it is not the selonoid , i would suspect that you have lost main power to the fuse block. jumping the terminals would mean the solinoid is ok. do you have a wiring diagram ?? with mine if you do not have the harness plugged into the steering column that will stop break lights etc but headlights should work voltage tester is what you need to follow it..
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Surrey BC
1963 Acadian Beaumont Sport Deluxe http://www.63acadian.com/
follow the big wire that goes to + battery side to the horn relay as Carl says.See if its hot.check grounds there If you plug your ign switch back in turn on sumpin like wipers.Its just gonna be simple if you parked it and it ran.You should have been able 2 run that wire to back of alt with no issues tells me its a bad ground near horn relay. hope that helps
Shawn, the ignition switch has no control over the headlights. They will still work whether or not it is good. I am guessing you need to work farther forward than the dash area (under hood area).
Jumping the solenoid with a screwdriver only tells you that you have a good negative cable and a good positive cable.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Have you bought that test light yet? Or a cheapy Voltmeter. Start at the Battery and work your way to the Firewall main connector checking for power. Junction block, then Horn relay, then that Firewall connector, and then inside the car. That Firewall connector with age can have a bad connection. I had issues with my starter feed connection there. Pretty sure '67 and'68 are the same. Good Luck and remember with Electrical diagnosis follow the flow of power and you will find the problem.
PS, When you replaced that neg battery cable, did the new one come with a smaller 10g wire to attach to the body?
-- Edited by jc on Friday 6th of April 2012 11:16:54 AM
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'68 Parisienne 2+2 Convertible Matador Red (Resale Red but not for sale).
But the connector on the battery end was dodgy so I fixed that. Ok, everybody is talking about this horn relay..where the heck is that...remember I'm used to working on much newer stuf..so bear with me...lol
I have found some wiring under the dash that is..well let's just say I've got a bit of work to do....once that's all fixed, and I put the ignition switch back in...hopefully things will work....
horn relay should be on the inner fender close to the grill usually on the drivers side.. someone should have a wiring diagram for this car, here is one for mine might give you an idea of what to look for
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Surrey BC
1963 Acadian Beaumont Sport Deluxe http://www.63acadian.com/
But the connector on the battery end was dodgy so I fixed that. Ok, everybody is talking about this horn relay..where the heck is that...remember I'm used to working on much newer stuf..so bear with me...lol
I have found some wiring under the dash that is..well let's just say I've got a bit of work to do....once that's all fixed, and I put the ignition switch back in...hopefully things will work....
So with a multi-meter we checked the purple wire off the starter for continuity between the starter and where it enters the block that plugs into the back of the fuse block. There is continuity..but no power. On the front of the rad cradle left side by the horns we checked both relays and they have continuity..but no power. We checked the fuse box, continuity, no power. We checked the neutral safety switch and it does appear to be dodgy as there is no continuity between the front prongs and the rear ones no matter what position the shifter is in. So I will replace that. What really has us stumped is the lack of power to anything....any ideas?
You've got to start at the battery, and continue downstream.
Lefty has posted a wiring diagram, but I'm not sure what year/model it's for. Connect the battery and start there checking for 12V to ground, follow the narrow guage wire that will likely go to the horn relay, then to the firewall, then to the fuse block, etc. (at this point, don't bother with the heavy guage wire going to the starter, nor jumpering the solenoid, as all that proves is the battery cable and solenoid are good, nothing else)
It's unlikely the problem is the neutral safety switch, as that has nothing to do with lights, etc.
I cannot stress enough taking a methodical approach to diagnosing this, it's times like this that separate the men from the boys.
Here's the problem, I have no idea what the horn relay is/looks like. As I said we checked the 2 relays attached to the rad cradle on the left side near the horns, both have continuity..but no power. All this was done with the battery connected. There is continuity..but no power. It seems to me that the power from the battery isn't getting past the starter..but I'm just guessing...
Is there not a double fuse link wire off the starter motor to fuse box??/ Pink wire if I remember right[ if this model has it] You still need a "test ' light to probe the wires. Spend $6 to $10 & buy one!!!!! Then you'll be able to find where the power ends on tracing the power, especially the fuse link!!! When they "blow' you'll have power 1/2 way up the wire then nothing past the blow out spot.
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Some times I wake up GRUMPY, but today I let her sleep in !!!!!!!!BLACKSTOCK Ont.
Again..have no idea what you are talking about. The purple wire off the starter that goes to the fuse block has continuity..but no power running to the fuse box
The red wire is hooked up..but the spade connector is not in great shape..will try replacing it tomorrow.
JC,
Is that the red wire that goes from the battery to the block on the rad support behind the battery?
This post was heading in the right direction. On the battery, these should be these connections:
1. Negative side has a heavy guage wire going to the block, and also likely a smaller guage wire going to the metal fender or somewhere else. If no smaller guage wire, then the car MAY be grounded by ground straps from the engine to the firewall.
2. Positive side has a heavy guage wire going to the starter, and also a smaller guage wire that provides power to the rest of the car. The smaller guage wire may actually be a fusible link. From the comment above, it sounds similar to my car, where the small guage wire goes to a junction block right behind the battery, then from there it goes the alternator, horn relay, and to the firewall connector to provide power for lights, horn, and the ignition circuit.
And I am apparently an idiot for not remembering which terminal the red wire goes to..lol. So, she started right up! Also, with all my tinkering under the dash I got the radio working! On the down side..the top won't go down...so something to work on another day....lol
unfortunately our resident 67 full size expert (67rag396) is no longer with us. What was the wiring diagram you posted for? I think generally it was the same as what we required.
Either way, the problem was right at the battery, so an easy find.
That wire..had it on the neg, not pos terminal...I know..I'm an idiot! LoL! But I did lean lots, where and what the horn relay is, where the neutral safety switch is, and how to get the radio working...
