiring.
Then put a test light on that small terminal and turn the ignition switch to the start position. If the test light lights then the wiring and ignition switch is okay.
If it still doesn't turn over then run your jumper cable from the hot side of the battery to the terminal on the starter. If it doesn't turn over then it's either the starter, the ground, or the battery.

[kid]

Yep

[AustinTom]

None of that worked. I don't think the starter is the problem as I bought a new one this morning. How do you test to see if the starter is grounded corectly?

[jor]

If the starter is bolted to the engine and the negative cable is grounded to the engine and the engine is grounded to the firewall, that baby has to be grounded. If none of tough's dianostics revealed the problem, and everything is set up properly, I guess you could have a defective starter. In my experience, these problems are often caused by a bad ground somewhere. Check the three I mentioned to rule that out. Good luck.
jor

[ToughOldFord]

You can try clamping your jumper cable to the body, (ground), of the starter then to the negative of the starter to test your ground. If it turns over then you have a problem in the area(s) Jor mentioned. If it still doesn't work then you probably have a bad starter. New doesn't = good. I bought a alternator from Kragens once that was out of the box with frozen bearings. I was as far as checkout and went to spin it out of boredom and it wouldn't. Was the only one they had in stock too, figures.
Take it back to where you bought it and they can bench test it.

[fordman]

have you checked your nuetral safety switch? the two purple wires if there not connected or wired togther at the least then it won't do anything either.

[AustinTom]

I think I'll take the starter back tomarrow. hope that works. I've been tryin to get this damn thing runnin for a while now

[gonzalo medina]

What kind of harness did you use???

[AustinTom]

A harness out of a 68 f100 that I have. It looks pretty good and all checks out with the volt meter. I think it'll work, but right now I need to be able to jump the starter so I can even turn the engine on.

[jor]

Hey, Austin, did you check the neutral safety switch like fordman suggested? I forgot about that. It would be an easy fix.
jor

[AustinTom]

I've got the neutral safety switch wired together so it shouldn't be a problem.

[AustinTom]

Ok I took the starter back they bench tested it and it was good. gonna reinstall it with a new cable from solenoid to starter also gonna put on a new cable from block to battery (-) side. Hope this works.

[AustinTom]

Ok guys got iyt to work. Turned out the problem was the cable from the solenoid to the starter was groundin out on the body of the starter. I just bent the end up a l;ittle and works fine now to work on gettin gas to motor. Thanks for all of yalls help I really appreciate it.

[flyboy2610]

Glad you got that fixed. It'll be running before you know it!