87 tbi zero power

[rys272]

87 been running amazing past few weeks all of a sudden last night pull into driveway second I put it into park truck dies never turns back on no headlights no power to ignition absolutely nothing.

Battery is good
Checked all fuses
Fusible links don’t look burnt or anything
Checked for power at fusible links and power at starter.

only progress I made I was tugging on the fusible links pretty hard then went to try and put the headlights on they came on so I was like what the **** let’s start her up turn key everything works as it should as soon as I go to crank it 1 click from what sounded like the starter and then entire thing dies again back to the start zero power. Anyone help me out here

 

[Ricko1966]

Pull all the leads off at the starter,clean them,inspect them,feel for weak spots in the insulation on the fusible links. I bet you are going to find a compromised fusible link or dirty connections at the starter. Of course clean and tighten the battery terminals too,just in case the tug on the fusible link was a coincidence.

 

[Redfish]

I would start at the battery and the battery terminals. That is the easiest spot to reach anyway.

You said the battery is good...but how do you know? Put a meter on it and see if the voltage reading drops when someone else tries to start the truck.

 

[rys272]

Pull all the leads off at the starter,clean them,inspect them,feel for weak spots in the insulation on the fusible links. I bet you are going to find a compromised fusible link or dirty connections at the starter. Of course clean and tighten the battery terminals too,just in case the tug on the fusible link was a coincidence.

Is there certain areas of the fusible links that would’ve only gotten damaged? Or could it be anywhere on the fusible links what I’m getting at is I know it runs from that post that connects the 3 links if i clean the starter and everything and don’t feel any bad links could it possibly be in the loom cause that’d be a massive headache

 

[Ricko1966]

Feel for any where especially near the ends where it feels like the link is floppy, the wire can break inside the insulation.

 

[Grit dog]

Good news is it doesn’t seem to be a nagging intermittent short. I’d say battery to starter or starter to junction block (I think that’s how it runs).

 

[rys272]

Figured it out.

Seems that it goes battery pos down to pos stud on starter than two fusible links on that same stud run up to the firewall then run off into the fuse box therefor giving power to ignition lights etc.

Took booster cable jumped from pos on battery to those fusible link studs on firewall boom all of a sudden everything works again so now I knew power wasn’t getting past the starter. Get underneath give that ***** a tug to see what’s going on, ******* wires on positive stud on starter are ****** loose tightened it up runs like a top.

Could’ve sworn there was power at the starter must’ve missed that they were loose or something. And I’m guessing when I was pulling on the fusible links it’d give me a 50/50 chance whether I got power or not so I thought I was getting power at starter/fusible link studs but wasn’t the case