I was on my way to work when my truck (83 22r, desmogged to Canadian emissions) shut off completely. My battery reads 12.7 volts and it reads the same at all grounds. No gauge lights, no ignition, I have a dome light and hazards, but no blinkers, and I have headlights. I'm stumped. My starter has power, but won't turn over or even click.

 

If your sure you have a good ground and you should from your Meter readings.

Check your fusible link that it did not open for some reason

check the wire feeding the fuse block from the alternator B terminal has not come loose it should be bolted to the bottom of the fuse block.


Saying your starter has power you mean the cable coming from the battery that always is at Battery Voltage.

Did you note anything happen hit a big pot hole or anything else out of the ordinary ??

 

I just turned right and power went out. I pulled my coil and checked it, it was fine too. I can't find a starter relay though, is it part of the starter?

 

I have power to my ignition switch too.

 

I agree with wyoming9 about the fusible link. you will likely want to get a wiring diagram. your starter relay is under the hood.

 

My fusible link is cut out and replaced by an actual fuses now, both check out fine. So far I've traced power to my ignitionpigtail and attempted to hotwire. It turns the stRter and gives me poser to wipers and signals, but engine won't turn over.

 

I would look really close at your grounds again.

Check the battery terminals clean tight not broken.

The starter relay should be on the right inner fender if it is the stock one most say starter relay

It is either a bad ground A open fuse or fusible link or poor connection.

Fuses get loose in the female sockets all the time!!

possible ignition switch to lose the ignition and it won`t crank.

you mean the engine cranks and won`t start?? Or will not crank??

failed igniter??

hard to do this online .

Get your Meter out and check.

 

Check your main fuses?

 

I found a melted wire that I replaced and got it running, but I crossed something and now I don't have hazards or headlights. It's in my friend's garage and I took out my dash to chase wires until I find the short(s).



This is where I'm at now......

 

Wow! Good luck!

 

I've actually got the harness striped of electrical tape and I'm going to pull my passenger side through the firewall tonight.

 

Now that my harness is stripped of tape I'm tracing wires through the entire system. My lights work, I checked them through the battery. My harness has yet to produce a burnt wire or visable short. I tried jumping the truck through the ignition pigtail when I was on the highway and it turned over without starting. Since that, headlights and hazards don't work.


This is the harness with the two I jumped with separated to the right.

 

I have no clue why you pulled every thing apart.

If you have the harness from the steering column unplugged of course the lights won`t work or the turn signals.

Without the wiring schematics for your truck I have no clue what color wires do what.

With every thing all plugged together again if it still does not work .

Make sure the fuses are good and the sockets are tight. A good fuse does no good if it is not making contact in the socket

 

So I've sent a ton of electrical parts off to work with a friend who is an electrical engineer, and every switch and relay came back fine. I got another wiring harness from a junkyard and put it in, no change. Everything should work, but still doesn't. I even printed out the wiring diagram from my fsm, blew it up and taped it together so I would have the correct wiring diagram. This thing has me beating my head in the wall.

 

I got it! The P.O. decided to wire in some aftermarket gauges and created a loop between the headlight relay and battery to run power for gauges. I removed it and created a gap in the circuit inadvertently. But now I have a new harness and Sr5 gauges, new hood latch cable, new vent hoses, new heater speed switch, new column switches, and a factory glovebox manual with origional window sticker for my exact truck.

 

I'm having a similar problem with my '81. I'm thinking back and I did hit a big unavoidable pot hole before it broke down. What would that have to do with electrical problems?

 

If you hit a pothole and lost something, I'd bet it's just loose or dirty connections somewhere.