Simple Q: Reconnected battery wrong but not sure where.

[maclunkey]

I'm a total noobie to the world of wrenching so I apologize if this is a stupid question. I pulled the battery and put it back in today, but now the truck won't start. I get aircon and lights but no ignition. I realize I should have just taken a picture of the battery before I began.

Here's the battery "reconnected". What did I do wrong?

 

[BILT4ME]

What year truck?

91-92?

What's all the spaghetti go to?

Right clamp (+) is not tight. No nut on clamp.

 

[maclunkey]

What year truck?

91-92?

What's all the spaghetti go to?

Right clamp (+) is not tight. No nut on clamp.

91

I just got the truck -- there are some lights on the front that these spaghettis seem to go to. Will no nut make the battery not function? I dropped it in the driveway while working and it rolled into a drain I thought this would at least get the truck running while I go to the hardware store for a new one.

 

[BILT4ME]

91

I just got the truck -- there are some lights on the front that these spaghettis seem to go to. Will no nut make the battery not function? I dropped it in the driveway while working and it rolled into a drain I thought this would at least get the truck running while I go to the hardware store for a new one.

The terminal must be clean on the outside of the post and inside the terminal.. then the clamp must be tight in order to transfer the amount of electrical energy required to start it. So, yes.

 

[maclunkey]

The terminal must be clean on the outside of the post and inside the terminal.. then the clamp must be tight in order to transfer the amount of electrical energy required to start it. So, yes.

Gotcha. Thanks! I appreciate it.

 

[Bassco]

Gotcha. Thanks! I appreciate it.

My 78 FJ40 has a 40A fuse in the positive cable line in a rubber housing. When it blows, all power is gone and won't run

 

[maclunkey]

The terminal must be clean on the outside of the post and inside the terminal.. then the clamp must be tight in order to transfer the amount of electrical energy required to start it. So, yes.

Well, after tightening the terminal -- same result.

Any other ideas? Or perhaps what images/videos could I post to help diagnose the problem?

 

[maclunkey]

should there not be a cable coming out of this lead?

 

[rc51kid]

I didnt even read your post, sorry. But check the fusible links. They power some stuff in the truck and could have been pulled, streached or damaged during the install.

 

[rc51kid]

View attachment 3366401

should there not be a cable coming out of this lead?

WTF? I upgraded to multiple marine grade THICK grounds all over the truck. I think you have gone the opposite direction. Poor grounding can create all sorts of strange problems. But you are running basically NO ground.

 

[maclunkey]

WTF? I upgraded to multiple marine grade THICK grounds all over the truck. I think you have gone the opposite direction. Poor grounding can create all sorts of strange problems. But you are running basically NO ground.

I just got the truck a few weeks ago so previous owner may have changed a bunch of stuff. I'm a little stumped though because all I've done is pull the battery, then put it back in. I didn't (intentionally) change anything.

Can you dumb this down for me a bit -- What is the solution here? Should one of those black cables be going into the terminal?

 

[bj70bc]

you need a ground cable, check around by the battery, it seems it fell off somehow......

 

[maclunkey]

you need a ground cable, check around by the battery, it seems it fell off somehow......

Ty! I'll have a look. That ground cable should insert right into the empty terminal then?

 

[bj70bc]

it should not be able to come out! idk wtf is going on there but ya, a cable should be grounding the neg post to the chassis

 

[maclunkey]

it should not be able to come out! idk wtf is going on there but ya, a cable should be grounding the neg post to the chassis

im wondering maybe if the two black cables that are on the terminal were somehow jerryrigged into being the 'ground' cables? is that possible?

 

[bj70bc]

even if that is true it would start
check where they all go, find the chassis ground, check battery charge

 

[leonard_nemoy]

 

[rc51kid]

I just got the truck a few weeks ago so previous owner may have changed a bunch of stuff. I'm a little stumped though because all I've done is pull the battery, then put it back in. I didn't (intentionally) change anything.

Can you dumb this down for me a bit -- What is the solution here? Should one of those black cables be going into the terminal?

I know sometimes i come across as an ass. Dont mean to be that way. But when you work on an item and then have a problem, go back and look very carefully in that area. Often times you pushed on something, broke a wire or conector, pinched a line or messed something up in the general area you were working. It is not even nesisarialy something you were working on. But maybe something you pushed on or leaned on. For example, in another car i had i replaced the batter and intermitant problems afterwards. It took me forever to find it. But the battery is heavy and i had pinched a wire under the batter skinning a small area of insulation. The wire would ocasionaly ground out over bumps and kill the engine.

This is just a example to look around in the general area for things you might have pulled loose or broken. Vacume lines are another easy thing to mess up.

But in your case what i was first saying is the 80 has a fusable linl comming off the + side that funtions as a fuse of sorts. But it is possible to pull it or brake parts of it. I could see it might only send power to parts of the truck if you pulled it partially apart. If your PO removed it then you need to fix it. Judging from the quality of the wiring work i wouldnt be suprised if it has been "bypassed".

About the grounds. Vehicles have multiple grounds between batt, chassis, block and so on. They are critical to everything working right. Bad conections of grounds are a comon sorce of things "working but not working right". Or just strange intermitant problems. So grounds conections need to be clean, good quality cable and tight enough to make a good quality conection. Quality being the key. So if your battery has one of those thin wires functioning as the ground. Your truck might have power. But the minute it tries to pull any real load its not going to work with a 12g ground wire. I cant remember what gauge ground wire i used. But its about as thick my finger and i have a half dozed of them skattered around the engine.

Just take it slow and start checking things. Good batt, clean conections, tight terminals, no wires broken or missing and so on.

 

[maclunkey]

I know sometimes i come across as an ass. Dont mean to be that way. But when you work on an item and then have a problem, go back and look very carefully in that area. Often times you pushed on something, broke a wire or conector, pinched a line or messed something up in the general area you were working. It is not even nesisarialy something you were working on. But maybe something you pushed on or leaned on. For example, in another car i had i replaced the batter and intermitant problems afterwards. It took me forever to find it. But the battery is heavy and i had pinched a wire under the batter skinning a small area of insulation. The wire would ocasionaly ground out over bumps and kill the engine.

This is just a example to look around in the general area for things you might have pulled loose or broken. Vacume lines are another easy thing to mess up.

But in your case what i was first saying is the 80 has a fusable linl comming off the + side that funtions as a fuse of sorts. But it is possible to pull it or brake parts of it. I could see it might only send power to parts of the truck if you pulled it partially apart. If your PO removed it then you need to fix it. Judging from the quality of the wiring work i wouldnt be suprised if it has been "bypassed".

About the grounds. Vehicles have multiple grounds between batt, chassis, block and so on. They are critical to everything working right. Bad conections of grounds are a comon sorce of things "working but not working right". Or just strange intermitant problems. So grounds conections need to be clean, good quality cable and tight enough to make a good quality conection. Quality being the key. So if your battery has one of those thin wires functioning as the ground. Your truck might have power. But the minute it tries to pull any real load its not going to work with a 12g ground wire. I cant remember what gauge ground wire i used. But its about as thick my finger and i have a half dozed of them skattered around the engine.

Just take it slow and start checking things. Good batt, clean conections, tight terminals, no wires broken or missing and so on.

Thanks for taking the time to type this up. It was very helpful. I'm going to double check everything today, and perhaps make a map of the wiring if I don't immediately see anything amiss.

 

[rc51kid]

Thanks for taking the time to type this up. It was very helpful. I'm going to double check everything today, and perhaps make a map of the wiring if I don't immediately see anything amiss.

Feel free to take some pictures of what you have. People will letyou know if it is stock or what is modified. What year do you have? Looks like the batt is on the pass side which i think was the early 80. So it will be a little different from mine but other people will be familiar. Atleast on the newer ones if you follow the pos lead, right outside of the batt box is the fusable link. It acts a s a fuse in a way. But if i remember right it has a few smaller wires that fork out and provide power to critical parts. They should be replaced as PM maybe every 10 or 15 years. Just a guess. The wires can get brittle or broken and then things dont work. Maybe it got pulled hard as you removed the cables on the batt.

People that know any better also remove or bypass them, so check that the early models have them, i think they should. Then check yours are in good shape.

Start by taking your batt and have it tested some place. Once you know it is good get really good quality cables and terminals with good clean contacts.