Wyatt LeRoux

Hey everybody.

I have a 79 f150 ranger (i think) and recently been able to to start working on it after it sitting for a few years. I have some knowledge of vehicles but not so much the older ones but i know they are way easier to work on.

Anyway I replaced the fuel filter and replaced the old gas with new gas before I did anything to see if it still ran after a year of not being started. Bought a new battery for my daily driver and used the old one to put in the truck. Charged it up and no electrical power at all in the truck. Went to check the connection and seen smoke from a wire that didn't look right at all on how it was connected.

In the picture the wire was coming from the right side post of the solenoid? to that wire that is bare in the middle. I took it off because i didnt want anything to catch fire ha. Any ideas on why it was like that and why I have no power? Bad ground or wires I am assuming?

Also I was trying to decode the vin to find out about this truck and the vin on the door was wrong and so was the cab. It didn't match up at all with whats on this truck. I tried looking for the vin on the frame and couldn't find it.

I am going to ask a bunch of questions over the next few months so bare with me since I am a newbie with this. Thanks

kzb86f150

Idk if your setup on the starter solenoid is the same as mine but I have an open post on mine but I'd first try replacing that solenoid because it'll smoke when it goes bad

klricks

Are you sure your new (old) battery has the + and - posts on the same side as the original battery? Battery manufactures often make 2 versions of the same battery with just the + & - posts reversed.

From your description I can't tell what you have connected and what you have disconnected?

One of the larger wires on the solenoid should be connected to the + post of the battery and the other wire goes to the starter...

Maybe post more detailed info and/or photos...

Wyatt LeRoux

Alright the right post with the more clean black wire had a smaller sized wire going from that post to that wire thats split open showing bare wire. I thought it was odd because it was sliced into that wire. I know my dad had a small system for his heavy metal in that truck so I dont know if that wire was for anything involving that.

Will getting a new solenoid help with not having any electrical power? I know I have to replace it either way.


As for the battery I have no idea because it didn't have a battery in it. One wire is red and the other is black so I dont see how it would be different than any other battery in a vehicle.

Wyatt LeRoux

Looked at someones truck just like mine earlier and looked at his setup. Told him about my problem and showed me a fusible link on his. I am guessing mine was bypassed or something because I didn't have one but the wire that melted was just a plain ol wire.

I am going to get a new solenoid next week and try it out.


I'm, going to have to file for a lost title because the vins on the cab and door are different and neither match what the truck is. I can't find the ones on the frame so hoping the title will give me a vin. Would I have much trouble getting a title? Never had to before or know much about it but it was in my dads name before he passed so i am hoping its not to much trouble.

heavychevy

i might be wrong, but since he was your father i wouldnt think you would have to do more than go in with a death certificate and arder a duplicate

klricks

I was wondering if you hooked up the battery backwards as you said you saw smoke. The terminals can on different sides for different batteries.

If you can't find the title then look for old registration and insurance cards or call the agent of the company it was last insured with. Your DMV may also require the clerk to do a physical VIN read so you need to make sure the VIN matches whatever VIN was used before.

Most states have an online site where you can read about what is required and download forms etc.

Not sure if there ever was a VIN on the frame? I didn't find one on my truck. Only on the driver door jamb and driver side dash.

Whats not adding up on your VIN? Can't think of anything that would be different other the engine digit if an engine swap was done? Truck would have to be totally chopped to have anything else mismatched.

kzb86f150

I know with my old solenoid it wouldn't give me power to do anything but run the radio for 5 minutes and it'd suck my battery clean out of juice,

If there's nothing wrong with the motor and it turns free and it's not even starting then yea id go with a solenoid then if that don't fix it start tracing wires

Wyatt LeRoux

Now that I think about it you might be right about that battery. Feel like a dumbass now lol. I think the ground is a red wire which threw me off. I'll check when I get to work tomorrow.

The vin on the cab says its a f100 2x2. Door vin says its a blue f150 with a 351 4x4. I don't see any blue anywhere underneath or the outside. really sucks not knowing what he did or the owner before him. I'll do some reading on local dmv and figure out about getting title

heavychevy

the one on the dash is the one they would go by. someone may have replaced the doors @ some point. lol, it is fun when you have sources showing diffrent information aint it? for instance, i have a 79 as well, the vin says my motor is a 390, hood sticker says 351m, and the valve cover stickers say 4something! which in turn means i gotta get underneath and find a casting number on the block before i can even order a rebuild kit.