How do I get my truck started?

220

Asked by noclue83 Jan 14, 2015 at 03:16 PM about the 1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat Extended Cab SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Driving down the road one day, the truck dies. The battery is dead, so we replace it. Next week, truck dies again. When I turned the key, the truck would try to turnover, but wouldn't. Brand new battery is dead, so we replace the alternator. Try to reattach the wires from the battery to the alternator, but the previous owners had the wiring wrong. So when when the wires connected, I got a whole bunch of sparks in my face  (i had the battery cables still connected, but either way the wiring was still messed up). After I hook up the wires, I try to start the truck. Now it wont even turn over. I don't even get the dome light to turn on. So, I think I blew something. Replace the starter solenoid and the ignition switch and still nothing. Check all the fuses and the wires are still all hooked up. Not even a click. Any ideas?

1 Answer

74,270

Sparks in the face mean you shorted out something, Check all the fuses many may be blown. You could have also destroyed the battery along with some electronics in the vehicle. If the previous owner had the wiring wrong and it worked he obviously "rigged" it to bypass another problem.

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