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I see the 600$ truck thread has fallen into the archives, so maybe this is the next best place to ask this... What's the best way to get the correct amount of current from the battery to the starter relay (bypassing the ignition switch)? For reference, the car in question an '88 F150 (351, automatic). I've shotgunned parts into most of the starting system (new starter motor/solenoid, starter relay, ignition switch) and I still can't get it to start without manually bridging the starter relay (eg chucking a ratchet between the relay terminals till it cranks over). The previous owner bypassed the ignition switch with a wire/spade shoved up in an empty fuse slot, hooked up to a button on the dash, which then goes through the firewall and to the starter relay. Normally, you just turn the key, which actuates the fuel pump, etc, and sends current to the fuse slot, which in turn sends juice to the relay when you hit the button, cranking the starter. Lately this workaround has been intermittent at best, and I've had to manually bridge the relay to get the starter to crank. I've checked continuity on the wire and the switch, and that all looks good. I've also checked to make sure the spade is making good contact with the empty fuse slot, and that looks good as well. Oh, I've also checked the ignition actuator (rod that transfers movement from the lock cylinder to the switch, apparently prone to breakage) and there's no problems there. Basically, turning the key does most of the startup process, but won't crank the starter without a bypass or manual intervention in the starter relay. Any thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated!
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Mar 20, 2015 17:39
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InitialDave posted:If you attach a wire to the solenoid's low-current/switch-on terminal, that which is normally connected to the ignition switch's "start" position, and touch it to the positive battery terminal, the starter should crank. If it doesn't, you have a duff starter, solenoid, or main power wiring (the first and last sound unlikely, as you say shorting the starter terminals works). Thanks! That's a great idea! I never thought about running a wire from there--seems like that'll work a whole heckuva lot better than pulling power from the fuse slot. I'm gonna try that when I get off work tonight--I'll letcha know how it turns out. edit quote:My gut reaction is that the switch may be wearing out / building up too much internal resistance, or some connection somewhere along the way has come loose. Is the switch actually rated for somewhere in the ballpark of 30A? The relay switch is brand new from NAPA for that specific model... I just asked for the part at the store, I haven't researched to see if perhaps that's what is shorting out. I'll try getting current from the post on the relay, and see how that works vv -- I'm bridging the terminal posts (where you connect positive from the battery, and the power to the starter). I think InitialDave is spot on with there being a short or something in the wiring from/to the ignition switch, and the PO fuckery needs a better source for current to in the bypass setup. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 20:23 on Mar 20, 2015 |
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Mar 20, 2015 18:05
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InitialDave posted:If you attach a wire to the solenoid's low-current/switch-on terminal, that which is normally connected to the ignition switch's "start" position, and touch it to the positive battery terminal, the starter should crank. If it doesn't, you have a duff starter, solenoid, or main power wiring (the first and last sound unlikely, as you say shorting the starter terminals works). Thanks for the advice on rewiring the ignition on my truck--pulling current from the battery positive post on the relay to the switch post on the relay worked like a champ. I don't know why that had never occurred to me... I was just under the assumption that the current to trigger the switch in the relay had to be smaller, eg from the ignition switch or something like the fuse panel. Then again I have a very layman's understanding of everything and I'm sure I used the wrong terms somewhere. To clarify an earlier question, I was shorting the starter relay with a wrench to crank it up, not the starter solenoid. The starter itself is brand new... I really like what Dave said about the wiring from the ignition switch, I've replaced drat near everything else at this point trying to troubleshoot it. I'm just happy it's starting again! Now to figure out why the truck occasionally likes to stall out when it hits third gear 
Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Mar 22, 2015 |
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Mar 22, 2015 05:43
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Sentient Data posted:If your ignition coil has a condenser/capacitor attached to it (little metal canister about the size of a short AA battery), check it and see if it's bulging/leaking. Also worth checking your distributor pickup/hall effect sensor, especially if it's the photo type. If it got dirty in there or if a little component got damaged, it can screw things up. Thanks! I will check into both of those things... It's important bits of knowledge like that I woulda never figured out on my own. I need to look into the stalling a bit more before I can actually adequately describe it, but it's not completely random. Basically when the truck hits ~35 mph, it shifts up and has a hard time maintaining rpms unless you floor the gas. It feels like the transmission shifted up a gear too high, and the engine can't put out enough power to keep up and stalls if I don't floor it. Or that the engine isn't receiving adequate fuel supply (I don't think it's fuel related though, because it works just fine the rest of the time). It feels very similar to leaving a vehicle in second after coming to a complete stop, and then releasing the clutch and trying to move while in the wrong gear. I'm assuming this is something I'll have to get a real mechanic to look at, but I'd desperately at least like to have some direction to poke in first. Half the reason I bought the truck was to be a learning project, and I'm not ready to give that up yet.
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Mar 22, 2015 15:49
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Quick question about coil packs... I need to replace a coil pack on my '99 Nissan Maxima. I walked down to the advance auto down the street thinking it would be ~30$ for the single coil pack, but it turned out to be 83$ (apiece!) for the only one they had in stock. I felt a bit burned, so I checked online (first thing I shoulda done) and it looks like I cant get all six coil packs for ~60$ on ebay. Is there a substantial difference in quality between brands for coil packs, and is AC Auto a decent manufacturer? I ask because I know it's better not to skimp on stuff like spark plugs, and I wasn't sure if coil packs were under the same umbrella of better to buy OEM, or wether I could save a few (hundred) bucks here. I only need to replace the one for now, but I'm approaching 120,000 on the car so I figure it's probably getting about time to just replace all of them while I'm at it.
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May 25, 2015 16:18
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some texas redneck posted:If you're going to pay $83/each, just order brand new OEM ones for Thanks! That's a great idea to hang onto the originals--I did that with my plugs when I replaced them not too long ago. I wish I had some spares on hand when the coil clapped out on top of a mountain while driving through a remote forest road in West Virginia. That was real fun climbing 9% grades on crappy gravel roads with 5/6 cylinders. By fun, I mean I heard "we're dead" more than once from my passengers. Tricky Ed posted:I had a generic coil in my 2000 Maxima for a while that supposedly was a perfect fit, but in actuality wasn't. I'd recommend going OEM if you can swing it, since the difference in mine between generic and OEM was night and day. If you do go generic, make sure you're getting different parts for front and rear coils at the very least. I do have a friend who got generics in his '95 and loves them, but don't know the brand. I'll see if I can dig up info on that. Thanks for the heads up... I was afraid of that. I did go ahead and order the 65$ AC Delco pack, but I'm afraid it's too good to be true... I spent the extra  for OEM plugs last year, and boy am I gonna feel real dumb if these coils don't work out.
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May 25, 2015 23:15
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more
thanks!
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I've got a stupid question about a 99 Nissan Maxima. Recently, one of my coil packs went out. I went ahead and replaced all of them (I've also recently put new factory spark plugs on). However, now it's giving me error code P1320, which is weak spark. I've taken my multi meter to the coil packs, and everything tests good. However, the connectors to the coil pack are only delivering 11.2 volts instead of 12. According to this thread and a YouTube troubleshooting video for code 1320, I'm thinking it's the ignition condenser. However, I can't find hide nor hair of where to buy that part, and the guys at advance auto have no idea what the heck that part is. I've tried searching ignition capacitor and other stuff, but I'm stumped. Any advice on what to do next would be greatly appreciated! Just a side note, my battery is only putting out 12.3 volts, and it's two years old. Could it be related perhaps?
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Nov 6, 2016 18:12
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InitialDave posted:If you mean forums of actual British owners of MGs, they simply don't know any better and usually have Sorry, should have clarified that was with the engine off. The alternator is working alright, it's putting out 14.1v with the engine running. Just seems like the battery should be holding a higher voltage. Went to a different auto parts store, and they were equally clueless, but I think I found what I'm looking for on eBay . Does that look about right, or has anyone ever had similar issues that could offer some insight? E: I guess a better question to ask, a failing capacitor could cause voltage loss further down the circuit, right? Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 19:47 on Nov 6, 2016 |
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Nov 6, 2016 19:21
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tendencies.
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Razzled posted:My pretty '89 F150 won't idle anymore! Starts up fine and can keep it alive with gas, but it won't idle. Everything I've read about this issue points towards first checking out the IAC (idle air control valve?) If it's any consolation my '89 F150 won't brake anymore. I started backing out the driveway the other day... and just kept on rolling right into the neighbor's yard across the street. Have you tried cleaning the throttle body? Not likely this, but have you tried replacing the fuel filter as well? Just spitballing low hanging fruit
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Nov 7, 2016 22:11
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