Ford 1720 Grounding / Electrical questions

[Soundguy]

i'm guessing that thing's gonna need an alternator as well..

soundguy

 

[jwanbee]

I just had the same problem with my 1720 hst. Was running fine, then acted like the battery was dead, but the battery checked out fine. It showed weak power to the instrument panel (only the radiator light went on`dimly), butthen panel went dead when I tired to turn it over. A couple of times I got a faint clicking from the starter. Then completely no power.

I'll check the fuse in the parallel circuit, and pull the cover to the instrument panel. Problem is - it is sitting in the field, and I know I going to drop something into the tall grass.

If anyone has any other ideas? Reading the first posting, it seems this is not an isolated occurence.

 

[Bedlam]

Sounds like a possible bad connection to me. Thats how mine went one day and then a good cleaning of the terminatal and away it started

 

[rayikeo2]

Clean both the battery terminals with a wire brush and the posts and replace tightly. It is probably the ground from the battery to the frame. Clean the ground to frame connection if necessary. Look for corrosion. If that is not it clean the terminal at the starter but first disconnect the ground at battery. I guarantee it will run like a new one after you clean the terminals. The altenator is probably GOOD.

 

[jwanbee]

I think I have solved the problem. Today, I got some power back to the insrument panel, but no go with the starter - just clicking. Cleaning the terminals did not help. I bypassed the ignition switch on the starter and got nothing. I believe the ground wire (an uninsulated woven cable) has failed. I can start it up if I use a jumper directly from the Neg battery terminal to body ground. Just waiting to get time to replace the ground cable to see if it works.

 

[Soundguy]

might be paint under the ground strap connection.

soundguy

 

[jwanbee]

More follow-up... Switched out the ground cable for an insulated 1/0 gauge wire. Starts much better than before, so must be getting more amps to the starter. The woven cable looks good, so can't figure why it wasn't getting any juice at all. Hope this might be an easy solution to anyone who might have the same situation develop.

 

[Soundguy]

lots of those woven cables have a flat shrouded crimp on end that can get corrosion under it and cause poor conduction.. or the cable to chassie connection can get some corrosion on it.

soundguy