flyguy89

I just bought a beauty of a 84 f150 4.9l straight 6 with only 107k on it. It has some issues from sitting for so long, had to get the fuel pump replaced and theres an oil leak on the front of the valve cover. It has an aftermarket trailer brake. As far as the electrical goes thats all that is changed on the truck that I know of but my mechanic told me that it's been "Micky Moused" pretty bad and was concerned about how it was pulling power to the starter coil. He was telling me something about "testlighting" the fuse panel port thats on when the ignition is on then running the other end of the line through the firewall to the green 12 volt wire that he added with a fuse on it.
Every now and then when I start the truck the dash wont work, as in turn signal blinkers (both on the dash and on the external lights themselves), dash light, radio, and heater. But if I turn it off and start it up again they will work just fine most of the time. The dash dies almost 80% of the time when I accidentally kill it as I am just learning how to drive a manual. If you can't tell by now I don't know jack about automotive repair so if someone could give me the for dummies version of what the mechanic was trying to tell me to do and accomplish it would be greatly appreciated.
I bought the Haynes Repair Manual and on Chapter 12: Chassis electrical system it says that the "basic tools needed for electrical troubleshooting include a circuit tester, a high impedance (10 k-ohm) digital multi-meter, a continuity tester, and a jumper wire with an incline circuit breaker for bypassing electrical components." They might as well have written it in Spanish because I have no idea what that means. Is all of that really necessary for what I am trying to accomplish? I know but if anyone could help clear this up it would be much appreciated. Here's some pictures of the wiring I am talking about, which looks different than any pictures in the Haynes manual

The green wire with the fuse is what my mechanic was talking about testing



Heres the fuse panel end

I am going to read over the chassis electrical system section of Haynes while I wait for some advice. This thing is awesome but it doesn't account for people not knowing the basics so well . I appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond and although I don't have any vehicle knowledge to reciprocate with if anyone has any fly fishing or fishing questions, especially about Oregon or SE Washington I have a wealth of knowledge to contribute, I promise I am not a complete idiot. I only am when it comes to vehicle repair haha.

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Everybody has to start somewhere.
A multi meter (15 - 20 $$) and a test light (10 $$)would be a good place to start for testing tools.
It sounds like maybe the ignition switch on the column (not the key part) may be faulty. It controls the accessory, on and start functions. It's likely original and very old so the contacts inside may be wearing out. They're not real expensive last time I looked. Might be worth a try.

flyguy89

Thanks Chris I appreciate your response. I know I probably didn't give you much info to work with. Thats good to hear the equipment and ignition switch on the column are so cheap. I have a feeling that most parts are going to be cheap on this truck. People at parts stores keep telling me that I picked a great vehicle to be learning repair and maintenance on. I am hoping to do somewhat of an overhaul on the truck so I will put the starting column ignition switch up at the top.