A friend of mine who was staying ay my house when I was out of town took the battery out of my 1979 F150 as his car battery died. He put it back in backwards and now the truck will not start. I understand that this probably fried the alternator and some wiring but I am not sure exactly where to begin, if I should try to fix this myself or get it towed to my mechanic and have him fix it. Any advice or cost estimates would be greatly appreciated. Oh yea, I am sending that dumbass the bill!!!

Billy

 

If it won't start and it's not getting any spark then I would suspect it ruined the duraspark module or TFI module. If the alternator's not putting out, once it starts, then I would suspect it blew the diodes in the alternator.

 

You may want to check for some fuse links around the solenoid that may have burned out. I knew of something similar happening to a mustang, newer model, similar situation. In that case, some relays vere involved, and the computer was fried.

Since yours is pre-EFI, the modules sound like a good place to look. I assume you tried to start the truck when you realized there was a problem.
Depending on your skills, you may be able to check some things or have them taken somewhere to check, such as the alternator, the modules or the basic wiring. You might be able to take your alternator to a parts store to get it checked and ask for some suggestions of other concerns. I have no idea as to what to expect or what it may cost to get your truck going if you take it to a mechanic. Be careful about throwing a bunch of parts at it that you are not sure are a problem. A good mechanic may be able to get to the bottom quicker without a lot of unnecessary parts.

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

Yup, gonna need the wiring diagram from the '73-'79 haynes manual and start tracin' power to find the meltdown. I'd suspect the brain box over on the drivers fender, and prolly the voltage regulator on the passenger fender took a hit too.

Adrianspeeder

 

I agree with speeder. My dad and I have three F150s 76,78,79 that we use for farming. Any time we have a problem with one not starting, I usually suspect that gray motorcraft box over on the fender. Some places do carry an aftermarket brand, but I recommend replacing with another motorcraft box.

Mike