The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay gettin confused

ok i just put my new oem style harness in after 2 weekends workin on it, i put my good battery in the tray and hooked up the pos cable to the starter lug post and hooked my ground cable to a hole in the painted frame, i turned the key and nothing, no lights no cranking of the motor, the only things not hooked up are the tail lights, the harness from the steering column and i didn't ground the wiper motor switch. I have the pos terminal connected to a new ballest resistor and then from there to the HEI wire into the main harness, all the front lights the horn brake light switch etc is connected, i don't understand why i dont have power?? the dam kit i have doesn't show a digram of the ign switch terninals but they tell you what color wires go where, they make it simple they bunch 3 wires together ( hot, netural safety and another into a 3way plug) its hard to mess up, i thought i got it all right, the only thing i can think of is that the pos cable might be bad, i can't remember where i got it from i pulled it out if my box of electric stuff, im gonna go out and buy a new one with a good side terninal connector, anybody got any ideas about what i might have done wrong, im really downhearted im tired of having a 6000lbs paperweight that i have to push in and out of my garage, i want to get this thing started, i never had these problems wiring old harley choppers

always need to state the year you're workin on, most folks won't have a clue and the series are different .... but first problem is ground to painted frame, grounds need to be well attached to bare metal .... and the battery ground cable on a Task Force truck goes to a threaded boss on the firewall right behind the battery, and there's another boss below the battery on the toeboard that should have a cable to a starter mount bolt, although some folks put the cable right from the battery to the starter - without the cab in the circuit you're likely to have ground problems other places, and without a very good ground to the starter you'll have starting problems

also > use good sharp star washers on your ground connections .... and I don't think you should have a ballast resistor with an HEI coil

Bill

Ok I guess I should always state what I'm workin on, it's a 1959 3800 1-ton I am running points dist , but the wiring harness has a wire for Hei dist, I'm running it thru a ballast resistor , the ground on my 1980 GMC with a 350 and GM HEI dist just runs to a hole in the alt bracket. It's painted and just bolted to the motor. I have found the threaded spot behind the battery for a ground, my neg cable also has a 2nd neg wire on it that I grounded to that spot also along with the main cable grounded to the frame. I have never seen a starter with a ground cable from a starter bolt to the cab , I do have a copper strap ground cable from the motor to the cab , is this what your talkin about ?
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I can tell you that having your primary ground to a newly painted part will more often than not prevent proper grounding, which is THE most important aspect of the electrical systems on these old trucks .... sounds like you're using modern battery cables, like with the small 2nd wire? .... the factory put a braided ground cable from the battery to the cab behind the battery, and a braided ground strap from the cab to the engine [take a look, you'll find this spot], normally the 6 cyl was to a starter bolt, the V8 could be to the back of the head, but is also best to a starter bolt, don't depend on the rubber engine mounts.... get proper battery cables and use the factory terminal locations and you'll have less frustration .... also don't forget the star locks - and a top post battery would suit the truck better

Bill

This is the same general path of your other post Bill and I are in with you, titled "Wiring My 59". There are only a few wires to start your truck. Battery hot directly to your Ign Sw, wire from "IGN" to coil pos, wire from "start" to starter, coil neg to points. Batt pos to starter, bat neg to eng, body and frame. Sounds like it won't turn over. The starter is a motor with a solenoid on it. Batt power to it, temporary power to solenoid (start terminal on ign sw) ground it, it turns. Is the battery dead? Is the solenoid clicking? is the IGN sw operating? All that other stuff will not stop it from turning over. See the diagram Bill provided in your other post as we suggested and review your diagram in the kit.(You can also see the ground strap at starter in that diagram) "The ground on my 1980.. just runs.." Which ground? from battery? Anyway that does not matter about the 1980. Go to directly to eng block from batt GND. EVERY GROUND HAS TO BE UNPAINTED, CLEAN, SHINNY METAL WITH A CLEAN, SHINNY STAR WASHER AND A CLEAN, SHINNY BOLT WITH BIG NEW WIRE OR BRAID WITH SHINNY TERMNATIONS BUILT INTO THEM. With no "turn over" at all, it's a basic power problem or basic ground problem or both. Wire wheel every place for ground. Next time get a top post battery as said. Much better contact area. We always think you are using a HEI coil as we did in your other post, but you can see over there we see you are not, just a kit with a HEI wire, as you call it, and you are using a points distributor. I'm sure after re checking evrything you will find out what's wrong. Could be that batt cable you mention. Gotta have ALL new with a new harness, no old/used in a box wiring!!!! This ain't no Harley