[mainlinekitty]

hi again everyone.
hope your all enjoying the sunhine. xx
wondered if someone could help me out, ive got a 1955 ford mainline, and i stupidly took the live from by battery to the alternator off, at the alternator end first, because i was going to re new it, and before i could get the battery end off, i accidently touched the bumper with it, it melted the metal connector at the end, and now the car is totally dead. i have recharged the battery, thinking that i might have just drained it, but it made no difference. what have i blown up now? lol. i need to know what i could have damaged. any help would be really appreciated. i know very little about electrics, so if you could keep it simple, lol. i would appreciate it. I was also tidying up the wiring in the engine bay, as i put a new wiring loom in it, and its all very messy, but im sure that i didnt cut anything that i shouldnt have. all the ignition wires are still there, lol.
thanks for reading this,
shirlee. xxx

[vicrod]

I don't have the wiring diagram for that car but guessing that the wire going to alternator has a fusible link. This is a small section of the wire that is designed to open the circuit in the event of a short circuit.
You need to test the wire with a meter or test light.

vicrod

[richard stewart 3rd]

Hi
You may have ruined the battery as well.
Rich

[EOD Guy]

Not sure about the Fords..... but like Vic said, there's a fusible link somewhere..... follow all the wires from the battery's POS terminal .... there should be a splice to a different color wire.... that should be the fuseable link

[LATECH]

Look on the back of the ignition switch, there are some fuses mounted on it IIRC.Could be one popped

[eloc431962]

Maybe this will help . http://www.classiccarwiring.com/ford.php . I also agree there should be a fusible link somewhere that got fried during all this.JMO


Cole

[willowbilly3]

If you don't have a test light, trot on down to the parts store and get a good one, they are cheap. You can't troubleshoot anything without one. It might be a good idea to pick up a book on basic automotive electrical systems while you're there.
My guess is that you fried a fusable link somewhere. Tracing the power (or lack of) with a test light is pretty straight forward. Think of electricity as water in a hose. If the hose breaks, water can't get through. If someone turns off the fawcett, same thing. If a fat guy stands on the hose, not enough water can get through, same as too much resistance. Too small of hose and not enough water gets through.

[mainlinekitty]

haha, so basically i gotta look for a fat guy somewhere in my engine,
thanks for all your reply's. i appreciate it. xx
1/ i have checked wiring to alternator, there is no spliced wiring, its just a straight wire from pos battery to alternator. that is what i was replacing, when i lived the bodywork,
2/ there are no fuses on my ignition barrel. ive checked all the fuses in the fuse box's, and they are all ok.
3/the battery is fine, i charged it over night, its only about 9 months old, and its full, plus, all the lights, and gauges work.
could i have blown the diodes in the alternator, my dad, who knows loads about old cars, reckons it might be that,{ but unfortunatly he lives 120 miles away,} but the guy at my local garage reckons it isnt.
ive got a multi meter, but being a woman, if its not a shopping list, i dont understand it, lol. will try to muck about, and see if i can work out where the power stops, because clearly thats where the problem will be. ive got a haynes electrical manual, but again, being a woman, i never read manuals, lol. any more tips would be really appreciated.
thanks again. xx

[LATECH]

Having a Haynes manual isnt much to brag about. You will do better on your own woman or not!

[mainlinekitty]

mmmm not sure if that was supposed to be a positive comment, or a negative one. guess you dont like haynes manuals then. for novices like me, it gives me the basics to work with. any any help is appreciated, lol.
anyway. i reckon ive blown the starter solonoid. as it will fire up when i bypass the battery positive, and jump a lead from battery to solonoid directly. so i presume ive fried something inside it. if ive got it totally wrong, please feel free to tell me, lol.

[EOD Guy]

Try this.... on the starter solonoid there should be a cable running from one side to the battery and the other side to the starter and two smaller posts which run from the ing switch system etc...... take a screwdriver and short across the two small posts, the engine should turn over (basicly bypassing the ing switch) if it turns over it's not the solonoid......... if it doesn't turn over, take a jumper cable from one side of the starter solonoid (battery side) to the other side (starter side) and it should turn over (basicaly bypassing the solonoid) if it does, and didn't when the two small ones were jumped, it's the solonoid. if it doesn't...... might be the cable to the starter.

[LATECH]

Originally Posted by mainlinekitty

mmmm not sure if that was supposed to be a positive comment, or a negative one. guess you dont like haynes manuals then. for novices like me, it gives me the basics to work with. any any help is appreciated, lol.
anyway. i reckon ive blown the starter solonoid. as it will fire up when i bypass the battery positive, and jump a lead from battery to solonoid directly. so i presume ive fried something inside it. if ive got it totally wrong, please feel free to tell me, lol.

It was a dig on the haynes manuals. Not the girl. Never underestimate a woman.I am dumb... not stupid. LOL

[cobalt327]

Did you ever get that wiring diagram you were asking about 6 months ago? It will be a big help in diagnosing electrical problems on this old Ford.

An 8 page wiring manual/diagram costs $8.00 plus shipping- and they'll ship overseas.

Good luck.

[mainlinekitty]

hi EOD, have fixed it now, it was a burnt wire on the ignition barrel, and also a lose connection. all sorted, thanks for the advice. xxx

LATECH, lol, cool. i meet sooooo many sexist guys tht sometimes it hard to tell if men are being sarcastic. am so lad your not like that. xx

COBALT wiring diagrams are no good, asit had 3 generations of wiring all mixed together when i got it, so i have put a brand new wiring loom in, so i use the new instructions for the new loom. it was chopped and bodged about so much, that it was easier to rip it all out and start again. luckily, the new loom really simplifies things, so its easy for me to understand, lol. xx
thanks again to you all for your help. xxxx

[EOD Guy]

Good to hear you have it fixed