ou: I must be losing it. I went to start her up this morning after sitting over the winter. With a couple blasts of starter fluid it started right up and ran great as usual. I then turned it off and later went to restart it and it barely turned and then "click click". Thought battery was low so hooked up the jump starter BACKWARDS! There was sparking at the battery terminals as you can imagine. I hooked it up correctly this time but now I have absolutely nothing. No headlights no idiot lights, nothing...zilch. Like there is no battery in it. I took battery out and checked it battery is good. Put a new ignition switch in it, and still nothing. If I try to connect the battery cables I get a pretty good spark. I fried something just not sure where to go next. Starter selenoid, voltage reg, junction block? I tried looking for a fuseable link but don't see one unless it is behind the dash somewhere? Also confused, why would it have been so slow to crank the second time if the battery and connections were o.k. to begin with? I'm a newby here and thank you for any help!
Fusible link(s) are gone. Will post an image in a bit :TU: EDIT :Smarty: From an old post: If you don't have headlights, and no other power, you burned both fusible links, they are located at the starter motor.
Others may chime in here and correct me if I'm wrong, but the symptoms you've described point to a blown fusible link going to the starter - you'll see the wire (the color of which escapes me) with a molded in "block" leaving the starter. That's the link, and if it's blown, you'll need to replace it to get things going again. EDIT: as I typed this, Eric answered and verified my suspicions. Thanks Eric!
No worries Joe, it's not a match. At least we came up with the same answer Here's a very usefull thread about the fusible links, posted by board member "KFD" (Kelly) :TU:
And now it's time for the official part :beer "pscotty63": Please put your name in your signature, we are all here on a friendly first name base :TU: And don't forget to introduce yourself (and your Electra) in the Wet behind the ears?? section of the board :Smarty:
My thanks to both of you! And for such a quick reply. I will proceed in this direction and let you know. Much appreciated. Phil
I believe 1967 was the first year for a fusible link. My '66 Skylark GS's don't have them. The main power for 'everything' comes off of the junction block/horn relay. A heavy cable goes down to the starter. There's also a heavy red wire there, about 10 gauge, that goes through the connector on the firewall, then to the fuse block and ignition switch. Best bet is to get a voltmeter and check for power at the fuse block and ignition switch.
Walt is right, I just had a look in the 1966 Chassis Manual. Phil, click here for the 1966 Buick Chassis Manual wiring diagrams on the TeamBuick website :Comp: Go to "Fig. 120-117" (and on) for the Electra wiring information :TU: Starter wiring:
Hi guys, Following Walt's advice (because there are no fusible links to the starter), I have checked my circuitry with a volt meter. I do have power (continuity) 12.5v to the ignition switch, as well as the fuse block (both sides), alternator, and the starter. Power is passing through the junction block. Given the fact I have power going to all those components, I still can't understand why I have no headlights, dash lights, or power anything? In the past, with the car off and no key in the ignition, I have always been able to turn on the headlights, power windows, or power seat. Right now I'm suspecting the starter solenoid. I'm not an electrical engineer, but I've had my starter go out before and I didn't lose everything. Does "everything" rely on a complete circuit through the solenoid? Thanks in advance! Phil
Check your ground connections. When these fail, there's no advance warning. One minute everything works great, the next, poof, nothing works.
Thanks Tom and to all. I pulled the starter over the weekend and she's toast. I'm still wondering. If the starter is gone, is everything gone? My grounds are good and I have continuity everywhere. Now having trouble finding a starter. Does anyone have a good source? Thanks! phil
Hello all, :TU: Success! I wanted to get back to all of you with an update. First of all, I had my starter rebuilt by a local shop I highly recommend to anyone here in the Denver metro area. The Generator Exchange at 44th and Clay in Denver. ph: 303.433.1042 They have been in business since 1945 and now in it's 3rd generation of ownership.By the way I dropped off my starter at 1:15 in the afternoon and got a call at 8:15 the next morning that it was complete.New solenoid, lube, and good cleaning ready to go for $65.00. As it turned out, the solution to my problem was extremely simple but I would never have suspected it. It was a bad positive battery cable. This may or may not have been caused by my hooking up the battery charger backwards as I had slow starter cranking to begin with.The cable was not that old and showed no signs of wear. My previous tests with the volt meter indicated continuity but not the 7v drop I found later when I removed it. Robert(Sr.) at the generator exchange told me to perform the following simple tests. 1. Run a jumper wire from the + battery terminal to the batt. terminal on the alternator. If it sparks when touched, alternator probably has a diode out. Disconnect batt. feed wire and connect jumper to the alt. batt. wire directly to take alternator out of the circuit. 2. If jumper does not spark when touched to the alt batt. terminal, alternator is probably o.k. Go ahead and leave batt. wire to alt. connected. 3. In either case with jumper wire attached turn ignition and see if there is power to all lights and accessories by turning the ignition key. 4. In my case, BINGO! with jumper attached I had all power back. Disconnect jumper and no power. 5. Now take jumper and run between + Batt terminal and junction block on fender. Turn on ignition and see if there is power. Again the answer is yes. But remove that wire and the lights went out. Obivously not enough power getting to the junction block from the battery. Replaced + battery cable and all is well.The starter went out due to a low amount of voltage reaching it. It actually overheated (with only a few seconds of cranking), enough to melt the solder from the motor winding to the armature and spun it all over the inside of the starter case. My thanks again to all of you, and to the Generator exchange here in Denver for all the help and source info.She starts like a new car and runs great!
