first problems power steering - hope i didnt buy a 64 galaxie lemon

the solenoid does not click on its own.

 

Almost any vintage vehicle can be jumped like that.
Let's say the wiring is correct for this ..... hot wire from battery to coil, screwdriver from “S" solenoid post to positive battery post- its running in less than 30 seconds.

You either have the wires crossed on the solenoid or the ignition switch is really screwed up. That's why the thing goes on its own in run. However it shouldn't click on and off with proper battery voltage .

 

well since i screwed with the switch i am hoping its the latter!! will find out in a couple hours. fingers - not wires - crossed!

 

To the water pump question, I have witnessed two water pump bearings fail without leaking, one of them was a Ford FE the other was a Toyota something-or-other.

With the new information since I was last logged on, this may not be the issue.

The chronology of events does put some things in perspective.

Is this the genesis of all the "noises" and battery drains?

 

first, ALWAYS start any electrical diagnoses with a good battery! you're wasting time and energy being fooled by "low voltage gremlins". second, find the proper wiring diagram to wire the switch correctly, i am thinking power to regulator was wired hot all the time. after that is fixed check charging system.

 

ohhh, and also be careful using new cars to jump start. read jump start procedure in you honda owners manual.

 

Findin' n fixin' ,..... Isn't that half the fun of owning a "seasoned" vehicle ???

Add drivin', and you have it all !!!!

4TTRUK

 

well got back from parts stores. napa and autozone.

1 - battery is good and now fully charged
2 - alternator was junk. was missing both prongs on the back so the only thing connected was the battery. thus an instant voltage drop.
3 - i got the real key switch so will try that later on. the electric th9ing could be a huge coincidence in that i was running the battery down while testing for the power steering hum. just so happened when i swapped key switches.

i'll test it later and post results. now i need to consult the wiring diagram to see what wires go to the alternator since i didnt have but 1 to the battery!

 

tb33anda3rd is right. Charge your battery all the way before you start. If you are not sure about the battery, buy a new one.

Im suprised this hasnt been mentioned on here yet, but check your grounds! You should have a ground strap somewhere from the motor to the body or chassis and one from the chassis to the body. This may be your light issue and your starting issue.

 

SHE RUNS!!!! installed a new alternator and she fired right up. even have low beam now. still need to sort the other lights and such esp brake lights. and when the wife gets home ill have her step on the pedal and ill check the voltage. the battery was 12.56 to start ad stayed between 11.3 and 11.5 while idling. i'd like to see if it goes up with the gas depressed.

the only concern i have is there is only 1 wire to the alternator. not sure if someone did a 1 wire conversion or what but i want to make sure i don kill this alternator or basically repeat the issue. i let the car run for a couple minutes and then tied restarting and it was ok.

 

ok well i am learning more now i think. perhaps my old alt WAS in fact bad but it did not have 2 broken prongs. actually it was an alternator that was used for the 1 wire alt conversion. looked like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHROME-FORD...es&hash=item4d02731b38&vxp=mtr#ht_3739wt_1344

so now i have a new regular alternator but i think i may need to either get an ext voltage regulator or get a different 1 wire alternator. i didnt know this was a conversion to an alt - i should have but i didnt.

 

if you have the original style alternator the terminals will be marked, and so will the regulator when you buy a new one. you will have to add a few wires between the two.

 

all old fords require trans fulid in the ps box says so right on the ps dipsticks up till like 80

 

ok well after way too much reading i will be heading back to napa to get the delco remy 1 wire alternator and install that plus an idiot light at the dash to see if that gets the system charging. if not ill go back again and do the 3 wire system. pain in the ass but i'm learning. i assumed the alt was factory installed and that was not a correct assumption. guy did a 1 wire conversion so i want to try and use what he's already done. of course if that doesnt work then i know i need to redo the alt setup and i will then.

 

Did you fix the ignition switch ? That's the key (haha) piece to the entire electrical system. Really that's where everything begins.

 

i started to but then realized i now have an alternator not compatible with the system so trying to get all the parts in sync. hopefully get it sorted tonight. even with the OEM key the old battery was not being charged. autozone tried to test the 1 wire alt and said it failed and napa couldnt test it out of the vehicle.

 

You are determined I will give you that.

Stay with it and you will get it fixed one piece at a time. There are some very sharp people on this board.

 

i am about to punch the car in its face. hard. multiple times lol. i just replaced the switch. its fine it works. but the car still drains the battery in under 5 mins and wont start again. i replaced the 3 wire alt with a new 1 wire one from napa. there are 2 wires going from somewhere to the alt Battery terminal. 1 is to the bat side of the solenoid. no ide about the other BUT the GEN light on the dash does work as it should - i think. it lights up to start and then goes out when the car runs. also i think part of the whine i heard before was the alternator belt. i loosened it just a bit and the whine is much less severe.

so why the heck is it not charging?id think if i had a major short that it would not allow the car to run at all? argh very very frustrated. do i need to add a wire to the 1st terminal on the Alt to an idiot light in order to excite the alternator?

 

Take a look here.
Punching the car isn't smart. You can outsmart this ancient technology.
Punch the car and it will laugh at you while on the way to the hospital.

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/onewire-threewire.shtml

 

[

any ideas on the whine sound?[/QUOTE]

Yeah....have some cheese with it

 

Your alternator belt is probably glazed up, loosening it up may reduce the squeal, but doesn't help the charging.

You need to see what type of alternator your car is wired for next. You shouldn't have wires leftover that don't have a home. What is killing the battery, the starter cranking? I would get the rebuilt too just to get it off the list.

Bob

 

As mentioned several times already, check for parasitic drain.
I start by pulling all the fuses first, that does two things for me.
The first test tells me where it at generally , fuse related or not. Second it let's me see the circuits stack up.
Other than that this is how to do it.

http://m.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain

You can use a jumper wires on the leads so your meter can go with you.
The other causes are bad diode in alternator, faulty charging system components, shorts , relays stuck open or clicking.
The same clicking you hear in the video.
And bad ignition switches.
Start with the most common

 

If you installed a one wire GM alternator, that one wire should go to the positive battery terminal and should be at least 8 gauge wire. These alternators put out 60 amps or more. The original charging system was probably only 30 amp. Easiest place to connect on a Ford is the battery side of the solenoid. With an alternator, it should charge at idle. You might have to rev it up to get it charging but once it is, it should keep charging at idle.
Battery voltage should be just over 12 volts without the engine running and 13.6 or higher with the engine running. The 64 probably originally had a generator and the indicator light was controlled by the voltage regulator. The wires on the alternator are probably connected to the voltage regulator which could be drawing your battery down.

As to your electrical problem, you might have some wires connected together that shouldn't be on the replacement switch. Your diagram and original replacement switch should solve that. The headlight switch should have a thermal switch in it, kind of like a circuit breaker. Connections on the plugs on Ford headlight switches can be a problem too.

Good luck

 

I hate to say it, but have you checked that the battery is installed correctly, and that it is charged correctly? I reverse charged a batter on an OT truck once it in caused all sorts of weird electrical issues.

 

thanks all. i have checked and recharged the battery and tested it. its good. i have a new alternator and a new solenoid. what i can't tell for certain is if the 1 wire conversion ever did in fact work. i drove the car for a 15 minute or so test drive inc slow traffic and on the highway - before i bought it. i parked the car and 5 minutes later drove it back into the guy's garage. could a full battery allow me to drive for 20 minutes without depleting?

trying to determine if it ever worked or if i somehow killed it. i will try the fuse thing. at this point if i cant sort it today its going to the mechanic. i just dont have the time to go back and forth every day. i will try an idiot light wire and the fuses. after that it goes to someone with experience. ive ttried all i can understand. key switch/battery/alt/solenoid are all new/good. either the 1 wire alt needs a new wire or i have a short somewhere. i could not find any parasitic draw - the only drop i get is when turning on the starter it uses 5 volts. which i would expect ? since it is a big starter for a 390.

 

To kill a battery so quickly, the battery itself is at fault or you have some enormous drain or short somewhere. The guy who sold you the car probably knew it had issues. You can't judge a starter performance on a usage of voltage. The correct test is done using a VAT tester (hooked up to the car's electrical system) that shows how much current (amps) the starter is drawing.

Bob

 

thanks Bob. when i check volts at the battery i get 12.2. then at the key switch power is also get 12.2. if i dont have the ignition circuit attached (which seems to be the charging circuit too?) and i turn on the key to either ACC or IGN i get about 11.9. the issue def happens when the ignition circuit is hooked up. now that i have essentially replaced everything in the charging circuit inc fuses, alternator, solenoid and key switch i would think i have some crazy short somehwere. the wiring is a rats nest as the previous owner def did some "customizing". ill try the last 2 options i have and then its off to the mechanic. if he looks at it and says "whoa" then its new wiring harness time. the stuff that the PO did is an absolute mess. all wires up to the lights are the same blue and wrapped in crazy bundles. ugh. it is what is. it will get sorted and will be fun. just ticks me off as i wanted a driver now and have to sell things in order to do this. oh well thereare worse things.

 

ok well just went and looked again and maybe there is an ext voltage regulator still attached. is this it? i cant understand why he would have a 1 wire alternator AND an external voltage reg? i just made sure the thing was grounded and still nada. jumped the car again and as soon as i took the neg cable off it died.

 

so i looked at the wiring diagram and that does appear to be an ext regulator left over from the generator days. why the heck does he have a 1 wire internally regulated alternator AND a ext regulator? if the ext one is bad could that be the issue? hell everything else has been replaced might as well do that too lol. ugh

 

Is the external regulator connected to anything? If so, what?

You need an experienced helper who has been there done that and can cut through the distractions to get to the root of the problem. Forums help, but nothing trumps a guy in the garage who has the knowledge.